An Inspector Calls by J.B Priestly was first performed in 1946. It is still regularly performed and attracts modern audiences. Explain why, in your view, people still enjoy the play.
Amar Purohit
An Inspector Calls by J.B Priestly was first performed in 1946. It is still regularly performed and attracts modern audiences. Explain why, in your view, people still enjoy the play.
I think the main reason this play still attracts audiences is because of the characters. Form the beginning you have a neutral view of the characters as the play goes on you get to know each one and decide whether you like them or not and these views change as you see their actions. Each of the Birlings can be related to a type of person, these types of people still exist more than fifty years after the play was first performed.
"He's been drinking steadily for two years."
Eric Birling is an irresponsible young man. He is an alcoholic, which is a result of a bad education and working for Arthur, who wants to make him a "hard headed man of business".
"... this public-school-and-Varsity life you've had doesn't seem to teach you"
To this he replies sulkily:
"Well, we don't need to tell the Inspector all about that, do we?"
When he tells of his involvement in Eva's death we find out that he was irresponsible and reckless. He also tells us how he forced himself on Eva.
"she told me she didn't want me to go in ... and I threatened to make row."
From the start the audience doesn't like him much because he is obviously drunk. When he describes how he made Eva pregnant we like him much less because we like him much less because of how he does it. By the end the audience's view of him picks up because he realises his mistake and feels sorry for what he has done.
"You're pretending everything's just as it was before."
Eric retorts: "I'm not."
Sheila is young, romantic and dreamy but still has a lot to learn in life. From the start the audience likes her as they get to know her even though she says things that make her sound spoilt. When her farther is answering the Inspectors questions she felt sorry for Eva this makes us like her more. When it gets to her 'turn' to identify the Inspectors photograph she knows immediately what she has done something. She describes how she got Eva sacked from 'Milwards':
"I caught sight of this girl smiling at Miss Francis- as if to say: 'doesn't she look awful'- and I was absolutely furious."
"... if they didn't get rid of that girl, I'd never go near that place again and I'd persuade mother to close our account with them."
Here she was 'throwing her weight around' in Milwards, using the fact that her family is rich to get Eva sacked.
While the Inspector is questioning the others Sheila has figured out that he knows what they have done to Eva or Daisy.
"Why-you fool-he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don't know yet. You'll see. You'll see."
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"... if they didn't get rid of that girl, I'd never go near that place again and I'd persuade mother to close our account with them."
Here she was 'throwing her weight around' in Milwards, using the fact that her family is rich to get Eva sacked.
While the Inspector is questioning the others Sheila has figured out that he knows what they have done to Eva or Daisy.
"Why-you fool-he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don't know yet. You'll see. You'll see."
Sheila is clever she has spotted that there is something odd about Inspector Goole well before anyone else has. When she admits to what she did the audiences view of her goes down. Arthur doesn't think much of it but Sheila is very upset at what she did. Sheila tries not to make it better than it was for her. She warns her mother not to deny anything and make it worse for them. She tells Sybil not to lie and 'build up a kind of wall between us and that girl.' She tries to warn her mother:
"You see I feel you're beginning all wrong. And I'm afraid you'll say or do something that you'll be sorry for afterwards."
By this time the audience likes her more because she isn't being selfish. From the end of the play we know she has learnt her lesson but unlike Eric she makes it clear and tries to teach the others who refuse to take blame for what they have done as long as nobody knows.
"You're ready to go the same old way.
And you're not, eh?
No, because I remember what he said, how he made me feel."
"Everything we said had happened, really had happened."
Feelings towards Gerald from the start would be a bit doubtful because one of the earliest conversations he is involved in is to clear his name from any 'naughty business'.
"Yes -except for all last summer, when you never came near me...
And I've told you- I was awfully busy at the works all the time.
Yes that's you say."
The first thing we think of would be an affair because we always think of the worst possibility. His involvement is confirmed by his reaction when the Inspector says the girl started calling herself Daisy Renton. This is an element that keeps audiences coming to watch this play. The audience has things to guess about that they will get right, wrong and be surprised by. Even if they guess wrong they would want the details. Other example of this is there is something fishy about the Inspector and that all of the Birlings are involved in the death of Eva.
"And probably between us we killed her."
Before he describes what he did to Eva he is reluctant to say anything in Sheila's presence:
"Why on earth don't you leave us to it?"
