The Inspector then goes on to explain Eva Smith’s death, using blunt tones and descriptive language. ‘Burnt her inside out, of course…she was in great agony…suicide of course.’ This, again, shocks and appals the audience and the Birlings, making them get concerned about the girl, and the horrible pain she must have gone through.
The inspector then goes on to question Mr Birling about his knowledge of the girl. ‘Do you remember her Mr Birling?’ He only asks Mr Birling, and singles him out from the others, perhaps making Eva’s death seem more personal to him. This makes Mr Birling seem agitated, making the audience curious as it is now clear to them that he did know the girl in question, and perhaps even took part in her suicide.
The Inspector then shows Mr Birling a picture of the supposed dead girl. Mr Birling clearly recognises the picture. He tries to divert the Inspectors attention. ‘You’ve had enough of that port, Eric.’ This makes the audience suspicious, and confirms their ideas that Mr Birling did in fact know the girl in question.
This also confirms the Inspectors suspicions. ‘I think you remember Eva Smith now, don’t you, Mr Birling?’ The Inspector is abrupt and forceful, allowing the audience to think that the inspector knows more about this family than he is letting on, and the involvement they had in Eva Smith’s suicide.
As the Inspector is quite forceful with his words, this makes Mr Birling confess his connection to the girl. This causes tension within the audience and the family, and also leads to confusion and accusations. ‘Is that why she committed suicide?’ This shows that the Inspector has caused a rift between the family, and has unsettled the closeness that the family was feeling earlier in the evening. The Inspector causes a divide between the children and their parents, which then carries on throughout the length of the play.
Mr Birling tries to patronise the Inspector again. ‘[Chief of police]. Perhaps I ought to warn you he is an old friend of mine.’ This leads the audience to believe that Mr Birling is quite nervous, and is obviously feeling guilty because he is trying to frighten the inspector with authority.
The Inspector never shows the picture of the supposed Eva Smith to more than one person at a time, and always conceals it in his coat pocket. This causes suspicion in the family and also in the audience. It makes them think that he could be messing around with them, allowing the audience to suspect that perhaps there was no murder at all, or that the inspector is changing the picture depending on who he is showing the picture to.
The Inspector also states that he will be making a very thorough investigation. ‘One person and one line of inquiry at a time.’ This makes the family nervous, as they know that they will be interrogated alone just like Mr Birling was.
This also leads to the suspicion that the Inspector is not a real police officer at all, as a real police Inspector would interview people in a room alone and without spectators. This links in with the earlier statement that the Inspector is not with the police and that is why Mr Birling didn’t know him despite his connections with the police.
The Inspector gives the family the impression that he knows all about them and their supposed connection with the girl. Gerald: ‘We can keep it from him’. Sheila: ‘Why you fool, he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows…’ This creates tension and suspense within the family, and makes them extremely nervous when they are talking to the Inspector.
The Inspector causes tension as he retaliates to things said by members of the family. ‘If you’re easy with me, I’m easy with you’. If he was remotely scared of them he wouldn’t retaliate because they were considered important and rich. This makes the audience believe that the Inspector truly doesn’t care about social importance, just about the death of Eva Smith. This also links in with the suspicion that he is not a real police officer, as he cares more about moral law then about criminal law.
The Inspector really lays on the guilt when talking to Sheila. ‘It was the last real steady job she had’. He knows that she will feel the most guilt, as she is the youngest in the family, and the most impressionable. ‘You’re partly to blame’. He talks with an abrupt tone, making it seem worse and deepening her guilt over what happened to the girl.
To conclude, J.B. Priestly uses a variety of different ways to create tension and suspense throughout the entire play.
As the play was written after the war but set before it, the writer had hindsight of the events of war. Perhaps he wanted to write about what could have happened if people had not come together as one for the war, and what the world would have turned into with a great social rift dividing those with and without money.
The Inspector himself is very suspicious, even his name, Goole pronounced Ghoul, could be a metaphor meaning he is not what he says he is. The Inspector seems to have a sense of hindsight throughout the play, letting the audience believe that in someway he was involved with the victim, perhaps in a spiritual way. He quotes the Bible. ‘We are members of one body’. This makes the audience believe that he is a manifestation of the Lord, or some sort of messenger warning them about the future, and the consequences they could face for their actions.
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