How does J.B.Priestley build up the dramatic tension when trying to pinpoint who was responsible for Eva Smiths death?

An inspector calls Abdullah

How does J.B.Priestley build up the dramatic tension when trying to pinpoint who was responsible for Eva Smiths death?

In the play An Inspector Calls Act Three, the Inspector tells the Birling family, ‘a girl killed herself and died a horrible death. But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it’.

In the cause of the play the inspector shows how they all were responsible I will now examine each character in turn to figure out who was responsible for the death of Eva Smith, and how J.B.Priestley used dramatic tension to pinpoint who was responsible.

The play is a about mysterious Inspector Goole, who calls unexpectedly on the Birling family. Firstly, it must be noted that the Birling Family are guilty of no actual crime, although they all have contributed to the downfall of Eva Smiths life and death. Therefore it could be said that Eva Smith was simply a victim of her class and time. The idea of the play was to make the Birling family understand that they had a moral responsibility for the death of Eva Smith, if not a legal one. This point is very significant of the entire play.

J.B.Priestley begins the play by introducing the characters to the audience. They are celebrating Sheila Berling’s engagement to Gerald Croft who is also present when the inspector arrives; telling them a young girl named ‘Eva Smith’ has just committed suicide. At first the family denies any knowledge of the girl, but as the play goes on the inspector manages to show that they helped to kill her.

After the inspectors unexpected visit we can see which of the characters have learned their lesson from what the inspector has said. The differing attitudes between the younger and older characters are shown by their conversations. Mr. and Mrs. Birling are victims of the class system in England at that time. They had status as a result of Mr. Birling ability to promote himself by making useful contacts such as the chief constable Cornel Roberts. They refuse to accept any responsibility for the misfortunes of poor people he thinks they should be treated differently such as the factory workers, he said;

‘I can’t accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that happened……it would be very awkward.

Mrs. Birling also accepts no responsibly and denies having anything to do with Eva Smiths death ‘still I can’t accept any responsibility’, ‘I accept no blame for it at all’. She then blamed the father of the son to release the pressure she was under. Even when she realized that the father was her son she didn’t regret she did or said.

While Sheila and Eric after their interviews agreed with the inspector and admitted their crimes, they then tried to persuade ...

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‘I can’t accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that happened……it would be very awkward.

While Sheila and Eric after their interviews agreed with the inspector and admitted their crimes, they then tried to persuade their parents not to be against the inspector because they will regret it even if they are not punished.

J.B.Priestley begins the play with a warm family atmosphere he sets the scene with a family enjoying themselves gathering in the living room having fun. The party was going on rather well until it was interrupted by an inspector (J.B.Priestley uses dramatic tension in this part of the play to set an image of the inspector, he has more power then Mr. Berling).

In Mr. Berlings view the inspector was very disrespectful and offensive to him and his family , this is a hint that the inspector is a s peculiar character (how could he come in interrupting a celebration and being rude to a high and wealthy family).J.B.Priestley uses dramatic tension by making the inspector ask Mr. Birling the first. He denies everything the inspector says;

‘NO-I seem to remember that name…. somewhere’ we later realize that Mr. Birling the family leader was the first involved with the death of Eva Smith. Dramatic tension was used here to pinpoint Mr.Berling responsibility, ‘is this true father’ Shelia asks him but Mr.berling still tries to deny his involvement. He was the first who triggered the downfall of her life by sacking her from the factory, he and his family then eventually lead her to her death.

Sheila’s explanation of her conduct when interviewed by the inspector shows how naive and thoughtless she was up to that point. However, unlike Birling she feels very upset about her conduct, this is shown by her running out of the room sobbing when she was shown the photo of Eva Smith. After the inspector finished with her, she regrets what she did she swears that she will ‘never, never do it (act like that) again to anyone’.

This is the turning point of Sheila life. Sheila changes from a rather naive and ignorant lady into a person who can fully understand the inspector message and see that he is right. She is the person who becomes the inspectors ally when the inspector questions everyone else e.g.

When she was trying to persuade Mrs. Birling not to build a wall and deny her involvement .