Then he describes how the affair started. The audience likes him much less because of how he exploited Daisy alias Eva. Gerald doesn't leave Eva with nothing, he gives her money but this doesn't make up for much. Sheila's decision to call off the engagement seems fully justified. When he returns from his walk he has discovered an 'escape route' for all of the Birlings to escape any blame. Arthur and Sybil are very pleased with him. The audience and Sheila would not be too impressed.
"What do you male of this business now. Was it a hoax?"
"I met a police sergeant I know ... I asked him about this Inspector Goole ... He swore there wasn't any Inspector Goole or anybody like him on the force here."
Mrs Birling doesn't get involved much until after the interrogation of Sheila realises that Sybil is already denying any involvement in Eva's death.
"While we'll be glad to tell you anything you want to know, I don't think we can help you much."
She maintains this attitude through to the end and when questioned she lies only to be overruled by Sheila. As the questions continue she gets more and more stubborn.
"If you think you can bring any pressure to bear upon me, Inspector, you're quite mistaken."
The only she can excuse herself from blame, is to shift the blame. She has already found one in the father of the child Eva was expecting. She doesn't know that this is going to get her own son Eric into a lot of trouble. She makes everything much worse for him when she says this is what should happen to him:
"He should be made an example of..."
"... be entirely responsible."
"... be dealt with very severely..."
"... compelled to confess in public his responsibility."
By the end Sybil denies all to do with Eva committing suicide. The audience has never liked her and this makes things worse.
Mrs Birling is selfish, ignorant and up tight, just like Mr Birling. He starts the same way as his wife when the inspector shows up. Mr Birling is the man of the house and is involved in most of the play. He describes himself as a 'hard-headed man of business' and tells Eric that he should look after himself and his family, he wants Eric to be a 'hard-headed man of business' so he can take over eventually. He likes Gerald and would prefer him as a son rather than Eric because they both think the same way. When Sheila calls off the engagement Gerald understands but Mr Birlings plans are in ruins. He had planned co-operation between 'Crofts limited and his own company.
"I don't understand why you should come here, Inspector."
Arthur doesn't like the Inspectors attitude and makes this clear. He is probably the most disliked character in this play. What he did to Eva was considered a very minor thing but she was only asking for a small raise. He dismisses what Sheila and Sybil did. At the end he too looks for ways out. Mr Birling predicts the future occasionally and every time he is wrong. We can look back on what has already happened and we know that he is wrong.
"The Germans don't want war. Nobody wants war..."
"- the Titanic-she sails next week-forty six thousand eight hundred tons- forty six thousand eight hundred tons- New York in five days-and every luxury-and unsinkable..."
In both cases he is wrong and the next case he will probably be wrong:
"there's a very good chance of a knighthood-so long as we behave ourselves..."
This leads to scandal, which there is a lot of in this play. This also attracts the audiences as people enjoy things to gossip about especially when there are respectable or rich people involved. Gerald's affair, Eric making Eva pregnant and Alderman Meggarty's nasty private life.
"But she became your mistress.
Yes."
"And you made love again?
Yes."
"He's notorious womaniser." About Alderman Meggarty.
Mr Birling was never liked and through the course of the play the audience likes him less and less.
I personally never thought about liking or not liking the Inspector, he is just there, putting the questions to the Birlings. He is the most assertive on the scene and the stage directions show he makes his presence felt even though Mr Birling repeats his past achievements. By the time Gerald returns from his walk he is too late to confront Mr Goole, his timing is perfect. Then Gerald tells us:
"That man wasn't a police officer."
There is an element of shock and surprise but some of the audience may have guessed this.
Who is he then?
That is one of many questions left open and unanswered. Most of them are about the Inspector. His name suggests something supernatural. Goole sounds like Ghoul this means, a person unnaturally interested in death. This is exactly what the Inspector is but it seems he can change the future.
"But just remember this. One Eva Smith is gone-but here are millions and millions and millions Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, with their suffering and their chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of the body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will soon learn, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night."
The end is about the wars so he knows about the future and ends up changing it. He knows too much to be human. He already knows what has happened and is just there to make the truth come out and teach the Birlings a lesson, or else. As mentioned before he seems to be able to change the future because of what happens at the end.
The end of the play is not really the end, it is the middle because things are just getting interesting again. The biggest unanswered question is what will happen now, J.B Priestly has left this to us to think about and try to finish. The ending leaves everything wide open and open to debate and argument. It is the talking point of the whole play.
"Yes?... Mr Birling speaking... What? -here-
That was the police. A girl has just died- on her way to the Infirmary- after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police inspector is on his way here- to ask some- questions-"
