The play is set out in three acts. The setting is constant as everything happens in the dining – room. This creates a sense of claustrophobia and tension. Priestley says that the lighting should be "pink and intimate" before the Inspector arrives - a rose-tinted glow - when it becomes "brighter and harder." The lighting reflects the mood of the play.
In the play the family and Gerald are celebrating Gerald & Sheila’s engagement in the dining-room. Gerald & Mr. Birling are talking about business and politics. Mr. Birling’s way into the next honors’ list by getting an knighthood and about Lady Croft’s (Gerald’s mother) attitude of social classes. Just before the ring bells & the inspector arrives, Mr. Birling shows his outlook on life, what he had learnt in the good hard school of experience to Gerald & Eric he says “...a man has to make his own way, has to look after himself and his family..”. The inspector enters and tells about the suicide. He shows a photograph to Mr.Birling, and starts questioning him. It turns out that Eva Smith had been one of Mr.Birling’s, employees and later on was discharged because she asked for more money, had been refused & went on a strike (as one of the ringleaders).
Sheila enters into the dining-room and is next to be questioned. She was related to Eva Smith because she had been jealous of Eva because she looked better in a specific dress. She went to the manager and told him that this girl had been very cheeky so, indirectly she made Eva lost her job.
The inspector goes on and tells that Eva Smith had changed her name into Daisy Renton. Now Gerald’s faults get cleared up. He has had an affair with her the previous summer
Then Mrs. Birling came along and was told that Eric often drinks. Gerald talks about his relationship towards Daisy Renton (Eva Smith). After that, he went out for a walk…and the Inspector turns towards Mrs Birling. She was involved with Eva Smith as she failed her “job” as a member of the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation by not helping deserving cases. She refused Eva’s ask for help because she don’t like her.
Eric comes back and become’s the next victim of Inspector Goole: he is more or less forced to confess his relationship towards Eva. He met her first in the Palace bar (as Gerald did) and stood her a few drinks, later on he was quite drunk and they went to her lodgings. After a few more dates, Eva was going to have a baby. She didn’t want Eric to marry, so he gave her enough money to keep her going, but finally she refuses even this. The problem about the money Eric got it from his father’s office, without asking in advance! The inspector left leaving the family is arguing and discussing until Gerald returns and exposes the inspector as not real. And after a call to the local Infirmary (no girl has been brought in this afternoon who had committed suicide by drinking disinfectant) it’s seems clear that the whole thing had been a bluff. The family is relieved… but right then the phone rings: it’s the police, a girl had committed suicide & an inspector is on the way to ask some questions…
The inspector can represent many things. Nobody knows who the Inspector is and why he is there. In a way this is good as it keeps the audience on suspence and scares the family. However, it is not good as when the Inspector leaves and a real Inspector comes the family are ready to give their stories. The mystery of the Inspector’s identity is one that the play never answers. He could represent the ideas of moral duties. He might be there to fight against Mr. Birling’s views as they both have different priorities as Mr. Birling doesn’t really care about the death of Eva Smith whereas Inspector Goole does. The Inspector is also very hostile to Mr.Birling however quite lenient to the rest of the family members. Mr. Birling is described at the start as a "heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties but rather provincial in his speech." He is also a very selfish man as he claims the party "is one of the happiest nights of my life." This is not only because Sheila will be happy, but because a merger with Crofts Limited will be good for his business. The Inspector may not like Mr. Birling because of these things.
Mr. Birling is also optimistic for the future and confident that there will not be a war. As the audience knows there will be a war, we begin to doubt Mr Birling's judgment.
Inspector Goole also makes the audience think about the historical background and the social responsibilities trying to make us aware of the social divide and gender division showing us the treatment of the upper class like Mrs. Birling and Sheila and the working class women like Eva Smith.
Another answer for what the Inspector could be is that he could be a dramatic device therefore without the appearance of Inspector Goole the play could never happen.
It all starts at the beginning of the play. Clearly all is not as it seems to be, and when the doorbell rings as Arthur Birling is telling Gerald and Eric that He believes that socialist ideas that stress the importance of the community are "nonsense" and that a man has to 'look after number one': "a man has to make his
own way and a man has to mind his own business and look after himself.” The Inspector calls.
