Examine How Priestley Uses a Variety of Dramatic Devices To Highlight the Theme of Responsibility In “an Inspector Calls”

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Laura Willis

Examine how Priestley uses a

Variety of dramatic devices

To highlight the theme of

Responsibility in “An

Inspector Calls”

Responsible means – 1) looking after a person or something and having to take blame if something goes wrong 2) reliable; trustworthy 3) with important duties “a responsible job” 4) causing something “his carelessness was responsible for their deaths”

Responsibility – being responsible – something for which one is responsible for.

    I think J.B Priestley came across as having number three’s definition of responsible. He had “important duties” and a “responsible job”.

    Today’s responsibility is different from the responsibility in those days in 1912. Britain was wealthy. There were two classes. Capitalists had everything money, fine clothes, good times. Whereas unfortunate people like Eva Smith had hardly anything. They would have had a hard life. Second class people were lucky if they got two decent meals a day. Socialists (like Priestley) believed everyone should have equal rights and money should be shared across the world and just wealth in one corner of the world. “An Inspector Calls” Priestley isn’t trying to advertise socialism but he points out serious disadvantages that allows people of the kind like Eva Smith to even exist alongside the privileged Arthur Birling and his family. The play merely asks at what extent does Eva Smith’s tragic death be blamed on the society in which she lived. Society that allowed men like Eric Birling to be rewarded whom exploited the poor for profit and they used the women for their pleasure and their pleasure only.

    Priestley’s main aim was to encourage people to take responsibility for their actions, not to shift the blame on to others. Priestley attempts to convey his attitudes and ideas through the characters in the play. He uses the inspector to voice his own opinions. The Birling’s are used to show how not to behave. Priestley’s role as the inspector is to make each one of the Birling family show how they had a part to play in Eva Smith’s death. Even if the photos weren’t the same or the girl wasn’t the same, (the inspector never showed a photo to more than one person) the inspector tricks the family into admitting their wrong doings. The inspector is very clever. He tries to put them in their place. He doesn’t care how he speaks or what manner he speaks in. “Inspector Goole” is there to expose each one of the family. Priestley intended the inspector to appear to be intimidating. “He wasn’t a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness”. Omniscient and omnipotent the mysterious Inspector Goole persuades the Birling’s to confess to their “crimes”. His name even has ghostly connotations; he seems to know everything is in control. It’s almost as though he can see into the future or he knows the future. A further point to note is his responsibility is to Eva Smith and how he shows how he cares about her, evident when he is describing what happened to Eva – “a young woman drank some disinfectant, and died, after several hours of agony, tonight in the Infirmary”……………”she wanted to end her life. She felt she couldn’t go on any longer.” Priestley sets the scene at the start of the play by trying to make the characters look a nice warm welcoming play.

    The inspector in some ways was sly and quite resourceful.

     

“(showing annoyance) Any particular reason why I shouldn’t see this girl’s photograph, Inspector?”

“(coolly, looking at him hard) There might be.”

 “It’s the way I like to go to work. One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise, there’s a muddle”         

Eric asks if the same applies to him. This probably means that the inspector isn’t showing the same photo to the family. Mr. Birling is surprised when after he has explained about the workers asking for more money, the inspector asks why.

“Why?”

“(surprised) Did you say ‘Why?’?”…

“Well, inspector, I don’t see that it’s any concern of yours how I choose to run my business. Is it now?”…

…. “I don’t like that tone”.

    This shows that Arthur isn’t impressed with the inspector’s manner and way of speaking to him

    Priestley acts as though he already knows the family’s wrong doings; he is just getting them to admit to it.

    “(cutting through, massively) I’ve been round to the room she had, and she’d left a letter there and a sort of diary………….But her original name – her real name – was Eva Smith.

Birling – “(thoughtfully) Eva Smith?”

“Do you remember her, Mr. Birling?”

(slowly) No – I seem to remember hearing that name – Eva Smith – somewhere. But it doesn’t convey anything to me. I don’t see where I come into this.

   

    Arthur Birling seems to the remember the girl but after the inspector shows a photo of her to Mr. Birling the inspector knows that Mr. Birling recognises the photo by the expression on his face.

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“BIRLING stares hard, and with recognition, at the photograph.” 

I think you remember Eva Smith now, don’t you, Mr Birling?”

   Mr Birling admits she use to work at his factory and that he discharged her. Eric is quick enough to ask “is that why she committed suicide?”

    Arthur Birling is adamant that he had nothing to do with the girls’ death. However the inspector isn’t to agree. Birling is constantly reminding the inspector that he was ex mayor and a magistrate. Maybe the audience should think why he isn’t mayor no more. ...

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