The second level that “An inspector calls” is written on is the underlying level. This is the harder level. Priestly has socialist views; he uses this underlying level to portray them. In a way the play is a political battle between capitalist and socialist views. I believe that in act one of the play Priestly makes the inspector act, as he would have himself.
Birling has capitalist views. I believe that Priestly tries to make Birling out to be the enemy- in order to build on his socialist views. The evidence for this is when Birling talks of his employees as just cheap labour and also when he dismisses Eva for no apparent reason.
The inspector questions the conscience of all of the characters. All of the characters react different ways. Sheila and Eric both react emotionally to the news about Eva. Sheila’s manner changes during the play; at first she defends her family;
“What do you mean by saying that? You talk as if we were responsible…”
A few lines on she is apologising for the hardships Eva had experienced. Sheila is open and honest about her involvement with Eva. She accepts responsibility for her actions and expresses her sincere regret. The audience feel that Sheila’s regrets are genuine when she says;
“It’s the only time I’ve ever done anything like that, and I’ll never, never do it again to anybody”
Gerald is upset and regrets his involvement with Eva. But I believe this is only because he wishes to get back with Sheila after. Sybil and Birling refuse to accept responsibility for the death of the girl. In general, the younger members of the family throughout the play show more sympathy and concern for others than the older generation do. Priestly is trying to say that if we are going to change society it will have to be with the efforts of the younger generation. In the play the older generation seem to be unwilling and don’t seem to care about people less fortunate.
Birling is questioned first by the inspector. The inspector asks questions like; “ I think you remember Eva Smith now, don’t you Mr Birling?” These question Birling’s conscience. After the inspector finishes questioning Birling he questions Sheila, Gerald, Eric and finally Sybil. By the end of the questioning most of the characters are moved in some way- apart from Birling who in particular does not change his stance. All of the characters have unanswered questions that they wish to ask the inspector. This adds more mystery to the play and emphasises the build up of tension.
When the questioning has ended, the inspector has changed the way that Eric and Sheila think and see life. They are both upset and about what has happened and regret their part in the suicide very much.
The inspector talks to the family very formally. He fixes them with his eye in a very disarming way before he speaks. This sparks suspicion in the family- mainly from Eric and Birling. Birling questions the inspector- this shows that he does not trust him. At this point the family are not sure if the inspector is a real inspector or not.
Throughout the play the characters create dramatic irony without knowing they have. Priestly uses dramatic irony effectively. Birling says that;
“There isn’t a chance of war. The world is developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible”- this statement makes Birling look an idiot because two years later the Great War had begun.
Also Birling quotes;
“That in a year or two we’ll have aeroplanes that will be able to go anywhere”
Birling talks of “the titanic” and says that it is;
“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”- the titanic set sail later that year and sank on her debut voyage to America.
Birling talks to the “three young people”- referring to Eric, Sheila and Gerald and suggests to them that in;
“In 1940 you may be having a party and you’ll be living in a world that’ll have forgotten all these Capital versus labour agitations and all these silly little war scares”- in 1940 world war two had begun. This is more dramatic irony.
Birling’s line;
“..there is a good chance of knighthood- so long as we behave ourselves and don’t get into the police court to start a scandal..”
shows that all Birling is interested in is getting his Knighthood, he boasts to Gerald about this.
Finally in act one Birling quotes;
“but the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you’d think everyone has to look after everyone else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive- community and all that nonsense”
This speech goes right to the heart of the play. Birling is referring to the rise of socialist views.
When the inspector enters he refers to the diary of Eva Smith. (Birling has just talked about “nonsense” that people with socialist views right down). Again this is ironic. Sheila backs the inspector when he questions Birling.
The inspector has the most effect on the audience. The audience would think that Birling was a bad, cruel man and would laugh at the ironic quotes that he makes. I think the audience may have found the ending of the play humorous. (When the inspector was not an inspector). Leaving the play on a “cliff hanger” is a good and effective idea and it adds more mystery to the play.
If the inspector had been real I believe it would have made him less mysterious.
I do not believe the inspector was real. If anything I believe the inspector could have been the main cause of Eva’s death. The reason for this is that he knew a lot about Eva and knew about the suicide death of a girl before it had taken place.
I think that Eric and Sybil were most to blame for the death of Eva. Eric made Eva pregnant and failed to support her whilst Sybil refused to help her despite her condition and state.
I think that Priestly was trying to make the inspector look like the murderer. The finale of the play really helps to add to the mystery genre. The socialist side breached the political battle.
By the end of the play we know that Sheila and Eric are moved by the incident. When the inspector turns out to be a fake they realise that it does not matter, they know that if Eva was one or several people they still acted in a cruel way. Birling and Sybil think that it makes all the difference that the inspector was not real, they don’t care about that actions and are just pleased to be “off the hook” and out of trouble.
The fact is that it does not really matter if the inspector was real or not, if Eva was one or several people, or whether she died or not.
The whole point is that Priestly was effective in making each character question themselves and their actions and their influence on others. No one is in Isolation – our actions all have bearing on other people in some way.
