Generation divide and age separation creates much conflict within the Birling family during the inspectors interrogation. The conflict causes much dramatic tension as opposite responses come out from parents and children. The age difference presents two sides with much different ideologies about their world. ‘The younger generation vs. the older generation’. ‘Now look at them the famous younger generation who know it all’. Mr Birling is relieved to know the whole ordeal was a hoax, however he fails to understand the concept of responsibility and in addition he fails to admit his own wrongdoing and treats the whole interrogation as a joke. Mr Birling laughs at Sheila’s and Eric’s reactions to the news that according to their father all they went through was nothing more than a joke. Sheila’s immediate reaction is disgust ‘I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you talk’. Sheila speaking like this is echoing the inspectors viewpoint, she is trying to adopt the inspectors idea of collective responsibility. The generation divide doesn’t only come through toward the topic of Eva Smiths death, but even before that when the family is at dinner. ‘When your married you’ll realise that men with important work to do…nearly all their time and energy on their business. You’ll have to get used to that just as I had.’ This is from Mrs Birling the older generation where men and women had completely different roles and women had to settle to be second best and also where the business came first. The differences of the reactions to the news of Eva Smiths death between Mr Birling and Eric are rather large upon hearing the news Mr Birling shows neither no recognition nor no remorse ‘Rather impatiently Yes , yes horrid business, but I don’t understand why you should come here’. The stage direction ‘Rather impatiently’ clearly indicates that Birling has no sympathy for the suicidal girl. Instead he questions the inspector about what he himself and his family have to do with this. Mr Birling is perceived to be a conceited, narcissistic and bigoted character who approves in right winged policies. This attitude is much different to Eric’s. His immediate reaction to Eva Smiths death is involuntary response he says ‘My god’ the stage directions tell Eric to say that without meaning to showing, that along with Sheila’s reaction, the younger generation have a more approachable attitude to the lower class due to their genuine concern of the girl who has committed suicide. Birling and Eric also have different viewpoints as to how they should deal with Eva Smith at the workplace, Birling says ‘We were paying the usual rates and if they didn’t like those rates they could go and work somewhere else it’s a free country’. Mr Birling doesn’t seem to understand that his opinions and the things he say reiterate his selfish behaviour, he took advantage of the female workers the threatened to fire them when they asked to be paid extra for working overtime. On the other hand, Eric has a completely opposite point of view’ It isn’t (a free country)if you can’t go and work somewhere else’. Eric understands the brutal reality of the world and comprehends that it cannot possibly be a free country if that worker has been fired it will have been impossible for her to get another job. ‘He could have kept her on instead throwing her out’. Much conflict is being created here between Birling and Eric as Eric is putting up many arguments and is disagreeing with many things that Birling is saying showing his father up in front of the inspector. A good deal conflict is being created here towards the idea of morality and responsibility.
The stage directions that Priestly writes are very descriptive he clearly indicates how they should move, speak and act. The amount of detail that the play writer puts in his stage directions tell us how much Priestly was involved in the directing of his play. The detailed stage directions allow the reader to infer, which is going back to the concept of ‘An Inspector Calls’ being a didactic play. The stage directions are like instructions at the beginning where Priestley almost dictates how the setting should be. The stage direction regarding the lighting creates a lot of dramatic tension ‘The lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives and then it should be brighter and harder’. Priestley wants the lighting relaxed and tranquil creating a happy and joyous atmosphere where the Birling family are celebrating the words ‘pink and intimate’ suggesting an intimate and unperturbed ambience. Whereas, when the inspector arrives the lighting should be ‘brighter and harder’ suggesting the atmosphere is tenser and the inspector brings about an air of authority the lighting becoming harsher. The lighting instructed for the inspector brings about the image of a harsh, bright and uncomfortable police light used when people are under intense questioning sessions. The stage directions, telling the characters where to sit already advocate their status in the family ‘Arthur Birling at one end, his wife at the other, Eric downstage and Sheila and Gerald are seated upstage’. The positions of Arthur and his wife suggest something different about the Birling family. Birling and his wife are sat at opposite ends of the table but in the same positions meaning that in the environment of their family home they are equal as Sybil Birling is Mr. Birling’s social superior meaning that she is originally of a higher class than he is. Where in the usual higher class families the wife would be completely unequal. Eric’s position at the table having to be seated downstage immediately imply that Eric has no actual significance in the family. Mr Birling is used to having all the authority and power within the family however when the inspector arrives the power is shifted ‘He creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties dressed in a plain darkish suit’ The Inspectors entrance is a dramatic moment as he overawes the Birling family especially Mr. Birling who is used to having all the influence however when Inspector Goole arrives the tables are turned and his appearance and attire intimidate the family with his ‘darkish suit’ signifying no messing around and seriousness. His immaculate appearance threatens Birling ‘I thought you must be. I was an alderman for years and a Lord Mayor for two years…so I know the Brumley officers pretty well and I’d thought I’d never seen you before’. That quote is an example of an immediate retaliation to feeling threatened Birling begins to name drop trying to impress the inspector by showing all his well known contacts. Many of these moments are dramatic moments and they create much tension and conflict in referral to morality and responsibility because of the completely different attitudes and approaches towards it.
