'An Inspector Calls' Essay.
'An Inspector Calls' Essay
'An Inspector Calls' is a play written by JB Priestley in 1945 and set in 1912. Priestley demonstrates his concern with moral responsibility and his beliefs in Socialist values through the character of the Inspector, whom he uses as a mouthpiece throughout the play. He voices his opinions on these issues using this technique, and they are shown by the way the Inspector deals with the Birling family and are exemplified by the obstacles to social harmony in which the Inspector has to face before coming to a suitable and justifiable conclusion.
The play was written in 1945 - within a week of World War Two ending - but set in 1912, when Britain still had its Empire and was doing very well financially. The time span between the two dates is Priestley's way of expressing a feeling of urgency he thought necessary to pass on to society after the events of 1945.
Although the war had ended, society in Britain in 1945 was still experiencing the hardships that it had brought. New books were printed under the wartime economy regulations, continuing the shortage of paper and therefore resulting in the books being expensive - too expensive for any working class person to purchase.
However, in 1912 some things were different. Society did not have the burden of the war hanging over their heads, but life for the poor did not differ much from 1945. Edwardian society was strictly divided into social classes; below the very rich were the middle classes, such as doctors, merchants, shop workers and clerks. After that came the craftsman and skilled workers, and at the very bottom of the social ladder was the largest class of all - the ordinary workers and the poor, many of whom lived below the poverty level. The men of industry treated their workers harshly and their pay was extremely low. As a result of this, strikes became frequent as the workers demanded better working conditions and higher pay.
Priestley hoped that in writing 'An Inspector Calls', people could look back on events with hindsight and learn from the mistakes that society had made. He primarily wrote the play for a middle class audience about the working class, and how the Birlings and Gerald Croft were all involved in making a young working class woman's life a misery, and consequently driving her to suicide.
The Birlings are a typical upper class family - they look down on those who are socially 'beneath' them, such as the Inspector, yet look up to those 'above'. Mr. Birling puts this specific idea into practice frequently. Although arrogant, he knows that he is lower down the social scale than his wife, as well as Gerald's family. However, he is aware of the difference in social class, and accepts them - "Don't blame her. [Lady Croft] comes from an old country family - landed people and so forth - so it's only natural."
At the beginning of the play, the Birlings are celebrating their daughter's engagement to Gerald Croft - the son of Arthur's business competitor. Immediately the impression is given that love isn't just the only force bringing Sheila and Gerald together; in fact, it seems that Mr. Birling is more interested in a new business proposal than his daughter's happiness: "You're just the kind of son-in-law I always wanted. Your father and I have been friendly rivals in business for some time now ... you've brought us together".
This interesting concept indicates that although Sheila and Gerald may ...
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At the beginning of the play, the Birlings are celebrating their daughter's engagement to Gerald Croft - the son of Arthur's business competitor. Immediately the impression is given that love isn't just the only force bringing Sheila and Gerald together; in fact, it seems that Mr. Birling is more interested in a new business proposal than his daughter's happiness: "You're just the kind of son-in-law I always wanted. Your father and I have been friendly rivals in business for some time now ... you've brought us together".
This interesting concept indicates that although Sheila and Gerald may appear to be in love to those not close to them, Mr. Birling's business plans may have been the initial reason they decided to join together in holy matrimony. This is a key reason why the Birling family needed the input of the Inspector to realise their actions were not morally correct; the outcome is that Gerald admits to having an affair while apparently being "awfully busy" at work over the summer. Thus, feelings and secrets are revealed that probably never would have been if the Inspector had not interrupted their celebrations.
Apart from being more interested in securing a business deal than his own daughter's joy, Arthur Birling is a very shallow and obstinate character. As a man he is callous - when he hears about Eva Smith's suicide he merely takes it in his stride: "it turned out unfortunately, that's all". He is also just as heartless as an employer, depriving Eva of her job and throwing her out of his factory. Mr. Birling appears to have a selfish attitude towards life - only ever thinking of himself, and then his family: "A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself - and his family too, of course".
His arrogant belief that he 'knows' comes across as laughable (to the audience and reader) when he expresses his confidence in issues that the society of 1945 have experienced. For example, when he talks about the "unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable" Titanic and dismisses the threat of war - "I say there isn't a chance of war", it is ironic that these things actually come to pass, and the reader and audience are aware of it, therefore projecting Mr. Birling as a hypocrite. It is therefore implied that it is tragic to have someone as stupid and narrow minded as him in such a position of power.
Although Mr. Birling thinks of himself quite highly, his views on moral responsibility are strictly unjust; he has no conscience, and dismisses any suggestion that he should show remorse towards his employees - "If you don't come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking for the earth". As well as this, the only person he feels he should help when they are in need is himself - and money is the way to do it. His only show of sorrow for Eva's death is momentary, and again routes from money - "Look Inspector - I'd give thousands - yes, thousands".
Overall, Birling is a gluttonous, egotistical, pompous, insensitive, complacent, cowardly and stupid man who throughout the play is presented as hopelessly incapable of learning the moral lesson taught by the Inspector.
Inspector Goole knocks on the door just when Arthur Birling is making a speech to the rest of the family about how "a man has to make his own way ... so long as he does that he won't come to much harm". He also dismissively mentions that "by the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else". I feel that the reason the Inspector calls at that specific time is to ultimately prove Birling wrong, and try to show him that we are responsible for each other in this world, and how you cannot escape the fact that 'what goes around, comes around'.
