In the first few minutes of dialogue, the atmosphere is merry, but slightly uneasy. Gerald is saying how long he has been trying to become one of the family, to which Sheila says “Yes- except for all last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you.” We can almost guess what Gerald has been up to already, so we know that the relationship is not one based on trust and dependency. We know something is bound to go wrong and spoil the good atmosphere. Mr Birling volunteers to make a speech; he talks about the current global situation, saying that it is an excellent time for marriage and that things are looking up. The play is rich in dramatic irony, which is used to portray Capitalism as wrong, and Socialism as right. Here, Mr Birling is making predictions about the future which, as a reader in 1945, the audience know was incorrect. He says such things as ‘There will never be a war’ and ‘The Titanic is unsinkable’, which tells us that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It was written at a time when labour government was coming into power, a time when socialism was being put into practise. Here we realise that Mr Birling isn’t all he thinks his is, as all his predictions are wrong. He goes on to explain the importance of looking after oneself and one’s family, instead of looking after the whole community. He says “a man has to look after his own business and look after himself and his own –and –“ At this point, the Inspector knocks on the door. This is an example of timing being used to create a dramatic effect as the Inspector has come to teach Mr Birling exactly why that statement isn’t true.
Inspector Goole is described as a man who ‘creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’ and is said to speak ‘carefully, weightily and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking’ These phrases are used to conjure an image of a man who is not to be messed with, but is not full of himself in the same way as Mr Birling. This is because he represents socialism and Priestly wanted to express his opinions of how socialism was strong yet compassionate. In the first minute of his arrival, the atmosphere changes. He brings the news that a young working class girl called Eva Smith has killed herself in the infirmary by swallowing disinfectant, and he needs to ask some questions. The feeling is now uneasy and suspicious, unlike the happy, positive atmosphere before. It now feels like a murder mystery, and although is isn’t murder you get the feeling that it is a similar situation. Someone is definitely guilty.
The Inspector interrogates everyone, and successfully gets the story out of them bit by bit. His movements show that he is always in control, for instance he “interposes himself between them and the photograph” He questions each of them separately so as to build tension and suspense until everything is uncovered. As this happens, each character reacts differently. Mr Birling is questioned first about his involvement in the sacking of Eva Smith from his works, to which he remains impatient and apathetic. He refuses to take any kind of responsibility, which makes the audience dislike him even more. The use of a cliff hanger at the end of act 1 creates more suspense when Gerald confesses to Sheila that he had an affair with Eva Smith, and suddenly the Inspector enters and says ‘Well?’ When Gerald is interrogated, he takes a little while to confess, which shows he is ashamed of what he has done, but also quite untrustworthy. He says “In that case – as I am more – upset by this business than I probably appear to be,” and (distressed) “Sorry – I – well, I’ve suddenly realised – taken in properly – that she’s dead –“. He sounds remorseful and upset so as an audience we like him a little more and respect him for telling the truth eventually.
Last for interrogation is Eric. Previously in the play he has remained a little mysterious, we know he drinks too much and is quite unsure of himself, but he has been kept in the background. He comes into the room just as Mrs Birling is saying exactly what she thinks should happen to the father of the child. Sheila begs her mother to stop as she has guessed what is going on, but it is too late. The last secret is revealed and the family is distraught. The use of timing here is important as logically this secret would have been revealed when Eric was questioned, but Priestley has it so Mrs Birling knows Eva Smith was pregnant, before she knows that the father is her own son. She says “He should be made an example of. If the girl’s death is due to anyone, it’s him,” Timing is used at the end of act two when everyone begins to realise who is the father, and the audience is left desperate for more.
Eric feels terrible, but puts the blame onto his mother. He knows he has made mistakes and he admits it, but it is easier for him to blame someone else. We like prefer Eric to Mrs Birling because he shows his emotions and is clearly misunderstood and tormented by the ordeal. He says (unhappily) “My God, I’m not likely to forget”.
Throughout the whole investigation, the Inspector remains imperturbable, but very much in control. He showed each person the photograph of Eva separately and interrupts them when they speak out of turn. He decides exactly when each snippet of information is dropped in, which puts him in full control of the situation. When Mr Birling tries to express his authority and social position, the Inspector is not at all intimidated. He structures each interrogation perfectly so as to reveal each piece of plot at a time and gets the family to work it all out for themselves, which shows how clever and crafty he is. He slyly reels Gerald into it by dropping the name ‘Daisy Renton’ into the conversation, making the moment when we realise he knew her too full of suspense and tension. Priestley makes sure that tension levels are always at a high at the end of an act to keep the audience gripped to their seats as this is a very important part of mystery playwriting.
The Inspector leaves the family in ruin. Before he makes his grand exit, he delivers a speech similar to Mr Birling’s at the beginning but with the contradictory view point to show the lesson that has supposedly been learnt. He speaks of the importance of community; ‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body’. He leaves them shocked and subdued. As soon as he leaves, Mr Birling’s immediate reaction is to start placing blame, which shows his selfish character. Eric and Sheila realise that the Inspector was right about the way they behaved and have definitely learnt the lesson, but their parents obviously haven’t. This shows a divide between the generations, where the younger ones are open to modern ideas and the older ones remain old fashioned. Gerald is somewhere in the middle, although he has to lean onto the side of Mr Birling because of business. When it comes to light that the Inspector may have been a fake, Mr Birling gets very excited- he cannot bare the idea of a scandal, whilst his children couldn’t care less. The tension picks up again as Gerald calls the infirmary to see if a girl has really died, this is shown in the characters’ nervous actions- “Birling wipes his brow, Sheila shivers, Eric clasps and unclasps his hands”. When it is discovered that no girl died, Mr and Mrs Birling are relieved and overjoyed that the whole thing was just a wind up. Sheila and Eric don’t see what difference it makes, which shows that they are far more sorry than their parents. Everything is almost going back to how it was at the beginning and the tension levels drop right down. Gerald even asked Sheila “Now, what about this ring?” At that moment when we think it’s gone back to the way it was before, it is timed perfectly so the telephone rings to inform them that a girl has just died and a police inspector was coming round to ask questions. This catches everyone off guard as the audience think they know the twist. The tension is full on again, the characters are dumbfounded and it leaves the audience feeling exhilarated and asking questions about who the ‘Inspector’ really was.
I think this play would not have been as nearly as successful if it weren’t for the use of stage directions and timing because it would have made it quite boring and unexciting. The stage directions tell us more about the characters by the use of their facial expressions and movements and the timing makes it gripping and thrilling. I think it is a very clever play in the way that it reveals the plot slowly instead of all at once, which makes it not only exciting to watch, but interesting to read.