Mr. Birling employed Eva at his works and she was a promising young girl, only recognized when shown a photograph. The photograph is another way that Priestley manages to build up the tension that is needed to keep the play tense. Inspector Goole has a photograph of the girl but it is not known if this photograph is the same each time as he will only show it to one person at a time. The photograph is meant to be of Eva Smith but as Gerald points out near the end of the play how do they know that it is the same photograph.
“We’ve no proof that it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl.”
This was said by Gerald after the Inspector has left. He is saying this because he believes that if it wasn’t the same girl then everything would be all right between him and Sheila.
Mr. Birling goes on to describes Eva Smith’s work and how long she had been with the company to the inspector. Eva had worked for Mr. Birling for a year when she was ‘let go’:
“She’d been working in one of our machine shops for over a year. A good worker too. In fact, the foreman there told me he was ready to promote her into what we call a leading operator- head of a small group of girls. But after they came back from their holidays that August, they were all rather restless, and they suddenly decided to ask for more money. They were averaging about twenty two and six, which was more nor less than is paid generally in our industry. They wanted the rates raised so that they could average about twenty-five shillings a week. I refused, of course.”
This refusal was due to Mr. Birling’s capitalist ways. Because of this there was a strike and the ring leaders, including Eva Smith, were sacked. This just shows Mr. Birling’s attitudes affect his perception of life and how it is that he would rather have profit then good workers on a little more money than the norm. This was Mr. Birlings small but significant part in the girl’s eventual suicide, even though it was two years previous to Mr. Birling’s wall being knocked down, with ease, by the inspector. When asked whether or not Eva Smith ‘went on the streets’ the inspector replied no. This shows that Mr. Birling believes that if she can’t hold a simple job in a factory then she would be no good any where else then as a prostitute on the streets. The next person to come under the inspectors questioning is Sheila Birling.
Sheila is a young woman who is engaged to be married to Gerald Croft. The part Sheila played was a similar one to Mr. Birling because Sheila also had Eva Smith thrown out of work. In the December of the same year she lost her job at Birling and company Eva managed to get a job at Milwards, a large department store in Brumley. Sheila and her mother shopped there regularly. One day Sheila was determined to choose a dress that she liked and despite her mothers disagreement she tried it on. When Eva held the dress up to show what it looked like on it suited her very well but when Sheila tried it on it looked awful. When looking in the mirror she saw Eva smile as if to say that she knew it wouldn’t look like and thought that it was funny that it didn’t suit her. Because of this Sheila, who was already in a bad mood, went to the manager’s office and complained telling him that if she wasn’t sacked then Sheila would force her parents to close their account with the store. Because of this Eva was forced out of another job and this was the last steady one she had.
Once again Priestley’s dramatic art is shown at this point because when the inspector tells them about Eva being forced out in January the previous year she sees the connection. When Sheila sees the photograph she instantly knows it was her and reacts very strangely.
“He produces the photograph. She looks at it closely, recognizes it with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob, and then runs out.”
The inspector now knows that it was Sheila that had Eva sacked. This was slightly different to the others so far because Sheila didn’t build up a wall the same as Mr. Birling did. Sheila has realized that the inspector already knows everything which adds to the dramatic art that is used by Priestley. This is shown a great deal when the inspector comes to questioning Gerald.
Gerald knew Eva in a more intimate way but not as Eva Smith. Gerald knew her as Daisy Renton. When the inspector tells them this Gerald’s face instantly lets him down. When the inspector says: “Now she had to try something else. So first she changed her name to Daisy Renton”
To which Gerald says: “(Startled) What?”
This tells us that Gerald did know Daisy Renton and Priestley has built this part up from the beginning. During the first act of the play when the family are enjoying the dinner party Sheila turns to Gerald and asks him why he didn’t go anywhere near her during the previous spring and summer to which he replies that he was busy at work.
“Except for all last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you.”
“And I’ve told you – I was awfully busy at the works all that time.”
“Yes, that’s what you say.”
At this point the audience would probably recognize that Gerald has had an affair. Sheila instantly knows that Gerald is lying and when the inspector is taken to the drawing room she is instantly inquisitive about how long he knew Eva Smith. Sheila already has a hunch that this girl had been the reason Gerald had been nowhere near her during the spring and summer of the previous year. The audience get a hunch of this because of what Sheila said to him in the first act and because of the way Gerald reacts to the name, Daisy Renton,
Gerald met Daisy in the Palace Variety Theatre bar. She was working as a woman of the town and when Gerald saw her she was keeping the company of Alderman Meggarty, a man notorious for picking up these women of the town. Gerald told him that the manager wanted to see him and then whisked Daisy away. They went to the County Hotel where she told Gerald about her losing both her jobs and eventually how hungry she was. Gerald finally got out of her that she had been thrown out of her room because she couldn’t afford to pay the rent. This is where Gerald helped her a great deal. One of Gerald’s friends, Charlie Brunswick, had gone to Canada and given the key to his flat to Gerald so he could look after it. Gerald took Daisy there and allowed her to stay there until she got a place of her own. Eventually Daisy became Gerald’s mistress. This, of course, upset Sheila and she returns the ring to Gerald. This would probably upset Mr. Birling more than anyone else because he would gain the most from the marriage of Sheila and Gerald. Mr. Birling was looking at a merger with a bigger and better company than his which meant more money.
