How does JB Priestly use themes in an inspector calls to have an effect on the audience
The main reason for J.B. Priestly's play was to portray his concerns about the state of current society. The way he manages to portray this, is by having a number of themes in his play: each theme represents something that Priestley is attempting to show. Some of the themes are typical of capitalist people whilst the others are typical of socialist. The themes can be split up into four simple sections like this: Lies are a characteristic typical of all capitalist people and throughout this play; defamations are used a lot by J.B. Priestley to demonstrate his perception of capitalists. Characters persistently lie to each other, the inspector and themselves; some of them try to think to themselves that they didn't do something for which they were nothing but guilty. The lies can certainly not be disguised as small misinterpretations or even: misrepresentations of the truth. Moreover, there are examples in the play of blatant lying whereby the characters make no attempt to bend the truth slightly - they have no regard for truth whatsoever and are happy to lie inconceivably to each other. Lies have formed the basis of the Birling's relationships with each other, and every one of them, at the start of the play feel that lies are a part of them and there is nothing much wrong with them. However, as the play progresses, the members of the Birling family begin to slowly view thing from a more socialist perspective, hence some of them realising later in the play that lies are nothing but wrong - this proves to be a
controversial issue among some of the characters as arguments begin to rage with the lies that are been told! Lies are also told in this play in a slightly different way: they concern the way people define thing like 'respectability' and 'truth'. This kind of lie is what is often referred to as 'hypocrisy'. The second theme in An Inspector Calls, centred on negatives about capitalist people is that of Pride and Status. J.B. Priestley attempts to create an impression throughout the play that pride will always come before a fall for those people with a capitalist attitude. Moreover, Priestley ...
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controversial issue among some of the characters as arguments begin to rage with the lies that are been told! Lies are also told in this play in a slightly different way: they concern the way people define thing like 'respectability' and 'truth'. This kind of lie is what is often referred to as 'hypocrisy'. The second theme in An Inspector Calls, centred on negatives about capitalist people is that of Pride and Status. J.B. Priestley attempts to create an impression throughout the play that pride will always come before a fall for those people with a capitalist attitude. Moreover, Priestley is looking to make a point to his audience by showing that capitalist people are too proud to show or admit that they made a mistake. This aspect of capitalist people relates back to the Lies theme, because the Birling family are too proud and self-obsessed to realise that they made a mistake. They refuse to admit to it and therefore this results in many lies been told! Only by abandoning false pride can characters arrive at an honest relationship with themselves and each other - but some are unwilling to do this. There pride has become an indulging self-perpetuating fantasy. Some of Priestley's characters, in the play attach a very high importance to their own social status. Furthermore, it is so precious that nothing must threaten their image amongst the rest of society. For them, a high social class, which they are, insulates these characters form the unpleasantness of reality. Characters begin to get particularly worried at the prospect of their actions been made public; they are terrified by a scandal which could irretrievably damage their status among their society and community. The characters get so worried by this because Eva Smith is working-class citizen, considered by capitalists to be of no importance and to have little value. The characters from the Birling family would not like the general society to be aware that they had contributed to the death of someone of a lower-class. It would be deemed to be poor for their image. The play invites and encourages us to question the false reality generated by this conceited attitude. The themes that I have alerted to here are aspects of personality and character that Priestley is trying to convey, typical of capitalist. However, there are also themes in An Inspector Calls that are emblematic of socialist people and naturally, due to Priestley's opinions and the message he is attempting to portray in this play, the themes focussed here are shown to be very positive and made to look like an aspect of character that a good person should have. Firstly, a theme in Priestley's play is love. Despite the fact that you would think the love portrayed in this play would probably not come from the Birlings themselves, you would be wrong. Furthermore, it is from the Birling family where the love comes. However, the difference is, is that the love comes before the inspector arrives where the atmosphere is rosy and cheerful. There are several types of love the Priestley depicts in this play: husband-wife love, romantic love, filial love of parents, family love of brother and sister and later on in the play a diverse type of love; the Inspector's love of the truth. There are other attributes of love shown in the play. For example: affection, gratitude, loyalty and sexual feeling. Responsibility is the final theme that Priestley expresses in his play. The play constantly points out the need for a sense of personal responsibility in each and every member of society. The inspector strongly has the view that each character should have a responsibility not only for their individual actions, but also for the way that their actions affect others; to show both empathy and sympathy. As the play progresses, some of the other characters begin to realise that they have to take responsibility for their own actions and they begin to change. These characters who are willing to look at life from this perception act as the communal conscience of the other characters, whose driving concern is self-indulgence. Priestley's characters all react to guilt in different ways, when it is revealed to them. Moreover, some react in a way where they appreciate their misgivings and mistakes and they realise their 'wrong doings' were inexcusable, but the majority react in a way where they show no remorse or shame for their action; some are so hardened that they refuse even to accept that remorse is appropriate. It is clear that the younger characters are the ones most likely to show repentance for their actions, whilst the older generation refuse to take responsibility. Priestley's style of writing suggests that wrongdoing is like a disease, eating away from the inside. The characters must realise, accept and be responsible for the true results of what they have done, if they are to recover their humanity. It is essential that remorse is offered before healing can begin and forgiveness can take place. If responsibility is not taken for an action for which the characters are culpable, everyone is left in the dark. Conclusion In conclusion, J.B. Priestly uses dramatic devices in a very close relation to his concerns about the state of society. Furthermore, throughout the play, or specifically, as I have been focussing on - Act 1, dramatic devices are used a lot. When a certain dramatic device is implemented, it will have a close connection with a concern (or theme). Each quote made will in some way lead back to Priestley's perception of the type of character that he is portraying. The impact that Priestley creates is incredibly powerful and makes the audience full appreciate the difference between the rich and the poor, the capitalists and the socialists and those politically right wing against those politically left wing. I believe that Priestley had an aim to make his audience understand more the vast gap between the rich and the poor. He wanted those on the poor side to continue sharing, continue helping, taking responsibility and telling the truth, but he wanted them to not lay down and accept the punishment that the rich were giving them; almost torture! And, obviously he wanted the play to give the richer capitalist section of the population an eye-opener into what could easily happen if personalities were not changed. J.B. Priestley does a great job in the way that he portrays social inequality and his play will have almost certainly changed the state of society.