Gender roles are one of the aspects which Priestley approaches as life in 1912 were when women were treated as second class citizens and had no equality and rights. Even the men regard the women as unimportant towards serious matters. The male characters in the play consider the women as delicate and fragile people who cannot handle important business ‘And now there isn’t the slightest reason why my daughter should be dragged into this unpleasant business’. The word dragged puts forward the idea of being forcefully brought into this and his words ‘unpleasant business’ suggests unpleasentries when it has to do with a girl of the lower class. Birling feels the need to protect his daughter from anything dire or nasty. ‘Milwards! We go there… for your benefit’ ‘Smiling good!’. This minor conversation between Gerald and Sheila show how the relationship between men and women was it presents the gender roles the women dressed up for the benefit of the men. Men in the 1912 thought that dressing up and clothes were all that women were good for ‘You’d think a girl had never had any clothes before she gets married. Women are potty about them’. Women were more concerned with their appearance making the audience realise the difference between 1912’s women and the women of the 1940’s.’ Not just something to wear…a sort of token of their self respect’. This quote really reaffirms the gender roles Birling thinking he knows what certain things mean to women and saying it like to him it is a well known fact a thought that all men should think about women.
Dramatic moments, tension and irony are major notions in this play. All of which lead to conflict within the Birling family, between Gerald and Sheila and also amid the inspector. Mr. Birling enjoys talking himself up and making pretentious sounding speeches a very effective dramatic device is the interruption of one of his many speeches by the ring of the front door bell ‘We hear the sharp ring of the front door bell’. In the stage direction the particular word ‘sharp’ indicates that the audience should expect the interruption to be significant. Once the inspector begins his inquiries he starts to question certain members of the Birling family about one Eva Smith and shows a photograph to Mr Birling ‘Inspector takes out a photograph about a postcard size out of his pocket and goes to Birling. Both Eric and Gerald rise to have a look at the photograph, but the inspector interposes himself between them’. This is a dramatic structural device as the inspector prevents both Eric and Gerald from seeing the photograph this is building up to the questions the audience will ask about the plays ambiguity, about why the inspector shows each character the supposedly same photo separately. Dramatic irony is used a lot especially in Mr Birling’s case, Priestley creates Birling’s character as a pompous seem to know-it-all ‘You’ll hear some people say that wars inevitable. And I say to that fiddlesticks!’ Birling is extremely confident of his own thoughts; he is talking about the First World War certain it isn’t going to happen regarding all these who think it has to happen as silly and unrealistic. The audience at this point would probably be shaking their heads as being in the 1946 most of them having actually gone through the world war becoming annoyed and agitated with Mr Birling. One of the most dramatic moments of the play is when Mrs Birling is encouraging the inspector to find and punish the man who got Eva Smiths pregnant. ‘Then make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility’ Mrs Birling almost compels him to ‘punish that man’ as if he is some lower class scoundrel. It is very dramatic when Eric enters the room ‘Eric enters looking extremely pale and distressed. He meets their inquiring stares. The curtain falls’ . The stage direction at the end ‘The curtain falls’ and the fact that it is the end of act two creates a lot of dramatic irony and tension by ending on a suspicious note. Another key moment is the inspectors final words to the Birling family. ‘One Eva Smith is gone but millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths left with us…We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other…If men will not learn their lesson then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish’. The inspector ends on an intense note his final words harshly said. When he says ‘fire and blood and anguish’ perhaps that is Priestley talking from the 1940 era meaning maybe men will learn from their mistakes through the war. Priestley was disappointed that it took two world wars to correct society the inspector also mentions responsibility which is a key concept of the play.
An Inspector Calls is a play which teaches an important moral lesson to either the audience or the reader showing them the vicious circle of not taking responsibility for one another and living as a selfish egotistic being. The experience that the Birling family go through is an example of things that still go on if collective responsibility is not taken on board. Priestley used this play to voice his opinions on how society should run and the consequences of not doing it properly. J.B Priestley’s political ideologies are presented well throughout the play the most effective one through the inspectors last words it was a great shame that it took two world wars for gender roles to become more equal and for the distinctions between upper and lower class to become less clear. He uses character development, the age divide, significant stage directions, gender and a wide range of dramatic devices to explore the conflict in the play and how It links to morality and responsibility.