The dramatics reach a high point when Mrs. Birling tries to build her wall between the inspector and herself. Sheila warns her but it doesn’t work
“If necessary I shall be glad to answer any questions the inspector wishes to ask me. Though naturally I don’t know anything about this girl.”
This just builds up the tension because Mrs. Birling is falling into the big trap by building her own wall for security against the inspector. Even if she doesn’t know it yet Mrs. Birling is as guilty as everyone else. Mrs. Birling also queries with the inspector about the impression he has made on Sheila.
“You seem to have made a great impression on this child, Inspector.”
To which he replies.
“(Coolly) We often do on the young ones. They’re more impressionable.”
The audience do not know who the we are because there is no proof that Inspector Goole is a real police inspector.
This is more tension added because even if Sheila has got nothing more to do with the enquiry she has his number marked and knows exactly what he is doing. Sheila has realized the inspector’s game and isn’t going to rest until her mother, at least, listens to her and stops building walls between her and the inspector because Sheila knows that the walls are going to be knocked down and her mother will be sorry for building them.
The inspector’ next line of enquiry is Mrs. Birling. Mrs. Birling is a member of the Brumley Women’s Charity organization in which a panel of women help, in her words, deserving cases.
“We’ve done a great deal of useful work in helping deserving cases”
This is where Mrs. Birling really puts her foot in it. By saying that she helps deserving cases means that Eva Smith didn’t have a deserving but we find out that it really was a deserving case. This is another example of Priestley’s dramatic art because by saying deserving cases it makes the audience believe that Eva did have a deserving case but Mrs. Birling is just a snob.
Eva Smith, under a different name by then, went to the Brumley women’ charity organization for help. Eva was pregnant and she told the council that she was married and that her husband had deserted her. When asked for her name by Mrs. Sybil Birling Eva replied Mrs. Birling. This is another example of Priestley’s dramatic art for more than one reason. Firstly it makes the audience think that she is just there to be nasty to Mrs. Birling and this creates tension between Eva and Mrs. Birling. The second reason is that it creates dramatic irony now because the audience will have figured out that it is Eric’s baby. We can also work this out because why would Eric go out without telling anyone if he didn’t feel guilty. We can work this out because of something a little later. Eva tells Mrs. Birling that the father is a drunk and is a young man. She also tells her that she wouldn’t take money off him because she thought that it was stolen. Sheila and the audience have worked out from these clues that it is Eric but Mrs. Birling has other things on her mind. She is too busy telling the inspector what to do with the father when he gets him.
“And if you take some steps to find this young man and then make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility.”
Through all this Sheila is telling Mrs. Birling to stop but she doesn’t. It isn’t until the inspector doesn’t leave after Mrs. Birling saying that that Mrs. Birling twigs on and realises what she has done.
“(Distressed) Now, mother – don’t you see?”
But the inspector is still as cool as cucumber. When questioned whether it is Eric or not the inspector simply replies
“(Sternly) If he is, then we know just what to do, don’t we? Mrs. Birling has just told us.”
This is Priestley using his dramatic art at his best. The fact that Mrs. Birling has just given her son the death penalty without knowing she has is a piece of true tension. The dramatic irony of the fact that we knew, from what Sheila and Eva had said, that Eric was the father is brilliant. The inspector, of course, adds to this by saying that Mrs. Birling has told him what to do. Eric arrives soon afterwards and is straight into his line of questioning.
Eric arrives just before the curtain falls on the second act which creates a lot of tension because the audience do not know what will happen and it makes them want to know when the curtain is coming back up. Eric establishes that they all know that he was the father but he is also told about Mrs. Birlings plans for the father.
“Mother’s been busy blaming everything on the young man who got this girl into trouble, and saying he shouldn’t escape and should be made an example of.”
Another example of Priestley’s dramatic art because it is showing the tension between the two generations. The inspector has made an impression on both Sheila and Eric but Mr. and Mrs. Birling both have a sceptical view on the whole thing. Sheila has worked out that the inspector knows everything. Eric agrees with Sheila, this comes out a little further in the play, but the parents both think that they’ve had nothing to do with it and are not taking responsibilities for their actions like the ‘children’ are.
