When the Inspector enters, the Birling family have just been partaking in a celebratory dinner. Mr Birling has given a speech, and just said, ‘…a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own.’ When he says this, it immediately gives the reader a very definite view of Mr Birling. He is instantly thought of as a pompous middle class man, a very stereotypical character. At this point, the Inspector enters. As the play unfolds, this could be seen as a very defining moment of the play; the Inspector entering as soon as we have been given a specific account of Mr Birling and he has just given a very typically arrogant and snobbish speech.
As it becomes clear why the Inspector is visiting, each character tends to react and respond differently. The Inspector questions Mr Birling first, and he seems particularly hard and firm with him. Mr Birling continues to create a very arrogant and insensitive character. After the Inspector has just informed him of the terrible news about Eva Smith’s death he says, (impatiently) ‘Yes, yes. Horrid business. But I don’t understand why you should come here...’ As a reader, we immediately form resentment against him. He is being portrayed as a very conventional and conservative upper class gentleman who is very worried about social standing and wealth.
When the Inspector is still questioning Mr Birling he says, ‘…what happened to her (Eva Smith) then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide. A chain of events.’ I think that when the Inspector says this he is inferring that that although Mr Birling was involved, he was not the sole cause. This is a vital point in the Inspector’s argument. I think he is demonstrating that each of our actions could eventually be part of a greater plan or have a much more catastrophic outcome. Each of our activities, no matter how big or small, could be have unknown or unconsidered repercussions.
Throughout the play, the Inspector plays the role of a lecturer and teacher more than that of a detective. He makes various moral speeches and continues to rebuke the conservative, self-important family. For example, he says ‘There are a lot of young women living that sort of existence in every city and big towns in this country, Miss Birling. If there weren’t, the factories and warehouses wouldn’t know where to look for cheap labour. Ask your father.’ And also, ‘I’ve thought that it would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we tried to put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies in dingy little back rooms.’ As a detective, he seems very morally aware and he tends to veer away from the main questioning and interrogation in order to scold and lecture each character. It is almost like a lesson, as well as an interrogation.
As the Inspector is leaving, he delivers a touching, moving and inspirational speech. He says, ‘But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with out lives, and what we think and say and do. We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if man will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night’ His speech is very dramatic and puts into words the theme of the play. He has just stated what everyone has been thinking and his words should affect each character individually.
Although the Inspector’s visit is extremely important in the play, the aftermath of his visit is equally important. After he leaves, it enables the reader to see what changes have come over each character and how the Inspector’s visit has affected them individually. This also has a part in the criticism that the play is portraying. Mr Birling reacts immediately with anger and frustration, aimed mainly at Eric. He says to Eric, ‘You’re the one I blame for this’ He is not willing to accept responsibility or come to terms with the fact that he was in the wrong. Already, he has forgotten the words and meaning of the Inspector and is trying to pin the blame on others. He also says, ‘You! You don’t seem to care about anything. But I care. I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List - ’ This comment seems quite ironic as he is accusing Eric of being uncaring and then he continues to state that the only reason he ‘cares’ or is worried in any way is because he is afraid of the effect on his career and the possibility of not receiving a knighthood. He is self obsessed and has taken no notice of the Inspector’s words and speeches.
Mrs Birling remains pompous and proper throughout the whole episode. She maintains that she has nothing to apologize or repent for, as she says, ‘I was the only one of you who didn’t give in to him’ Instead of admitting her mistakes, she is implying that the ‘others’ only gave in to a hard interrogation and were placed in that position through no fault of their own.
Gerald has retained his conservative views but seems to have a gained a certain reservation and is not quite as sure of himself. He obviously does not want the matter to become public but he is not as dismissive of the matter as Mr and Mrs Birling. They establish that Inspector Goole was not a member of the police force and then Mr and Mrs Birling are immediately overjoyed and act as if nothing has happened. Gerald agrees with Mr Birling when he says that it makes all the difference, saying ‘Of course!’ He has, effectively, not realised that whether or not the Inspector was genuine or not, it doesn’t make a difference because his words should have made a real impact on each character’s life.
Eric and Sheila seem to be the most affected, each of them rebuffing their parents when they try to pass it off as nothing once the Inspector is established as a fraud and objecting when their parents’ priorities are so obviously misguided. Both of them are passionately sorry for the part they had to play in Eva Smith’s death and are immediately trying to make up for it. When the Inspector has left and everyone is arguing, Sheila says, ‘…don’t you see, if all that’s come out tonight is true, then it doesn’t much matter who it was who made us confess. And it was true, wasn’t it? You turned the girl out of one job, and I had her turned out of another. Gerald kept her – at a time when he was supposed to be too busy to see me. Eric – well, we know what Eric did. And mother hardened her heart and gave her the final push that finished her. That’s what’s important – and not whether a man is a police inspector or not.’ Sheila obviously feels passionately about her cause and is trying to make the others agree with her and see her point of view. Eric also agrees with Sheila and is obviously annoyed and disappointed by his parents’ behaviour.
The whole plot of this play is aimed towards making the reader or viewer think about their position socially, and consider the fact that our actions can affect those around us enormously.
Each point that the play makes is painfully acute in everyday life. Many of us forget that each scolding word, look of disdain or even a more obvious gesture affects the recipient hugely. And we might not be the only ones who are contributing to this person’s sorrow or pain.
The play shows that even after you have made a mistake, it is still possible to change. Eric and Sheila illustrated this point very well. They have both contributed to the death of Eva Smith but with a combination of their guilt and the Inspector’s words, have repented hugely and set about to change their ways and their parents’. However, Mr and Mrs Birling want to do nothing of the sort. They are both set in their ways and neither one of them wishes to feel guilt in anyway or show any sorrow or repentance. I think that this shows that older people find it harder to adjust and some people are just set in their ways and have no inclination to change.
The play also illustrates and criticises the gap in social stature and behaviour. If people are believed to be ‘upper class’ then they treat anyone below them with disdain and no interest. This play is illustrating that the Inspector treats both classes with the same attitude. He treats the Birlings with the same respect or resistance he would to any other suspect or interviewee. He does not give them preferential treatment and I think that this is showing how everyone should treat each other.
The play is criticising the fact that as individuals we do not consider the consequences of our actions, and that as a society we do not realise what one action can lead to.
