after himself and his own.
His point of view is self- centred and entirely the opposite of the responsibility Priestley wishes his audience to adopt. As Mr Birling utters these words the Inspector of the title calls to show the Birlings that this attitude is both wrong and immoral.
The mysterious Inspector investigates the consciences of each of the Birlings and Gerald to show them how their thoughtless actions affect others. He reveals their apparent involvement in events leading to the suicide of a girl called Eva Smith. The revelations divide the family as the older generation remain entrenched in their selfish ways and the younger ones learn the lesson of responsibility. This is best shown by contrasting the experience of Mr Birling and his daughter, Sheila.
The Inspector reveals that Mr Birling’s sacking for wanting more pay of Eva began these events. He shows no remorse:
Look - there’s nothing mysterious – or scandalous –
about this as far as I’m concerned. Obviously it has
nothing to do with the wretched girl’s suicide.
H e feels entirely justified in his actions and even when he shows some pity for the girl towards the end of the Inspector’s visit it is on his own terms:
Look Inspector – I’d give thousands.
His atonement consists of offering the one of the few things that matters to him -money. As the Inspector says he offering it ‘at the wrong time’ meaning that if he had given the pay rise at the beginning Eva would have been alive. Thus Mr Birling’s values remain the same.
Sheila’s values on the other hand change. When she becomes aware that Eva ended up destitute after she had her sacked in fit of jealousy she is full of remorse:
It was my own fault . . . ‘I’ll never, never do it again to anybody.’
Sheila takes not only takes responsibility for her action, she is truly sorry for it. She sees how her thoughtlessness affected another human being and vows to change.
Her values are also different from her father’s:
‘these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people.’
She is critical of his employment practices and his lust for profit. In this way by placing Sheila and her father in opposition, Priestley suggests the young are more open to change and that as they are future society can also change.
This section of the play comes to climax on the Inspector’s departure. In a powerful closing speech, he leaves the family with the message "We are responsible for each other" and warns them of the "fire and blood and anguish" that will result if they do not pay attention to what he has taught them. Although the play is set in 1912, it was written in 1945. What the Inspector is referring to are events that took place during that time such as the two world wars, the Russian Revolution and the Great Depression. He is suggesting that selfishness, greed and irresponsibility displayed by people like Mr Birling led to these dreadful events.
After the Inspector leaves the family are given a chance of redemption. However, only Sheila and her brother Eric take it. Sheila is deeply affected by the Inspector’s words:
I remember what he said, how he looked and how he made
me feel. Fire and blood and anguish.
She is now Priestley’s mouthpiece and sees that society must change to avoid the dire consequences of ignoring his warning. She tells her parents that ‘It frightens me the way you talk’ as they refuse to accept that responsibility.
In contrast, Mr Birling is only concerned that his knighthood will be affected, and, when it appears that the Inspector’s visit was ‘a hoax’, he believes he can go on as if nothing ever happened. He mocks Sheila and Eric for their gullibility and the seriousness with which they take the Inspector’s message.
- the famous younger generation who know it all. And they
can’t even take a joke.
In the final scene of the play, these words, which echo his irresponsible attitudes in the key scene, result in a call from a real police Inspector this time. The scandal and disgrace he wished to avoid will become his punishment for not taking the chance to redeem himself he was offered by accepting his part in Eva Smith’s death and learning the lessons of it.
In conclusion, the key scene in the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ begins an examination of what responsibility for each other really means and what will happen if we do not accept that we are interdependent. Priestley’s warnings are dire but places his hopes in the young whose opinions and ideals can still be influenced and it is this which gives the ending of the play a sense of optimism.
