The play revolves around a girl known as Eva Smith or Daisy Renton, though she doesn’t actually take part in the play. As the play progresses it is gradually revealed to us and each of the characters how the girl died and who was responsible for her death.
As the audience, Priestley also gives us the implication that we are also guilty for her death in the sense that we probably would have treated her in a similar way.
Throughout the play Birling’s attitude is self-centred and arrogant as he insists on believing that all he says and does is right and not willing to broaden his mind by learning from other people. for example when Eric, his son, brings up the subject of war, Birling immediately takes control over the conversation, and when Eric tries to add in a few words, Birling dismisses what Eric intends to say, and goes on to say, “Just let me finish, you have got a lot to learn.”
”The reason, Birling gives to the Inspector for firing the Eva Smith shows that he doesn’t like to be challenged by other people, ‘She had a lot to say- far too much so she had to go’
The following statement goes on to show that Birling is not at all bothered about the well being of other people in his community, ‘ A man has to look after himself and his family’
When playing his part on stage, Arthur Birling would firstly have to consider his stance, perhaps by sitting on a chair, so that when the Inspector walks into the room the idea of him creating massiveness is reinforced, and secondly his tone and use of language, would have to be less challenging, so that it is more recognised that the Inspector is in charge. On camera the use of zooming into the face, so that the final camera viewpoint is a close- up would be ideal, so that as the audience we can understand the thoughts and feelings of the characters through their facial expressions.
Sybil on the other hand is a very cold and feeling woman who is very much out of touch with the reality of life. The character of Sybil can be described as extraordinary as she is able to identify the polite rules of behaviour, for example the way in which she admonishes her husband, Arthur for his comment about the quality of the meal, yet presents herself as an uncaring person who gives very little regard to other people’s feelings and is not very involved with the things that concern her and the people around her.
To fully emphasize the fact that Sybil is an uncaring character, on stage she would have to show this by proceeding with what she is doing in the drawing room, and not bother to go into the lounge to investigate as to why the Inspector is there.
The very fact that Sybil is not aware that her own son is a drunk despite the fact that she lives with him, simply goes on to show that she’s an anti-social person, she also takes very little part in the conversation at the table, during the engagement party.
Unlike their children, (Sheila and Eric) Arthur and Sybil clearly feel no remorse whatsoever over the death of the girl, as they blatantly refuse to admit that they took part in the downfall of her short life. This behaviour absolutely disgusts Sheila, who is described as being affectionate at the end of the play, as she argues with her father over the fact that his employees should have been treated fairly, ‘But these people aren’t cheap labour, they are people!’
At this point Priestly gives us the implication that Sheila and Eric are the new youth of a new generation prepared to make a better life for everyone by learning from the mistakes of people such as themselves and their parents, to fortify this message, Sheila and Eric, would have to stand together, on stage, as in to show that they are members of one body, prepared to make everyone happy!
The way in which the two children respond to the way their parents treated the girl clearly shows a big gap in terms of generation. The word ‘squiffy’ (which means slightly drunk) which is used by Sheila immediately shocks her mother as this use of language was not common during the time in which this play was set, especially from a well off family such as her own.
Gerald is in the midst of feeling remorse for the death of Daisy Renton, but at the same time fully supports Birling for dismissing her from his works, by saying there is nothing else he could have done other than fire her, (Act 1, page 15.) whilst Eric thinks he’s father acted to harshly and should have kept her. This obviously shows that Gerald would have done the same had he been in Birlings position.
There is a similarity between the character of Gerald and Eric as we discover that they both used Eva Smith/Daisy Renton for their own sexual pleasures.
At the end of the play Sheila and Eric are remorseful over the way in which they treated Eva Smith whilst their parents are willing to return to their old ways and pretend everything is perfectly all right. Gerald lingers in between how Sheila and Eric feel to how Arthur and Sybil feel, as he realises some of his mistakes but at the same time supports Arthur and Sybil in one way or the other.
As a result of some of the characters refusing to learn from their mistakes and accept their responsibilities the whole of the Birling family including Gerald have to go through the whole of the questioning of the death of the girl as a form of punishment.
A lot of dramatic irony takes place in the play; the Inspector himself brings out a lot of irony especially in one of his early exchanges with Birling, when Birling is arguing that it would be ‘very awkward if we were all held responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with’
The Inspector repeats the words after Birling as though he agrees with him with him, but in actual fact suggests that what is to follow will show that they were all responsible for her death. Mrs. Birling is another classic example when she hasn’t figured out that Eric might be the father of the unborn child, she is quick to suggest another person be labelled responsible other that her own son.
I think dramatic irony is used in this play so that as the audience we can expand our thoughts and feelings towards the characters.
Unlike in usual Detective/Police/Inspector stories or plays whereby the suspect or criminal narrows down to one person in, ‘An Inspector Calls’ it all comes down to a whole family, including Gerald. Priestley uses a variety of slick dramatic techniques to get his message across, and he deliberately uses the character of the Inspector to express his own personal views and feelings on how people should be treated.
The character of the Inspector creates a feeling of massiveness and someone who is determined to get his own way, and give out his final message. His name ‘Goole’ pronounced as ‘ghoul’ gives us an impression of a mysterious and unusual character, for example a ghost. A word that can be used to best describe the Inspector is ‘sombre’ this is because he is very serious and in most cases imposing to how the characters respond to his questions.
The overall and final message that Priestley gives to us through the Inspector is that we shouldn’t use our wealth and social status as a way of avoiding our responsibilities to our fellow human beings.
‘But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone-but there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and their fears.’