Eric met Eva Smith in the same place as Gerald, the Palace Variety Theatre bar. They began to talk and Eric walked Eva home. When she refused to let him in he threatened her by saying that if he is not allowed in he will make a scene. She agrees to let him in. Eventually Eric made love to Eva and when they met again he was told that she was pregnant. Eva didn’t want to marry Eric so Eric gave her money. The money given to her was stolen from his father’s office. Eva realised that the money was stolen, which shows that Eva Smith was a decent girl that has no interest in breaking the law, and wanted nothing else to do with Eric. This is where the story was picked up from by Mrs. Birling.
Mr. Birling was extremely upset to discover that Eric had stolen from him. The money that Eric had taken was from some of Mr. Birling’s customers. Eric found some receipts and went to collect the money from them in cash. This is also of interest to the inspector because this is an actual crime. This is the only actual crime throughout the play on the Birlings part. Nobody has committed a crime except for Eric. The inspector finishes questioning Eric and then reminds them about the girl, Eva Smith, and her death.
From this the inspector gives his final speech of the evening and the most significant speech of the play.
“But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our 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 men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.”
This speech is telling us that it doesn’t matter whether we know the person or not but we all have something to do with everyone else’s lives. This is a very strong speech and has the same impact today as it did in 1945. It makes no difference whether they work for us in our shop or not we are all responsible for each other. The inspector then leaves.
“He walks straight out, leaving them staring, subdued and wondering. Sheila is still quietly crying. Mrs. Birling has collapsed into a chair. Eric is brooding desperately. Birling, the only active one, hears the front door slam, moves hesitatingly towards the door, stops, looks gloomily at the other three, then pours himself out a drink, which he hastily swallows.”
This stage direction is further example of Priestley’s dramatic art. The stage direction says that everyone is upset in one way or another. Eric is brooding for his child, Sheila is upset that her mother wouldn’t listen to her, Mrs. Birling is sorry for what she did to Eric and Mr. Birling is mad at them all, especially Eric. Birling instantly blames Eric for all that has happened. After a family argument about whose fault it is Gerald returns.
Gerald had been walking around and on his way he met a police officer and asked him about Inspector Goole. The police officer said that he didn’t exist. This is also hinted earlier on in the play when Mr. Birling asks him if he plays golf with the Chief constable. Mr. Birling also asks him if he is new because he has never met him before but being a magistrate he has met nearly all of the police officers. The proof is now here. This changes Gerald a great deal because he thinks that if there was no officer then there is nothing wrong. Eric and Sheila still argue that it doesn’t matter if he was real or not.
“He inspected us all right. And don’t let’s start dodging and pretending now. Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide.”
Sheila is right; even if the inspector was a fraud they still drove this girl to death. Gerald questions this though because he is trying to get back into the Birling’s good books. This causes Mr. Birling to call the infirmary to check. Their suspicions are correct, no girl has died there and there hasn’t been a suicide for months. This puts the whole family at ease but Sheila and Eric still protest that even if she hasn’t died they’ve all still done something wrong. The mood of the play at this point becomes quite a light and airy mood. As far as Mr. and Mrs. Birling are concerned everything is over. This is the same for Gerald. Priestley does this bit really well with his dramatic art because just as the play is coming to a close Mr. Birling gets a phone call from the police.
“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-“
This is a great ending to the play because Priestley has got the play to a happy ending then all of a sudden the tension is built up at the drop of a hat. This makes it a really tense ending, almost like a soap opera. Priestley has used his dramatic art perfectly for this. Priestley’s use of cliff-hanger endings to all of the acts in this play is a great use of dramatic irony. The audience have managed to work out what will happen next and then all of a sudden the curtain falls and they have to wait for the next act.
The play ‘An Inspector Calls’ was written in 1945 but set in 1912. This was done by Priestley for many reasons. The main reason is that in 1912 capitalist ways were growing and this message is saying that we all have something to do with each other. This massage is probably at its strongest today because the relationship between the big capitalist bosses and their workers is at it’s furthest ever. This has come about because of technology and the growth of business. Now is as good a time as any for this message to be told and this would have the same impact today. I believe that the strongest businesses are the ones that take care of their workers. This doesn’t always happen though. Many businesses don’t even try to know their workers. Those companies could learn from this message.
The play ‘An Inspector Calls’ is written beautifully by Priestley because he builds up the tension at the right moments and has made this a perfect example of a tense play. The character, Inspector Goole, is a catalyst of the events and this is shown well by Priestley. I think that Inspector Goole could even be some sort of spiritual being that is there because of their consciences. This could also link with his name Goole which is a homophone of the word Ghoul which means Ghost. This has being done very well by Priestley even at the last minute there is tension between the family members. This really an eye opener and I think that there is a further message in the play is that everyone needs an inspector of their conscience now and again.