Birling is quite outraged at the fact that the Inspector has rudely interrupted their dinner party, and he constantly attempts to tackle the Inspector with petty little comments: "I ought to warn you that [Colonel Roberts] is an old friend of mine, and that I see him fairly frequently. We play golf together". Birling continually tries to intimidate him by mentioning his apparent authority, and patronises the Inspector - "look here, Inspector. I consider this uncalled-for and officious. I've half a mind to report you". Again, Birling's pompous personality shines through, but the Inspector seems to take it in his stride and merely brushes off the comments that Birling throws at him: "I don't play golf". I feel that Priestley decided to portray Arthur Birling as taking the Inspector's arrival quite badly to demonstrate just how shallow and thick-skinned society can be, and how we cannot easily accept our mistakes. The Inspector is the one in the play who brings us back down to Earth and makes us realise that.
As well as being the messenger, Inspector Goole is also the strongest character in the play, maintaining complete control of the situation at hand and demonstrating his authority frequently. It's not just his dialect that depicts this, but also his overall persona, which is shown through the stage directions - "he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness", and it comes across to the audience and reader in an array of different ways.
For example, the stage directions repeatedly show the Inspector "cutting through massively", "cutting in massively", "massively taking charge", "with authority" and "taking charge, masterfully". This demonstrates to both the audience and reader that the Inspector has the authority to interrupt people without reason, and take charge of the conversation. He dominates the other characters, even Mr and Mrs Birling, who are used to commanding and others obeying: "(As Birling tries to protest, turns on him) Don't stammer and yammer at me again, man. I'm losing all patience with you people." After this outburst, Mrs Birling is "rather cowed".
Aside from his rather terrifying outbursts, the Inspector remains calm and collected throughout the play, though he sometimes speaks "coolly" and "imperturbably". The language he uses is often blunt and sometimes deliberately harsh so as to gain a reaction from the Birlings, reader and audience: "Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She'd been taken there this afternoon because she'd swallowed a lot of disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course." This kind of emotive language is sure to trigger signs of emotion in the Birlings, and once again illustrates the effect the Inspector is having on the family - once the initial shock has seeped in, the Birlings are too stunned to deny anything about their involvement with Eva Smith/Daisy Renton, although they did frequently dismiss any knowledge they had about the girl as just coincidence. However, I felt the Inspector overcame these problems with ease.
The Birlings, especially Mrs Birling, refuse to accept responsibility for Eva's death - "I'm sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all". Realising that she will not remove herself from this train of thought, the Inspector cleverly turns the tables on Mrs Birling, luring her into a trap that will consequently land her son into one of his own: "Secondly, I blame the young man who was the father of the child she was going to have". This, of course, is Eric Birling. Unaware of this, Mrs Birling insists that the Inspector deals with him "very severely", and is "glad to hear it" when he grimly agrees with her. When it comes to light that it is in fact her son who is to blame, Mrs Birling is stunned - and the Inspector has slyly incorporated her into the grisly tale, too.
Despite her mother's ignorance, Sheila Birling is perhaps the most sympathetic of the family. A perceptive character, she is the first to realise that the Inspector is no ordinary policeman, and that he has an almost supernatural knowledge: "Why - you fool - he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don't know yet." Similarly, she is the first to realise that the father of Eva's baby is none other than Eric, and tries to get her mother to stop insisting that he should be held responsible: "(With sudden alarm) Mother - stop - stop!"
At the beginning of the play, Sheila is perceived as a character who is quite contented with her life, and has no reason to worry. However, when the Inspector arrives, her opinions start to change. Sheila regards the Inspector differently from the others - "she stares at [Inspector Goole] wonderingly and dubiously". She begs her mother not to patronise him - "You mustn't try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl" as she knows that "the Inspector will break it down". She warns her mother "He hasn't started on you yet", realising that they are all going to be treated in the same way. Her mood becomes slightly hysterical, also; "No, he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves". When Arthur Birling remarks that Inspector did not come "to talk to me about my responsibilities", Sheila responds, "Let's hope not. Though I'm beginning to wonder". She seems to be the only one in the family to perceive that the Inspector is not just a police inspector, but a spiritual being or emissary with a moral mission to punish selfish behaviour among the rich and shallow - in this case, the Birlings.
The Inspector's dialogue also leaves quite an impression on the family, audience and reader - especially his final speech. This is the most important remark the Inspector makes in the entire play, as it sticks in the minds of everybody, and ultimately sums up his role in the production.
Priestley has used a lot of emotive language in this specific passage, such as "hopes", "fears", "suffering", "happiness", "blood" and "anguish". In turn, this causes the Inspector's speech to be quite blunt, as the sentences that these words are woven into are short, abrupt and straight to the point - mirroring the Inspector's duration at the Birlings' residence. As well as this, the Inspector's speech makes good use of the word 'we', uniting the Birlings with the people that they feel they are superior to - poor people. By the way that the Inspector declares "we are members of one body. We are responsible for each other", he makes clever use of the word 'are', which in turn finalises the idea that we are members of one body, and we are responsible for one another. It is also contradictory to a section of one of Arthur Birling's speeches: "By the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else" which is the complete opposite to what the Inspector is announcing.
The passage also anticipates World War One, in the sense that at the very end, the Inspector says "if men will not learn that lesson, they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish" - this, to the Birlings, is a prophetic statement, but the reader and audience are aware of it as it has already come to pass. To emphasise that idea, the Inspector lengthens the list of words he mentions; instead of just using a comma between "fire" and "blood", he chooses to use 'and', which sensationalises the comment and makes it sound somewhat more important than if he had just normally listed those specific words.
