Firstly Priestly makes Birling put through the opinion of what communist would have thought in 1912 and uses them to make the audience discredit Mr Birlings views an example of this is in Birlings speeches to Gerald and Eric as he says;
“There’s a lot of wild talk about possible labour trouble in the near future.
Don’t worry. We’ve passed the worst of it. We employers at last are coming together to see that the interests of Capital – are properly protected. And were in for a time of steadily increasing prosperity.”
This is Priestly using dramatic irony as in 1926 there was a labour strike and every worker refused to work until they were better paid. A further example of dramatic irony is when Mr Birling says
“there will be rapid progress everywhere – except Russia of course which will always be behind hand naturally.”
Priestly uses this because in 1917 Russian people revolted against their government and vastly improved their country and it was actually better off than England. Priestly uses these and other predictions like claiming the titanic was ‘unsinkable’ to show the audience that Mr Birlings views are that of a communist and they will not respect what he says as they would know about the labour strike, the Russian revolt and the titanic sinking.
J.B. Priestly make Birling give yet another speech to Gerald and Eric and uses it almost as if it was an election and Mr Birling was putting forward his final views as he says;
“But the way some of these cranks talk now, you’d think everybody has to look out for everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense. But take my word for it, you youngsters – and I’ve learnt in the good hard school of experience – that a man has to mind his own business and look after his own – and-“
It is significant that just as Birling makes the point “a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own” when Mr Birling is forced to stop as the inspector has rung the door bell as if to challenge that final point made by the communist.
The inspector then asks each of them questions about Eva Smith and gets them all to confess to unknowingly helping the girl on towards her death. The inspector has proved to the audience that the communist views are wrong as he is making the point that because Mr Birling fired this girl she was forced to get another job and was fired because Shelia was jealous a dress suited her better. Then she became a prostitute and met Gerald who had an affair with her but finished her when he Shelia was getting suspicious. She then went back to being a prostitute and met Eric who she got pregnant with but broke up with him when she discovered he was stealing to support them, so she went to Mrs Birlings committee for aid under the name Miss Birling so Mrs Birling refused to help her and so she killed herself. This is the same as what socialists believe that every action has a reaction and everything that happens has a knock on effect with the rest of the world.
Then the inspector tells them “this girl killed herself and died a horrible death. But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that, and never forget.” After the inspector has got them convinced that they have all helped to kill her he leaves with an speech of his own;
“Just remember this, One Eva Smith has gone –
But there are millions and millions and millions of other Eva Smiths and John Smiths are still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and a chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think say and do. We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are each responsible for each other.”
This speech summarises all of the socialist views and counters all of communist views put forward through Mr Birling. The inspector leaves the play with one last short point:
“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, blood and anguish.”
This line is delivered right after the speech given by the inspector while the audience would be think about socialist and communist views and is purposely left to the end so that it is the last thing the audience have to decide on socialist or communist view.
I conclude the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ puts across the views of both the communist and the socialist, with Priestly delivering the communist views through a self opinionated business man who makes false predictions throughout the time he is putting across his opinion and then countering them with the socialistic views delivered through an inspector that just proved to the business man that every event in life has an impact on other people and concludes with a hard hitting speech that is delivered straight to the audience. Priestly cleverly uses this tactic and this ensures that the message of the socialist is put through much stronger and more effect.