Gerald seems to have nothing to do Eva Smith’s death at the beginning, but clues are given away, when he was so anxious to see the picture of eve smith. ‘I would like to see the photograph now, inspector’. Tension is shown here in the play again when the inspector replies ‘all in good time’ .We then know later that Gerald had a affair with Daisy Renton (Eva Smith after a name change). When Sheila speaks to him about Eva and finds out the truth, he get very worried and embarrassed, and thinks of the consciences, what happens if the whole family finds out the truth? He then tries to act as if it never happened, and try’s to persuade Sheila that she doesn’t have anything to do with Eva’s death either, to make him feel happy rather than guilty this is shown at the end of act 1:

Gerald- you don’t. Neither of us does. so- for gods sake –don’t say anything to the inspector.

Gerald is a character who, like Mr. Birling and Mrs. Birling, can brush off responsibility and guilt, later in the play; the origins of their guilt are disproved. He doesn’t learn and change from what happens in the play, he continues to act as if it never happened. J.B.Priestley uses dramatic tension at this point as well Sheila and Eric both try to show the older ones that even if there was no inspector they should have learned a lesson but they don’t manage to win the argument as the play goes on we see that their is an inspector coming to ask them some questions they are all in shock from laughing and saying that ‘its only a prank’ they soon relies what they have done.

Eric‘s return at the beginning of Act 3 is greeted with Birling, who bitterly tells him that ‘you‘re the one I blame for this..’ and is joined by Mrs. Birling, who is also ‘ashamed..’ of him. Eric then blames his mother and he shouts at her for turning help away from Eva Smith when she needed it most. Birling protects his wife and calls Eric a ‘hysterical young fool…’

After the Inspector‘s final message Eric seems to have a clear understanding of the inspectors message (note that the Inspector commented that ‘we often seem to make the greatest impression on the young ones’) and reminds his parents that ‘I‘m ashamed of you as well - both of you..’. Eric warns him that ‘you‘re starting to pretend than now that nothing‘s happened…’.

The tension here starts to rise, when Eric finds himself having similar opinions as Sheila about their parents – although for different reasons. Sheila is distressed that her parents do not seem to have listened to the inspectors warnings, whilst Eric is angry that the actions of his parents have led to the death of the woman who was to have his child and is upset at their ‘ don’t care..’ attitude. This drawing together of ideas is ironic in the first scene Eric and Sheila spend most of their time annoying each other.

Eric changes from a young man who accepts his father‘s ideas into one who is able to see that they are totally wrong and is not afraid to criticizes them out aloud.

Mrs. Birling is shocked when she discovers that this ‘young man....’ is actually her son Eric the tension increases dramatically at this point. Mrs. Birling then tells Eric ‘No - Eric - please - I didn‘t know...’ However, she soon recovers and joins Birling in blaming Eric, saying that ‘I‘m absolutely ashamed of you...’ She also, like Birling, is delighted when the Inspector is exposed as a fake and even tries to pretend that she ‘knew.. .’ all along that he was not an inspector. This is absolutely untrue as she was as taken in by the Inspector as much as all the others.

‘You don’t seem to have learnt anything…’ Sheila still tries to persuade her mother not to hide her involvement this shows that Eric and Sheila have learnt their lesson. While Gerald is between, in my opinion Gerald has learnt his lesson, but only wants to make a good impression to Sheila and her parents, that is why he returned, and when he did come back he was on Sheila’s parent’s side rather that then hers even though he didn’t agree with them.

When the whole story about Eva Smith is shown to be untrue, she is able to believe that the whole story was a joke, and is ‘most grateful..’ to Gerald for showing her that the Inspector was not real.

Mrs. Birling not only shows that she has not changed at all in her opinions at the end of the play but she shows very little sign of wavering from it during the play either.

In the plot of An Inspector Calls, the characters respond to the message that they are given by the Inspector in different ways. Sheila and Eric fully understand the idea that, as the Inspector says. Birling and Mrs. Birling stubbornly cling to their beliefs and Gerald also comes out on their side, although this could be a result of him trying to make the elder Birlings happy with himself.

The play is still popular after 54 the play are still relevant today. This is due to the fact that people still think more about themselves and their family than about how they affect others. Unfortunately, it is the people with the money who rule the country. The only way that this can change is if the attitudes of generations are changed. And this is difficult.