Inspector Goole is the catalyst for the evening’s events. He is described as “creating an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.” He speaks “carefully, weightily and not changing his tone of voice”. He also has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he’s addressing.
He sets the mood of the play right from his entrance. His name “Goole” is very significant. This is because the word Goole reminds you of “Ghoul” a ghost. He could also be a time traveler. This is ironic as he is investigating a death that hasn’t happened yet however happens right at the end of the play when the inspector has gone. Another reason why the audience can see that he isn’t a real inspector is because of his method of working as he works “one person and one line of enquiry at a time.” His method is to confront a suspect with a piece of information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila puts it, "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves” isn’t right. A real inspector would never do this as they would interview people alone. This Inspector already knows he wants the others to see what they have done.
Throughout the whole play the inspector controls the pace of the play and is also always in control of events in the play. He controls the pace and by dealing with one line of enquiry at a time. Slowly the story of Eva's life is unraveled, like in a 'whodunnit' case from Agatha Christie.
He is in command at the end of Act I and the start of Act 2, and the end of Act 2 and the start of Act 3. He is a brooding, inescapable presence, very much in control of everything because of his method of working.
He is very mysterious and seems to know what is going to happen before it does. Right through the play he always keeps the attention focused on Eva Smith.
Inspector Goole causes conflict in the family, who seem to be happy before he came. Shelia and Gerald are enjoying each others company at their engagement party however after the Inspector has questioned everyone they fall apart from each other. Also there are many arguments in the play this is because of the Inspector. One example was between Eric, Mr. Birling and Mrs. Briling. Once the Inspector finishes with Eric the truth is out about him and Eva Smtih. Also Mr and Mrs. Birling find out that Eric stole money from them resulting to them having an argument. He questions the family and pushes them to reveal the truth, making them confess causing them to feel ashamed of themselves and others.
He also changes some people like Sheila as before the Inspector came she was on her dad’s side however once Inspector Goole has gone her and Eric dislike him for sacking Eva Smith. He made an impact on Sheila and Eric. He also has a huge impact on Gerald as he makes him confess his past sleeping with Eva Smith. He has impact on them however, not so much on Mr and Mrs. Birling as they do not change their minds on Eva Smith as they still do not care about her.
The Inspector encourages the audience to reflect on the themes of the play. In his last speech he attempts to persuade the characters and the audience that they must change their attitudes if the world is going to change for the better. In the Inspectors monologue he uses repetition to draw attention to a large number of working class people by saying “One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us.” This quote is saying that one working class girl has died however there are millions of other working class people still alive showing that we should try and keep these people alive. In his monologue speech he mentions “There are millions and millions of Eva Smiths.” Instead of saying Eva Smith he is using the plural of Eva Smith showing that she is really a “symbol”. She represents all the poor working class women out there. He also includes a list of three in his speech “Think, say and do.” Expressing that everyone should take action. He emphasises the idea that we are not individuals and that we are part of a community and that we have a collective responsibility for each other by repeating the word “We”.
The quotation “We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.” This is an important message as this is what Priestly believed in.
The Inspector also uses dramatic irony by mentioning “ If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” This is an example of dramatic irony as the audience knew in 1945 men did not learn the lesson and this is why World War 1 took place. The “Fire, blood and anguish” refers to the suffering of everyone which happened before the play.
The Inspector is talking about a collective responsibility, everyone is society is linked, in the same way that the characters are linked to Eva Smith. Everyone is a part of "one body"; the Inspector sees society as more important than individual interests. The views he is expressing are like those of Priestley who was a socialist.
He also makes the audience think and speculate about who he is when the Birling family find out he is a fake. Inspector Goole changes our views of the characters once the audience finds out the truth of all the characters.
At the end of the play we are taught an important lesson about our responsibility for our actions and our responsibility to those less fortunate in society. These lessons are relevant today because there are many working class people who need our help and we should stick together and help them.
In An Inspector Calls, the central theme is responsibility. Priestley is interested in our personal responsibility for our own actions and our collective responsibility to society. The play explores the effect of class, age and sex on people's attitudes to responsibility, and shows how prejudice can prevent people from acting responsibly.
