'An Inspector Calls' is a play by J B Priestley, which was written at the end of World War 2 but is set in 1912, just before W

Analyse the role of the Inspector in J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’

‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play by J B Priestley, which was written at the end of World War 2 but is set in 1912, just before World War 1. The plot centres on a prosperous family of the time, the Birlings, who are gathered around the dinner table celebrating the engagement of their daughter, Sheila, to Mr Gerald Croft. Into their cosy and complacent world crashes Inspector Goole, who is the central character of the play. He brings news which affects all of the family in different ways, and manipulates them to reveals things which they would rather not be known. By the time he leaves the family has been changed forever.

The Birling family are typical of an upper class wealthy family at the time the play is set, the early part of the 1900s. In the early part of the play, before the Inspector arrives, we are introduced to the characters and begin to form an idea of what they are like. Mr Birling is shown to be a smug businessman, who likes to voice his opinions. He says to the family: “you’ll hear some people say that war’s inevitable. And to that I say – fiddlesticks!” This is ironic because we know that in fact World War 1 started in 1914, two years later. He also talks about the Titanic which is due to sail in the next few days: “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”. These comments make him look rather a fool because he is expressing opinions on things which later were proved to be untrue. We also find out that he has typical Capitalist views of the time, and is selfish in the way that he believes that the important things in life are himself, his family and his business affairs: “But the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you’d think everybody has to look after everybody else” We know that Priestley is a Socialist, believing in equality and fairness, and that people should help each other in life. One of the roles of the Inspector is to put these views across, and to put down the Capitalist way of life as shown by the Birlings. Mrs Birling can be seen to be a snob, and is described as “rather cold”. Their children, Sheila and Eric, appear by the way they speak to be spoilt and selfish and rather immature. Gerald Croft is described as a “well-bred young man about town”.

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The Inspector enters after the Birlings have finished their meal, and just as Mr Birling is talking about how he feels life should be: “ – that a man has to mind his own business and to look after himself and his own – and – “ It is significant that the Inspector makes his appearance at this point, just when Mr Birling is in full flow with his Capitalist views. His arrival has an enormous impact on the play, changing the mood completely. He is described as creating “an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.” From the moment he enters the room, he is in charge of the proceedings and becomes a catalyst for the evening’s events as he proceeds to systematically break down each of the family members in turn as he questions them. The purpose of his visit is to inform the family that a girl, Eva Smith, has died from poisoning in the Infirmary, and as he speaks to each person individually it can be seen that all of them had been involved with her in some way in the past. At first each of them is reluctant to accept that they may have played a part in her death, but the Inspector’s rather unusual, slightly menacing style of questioning breaks them down one by one. “He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking”. He also catches the characters off guard, for example when he mentions that Eva Smith also used the name Daisy Renton, and Gerald’s reaction clearly indicates that he knew her.

Although the Inspector does in some way control what they characters say, he does not control their reactions. He merely uses his knowledge about the girl’s life and character, her photograph, and constant reminders of the horrific death she has suffered, to get the characters to confess and to face up to their actions. Here the Inspector is demonstrating his role as a moral instructor, in order to make the family think about what they have done to the girl.

As the questioning continues, it can be seen that Sheila and Eric, the younger generation, are the most affected by the events which have unfolded. They seem genuinely distressed by what has happened and the part which they have played in it. Sheila says: “It’s just that I can’t help thinking about this girl – destroying herself so horribly – and I’ve been so happy tonight”. Eric is particularly upset when he learns that his mother turned the girl away when she came to ask for help from a charitable organisation which Mrs Birling was in charge of, when she was pregnant with Eric’s baby: ”you killed them both – damn you, damn you –“. Mr and Mrs Birling are both defensive of their actions. Mrs Birling says: “I’m sorry that she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all.” Mr Birling feels he had no choice but to sack her: ”She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go”. Gerald agrees with this: “You couldn’t have done anything else”. It is left to Sheila and Eric to turn on their parents and try to teach them the error of their ways. Sheila says to her father: “The point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything”. Here the Inspector is bringing in the theme of responsibility – trying to make the family members accept responsibility for their actions and show remorse, if they are to become worthwhile human beings and valuable members of society. However the characters react to their guilt differently, and only Eric and Sheila show real remorse.

When later on it is discovered that the Inspector is not really a policeman, Mr and Mrs Birling relax with relief that their lives can get back to what they were before, without the threat of social scandal, and Gerald also believes that nothing has changed in the long run. He says: “Everything’s all right now, Sheila”, expecting the engagement to be still on as it was before the Inspector’s visit. Only Sheila and Eric remain permanently changed by the experience. Sheila says: “if it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. But it might have done.” This also links with the theme of responsibility, with Priestley showing us that the younger generation are more open minded, and if they are shown how, they can learn to accept responsibility for others, and there is hope for the future of society.

After the Inspector has dealt with all the family members, he makes a final speech before departing abruptly. In this he seems to speak to all the family members when he says: “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 come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” This is the most important speech in the play. The Inspector is telling them that there are many people like Eva Smith in the world whose lives are changed by the thoughtless actions of people like themselves, and that they should be more caring. The name Smith is symbolic as it is a very common name, representing many ordinary people. He also issues a warning of what will happen if this is ignored. He is making a reference here to the World Wars.

After the Inspector makes his departure, the family are left to pick up the pieces of their lives, and to talk and argue among themselves. He has left them all in a state of shock. Slowly they begin to realise that he was really not like a policeman at all, and after a telephone call to the police station they discover that he is a fake, and that no one has died that day in the Infirmary. We as the audience are left to decide who he really was and what he represented. His name ‘Goole’ sounds like ghoul, or ghost, which suggests that he may not have been a real person at all. Priestley deliberately does not answer this question, as this is part of the success of the play. But whether he was real or not, the Inspector is a symbolic figure in many ways. He represents the voice of conscience for the characters of the play, and also the audience who will be watching the play after 1945, as he shares their knowledge of what will happen in the future. In a final twist to the play, the telephone rings and the Birling family are informed that a girl has just died in the Infirmary and a police officer is on his way to speak to them. This adds further mystery to who and what the Inspector was. At one point in the questioning, he says “And my trouble is…that I haven’t much time”, suggesting that he must be on his way before the events really happen and the Birlings take a telephone call from the real Police. This again adds to the mystery.

It can be seen that the Inspector has many roles in the play An Inspector Calls. He is firstly a storyteller, giving the details of Eva Smith’s life and connecting the events together for the audience. He serves as a moral conscience, as it can be seen that throughout the play he is more concerned with moral issues than legal ones. He acts as a voice of responsibility, trying to make the characters accept the consequences of their actions and show remorse, and he leaves the characters to judge themselves: ”You’ll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I’ve gone”. The Inspector’s importance in the play is also shown by the fact that he is a catalyst for the way the events unfold in the family, his “apparent omniscience” driving each of them to confess.

Throughout the play the Inspector serves as Priestley’s voice, which is that of a social conscience, condemning Capitalism and putting forward support for a more caring Socialist society, as an ideal for the future. He reminds Mr Birling: “Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges”. His warning about the way society would develop if these views were not heeded was proved by the two World Wars, which the audience watching the play would have known about. The message that he is trying to put across to the characters, and the audience of 1945, is that the selfish, Capitalist way of life adopted by people such as the Birlings, as it was at the time the play was set (1912), was the reason that the two World Wars occurred, and hopefully lessons will have been learned from it. Many of the Inspector’s views are still relevant today, as although the world has changed a lot since 1912, there will always be people like the Birlings, and we all need to be reminded of our duty to society.