The insights into the historical and social background to this play are ironic and make the messages even more effective to the audience. Even though the play was set it 1912, Priestley has included a reference to the First and Second World Wars. In Act 3, just before the departure of the Inspector, he talks of the lessons that will be “taught in fire and blood and anguish”. This would influence the audience, as to them, it appears as though he is making a prediction into the future. This allows the audience of 1946 to see a glimpse of the kind of person the character is through his correct or incorrect predictions. In the Inspector’s case, the audience had experienced the ‘fire, blood and anguish’ twice already, and therefore, his prediction would chill the audience, making his character appear somewhat mysterious, as he is able to predict future events. The audiences had experienced the horrors of war and were not eager to go through them again. Consequently, they might believe that if they followed J.B Priestley’s messages that were portrayed through the actions and attitude of the Inspector, then they might prevent yet another world war.
Mr Birling is another character who makes predictions into the future; however his are less reliable. We soon learn in the play, that Mr Birling views are not to be trusted and that he is in fact an arrogant and recognisable capitalist who is blind to the events happening around him and also to the consequences of his actions. He is highly conceited and believes that, through his experience, whatever he says is correct. An example of this is shown in his optimistic speech over their dinner, before the arrival of the Inspector: “Why a friend of mine went over on this new liner last week – the Titanic – she sails next week – forty six thousand tons – New York in five days – and every luxury – and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.” This is heavily ironic because the audience knows that the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage. Mr Birling also predicts that: war with Germany would not occur, as it would upset profit making of business men, such as himself (the war started two years later), he claims there will be no problems with labour relations (there was a general strike in 1926) and in 1940 all will be “peace and prosperity”. An audience in 1946 were still suffering the effects of the lack of peace in 1940 and to them, all of these predictions must have seemed fairly humorous as they could easily understand Mr Birling’s foolishness by his false predictions. He seems oblivious to the warning signs of such serious issues in spite of his son’s attempts to warn him. Also, Mr Birling chooses to blank out many of the bad aspects of life, which he conceitedly believes no on values highly as they do not concern him directly.
Priestley’s device of writing in hindsight on this occasion makes the play meaningful to the audience, as they would learn from the mistakes of Mr Birling. One of Priestley’s main messages to the audience of 1946 is that all human beings are guilty of taking things for granted and they should not consider themselves safe from trouble just because England has won the war. When the audience realise that Mr Birling is making false predictions, they may also believe that his views further on in the play are not to be trusted, as it also serves to suggest that Birling is talking nonsense about other things. Priestley hoped that by writing with hindsight, his play would give society the chance to look back on the past and not just carry on life in the same way as before. He hoped that the audience would realise how wrong they had been in the past in not anticipating future events. I believe the play was not only written as a hope for the future, but also as a warning against returning to the old ways based on an exploitative and hierarchical society.
Priestley himself would have seen what happens to an uncaring society, having experienced the time span of 1912-1945. During this time, the country experienced many horrific events, including World Wars, unrest, the Great Depression, the atomic bomb, fascism and the Holocaust. Also, in 1946 rationing was still in place and there was a real lack of economic prosperity. It was possible to look back with hindsight and see that a full circle had taken place: people had twice experienced the sorrows and devastation of wars, with enormous loss of life and even worse the horror of the Holocaust.
“An Inspector Calls” makes us aware that there are those in elite positions in society have taken advantage of those weaker than themselves. Eva Smith was a working class girl trying to make a living. Through those in power she was used more as an object than a human being. Then when she was of no use she was discarded. I believe, therefore, that there was a grave message for the 1946 audience, who, like the Birling family, were facing an opportunity being given a further opportunity to get it right in the forthcoming general elections. Priestley wanted to suggest that this attitude towards people of a lower status would continue if they did not learn from their mistakes and realise that it is important that they care for each other and help those weaker than themselves rather than just think of themselves. This is a message that remains relevant today.
Although the play was written in 1945 and based in 1912, the themes and messages are still, sadly, incredibly relevant in today’s society. Although we have evolved from that era, social indifference is still the predominant influence. People still think more about themselves and their families than about how they affect others some 60 years on from when the play was written and first produced.
Martin Luther King once said a phrase which links in nicely with this idea:
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.”
This, once again brings up the idea of the full circle within life which cannot be broken. The evil within our society cannot be destroyed and it will always be present, even though it may be more prominent at times.
I still believe that lessons could, and should have been learned from the past and a new, better future should have been created. However, the attitudes of new generations have ceased to change and thus a third time scale to ‘An Inspector Calls’ exists where many of the issues brought up in the play are still relevant today.
Signs of change are beginning to occur in our society as the living standards have improved and also the working class do fight for their rights with the help of Trade Unions promoting a wider working class identity. An example in “An Inspector Calls” of this is when Eva Smith was sacked from Mr Birling’s factory because she was seen as a ringleader for going on strike. In the modern society this would not be allowed as the working class have more rights. Also, there is now a social welfare system in placed in Britain, yet there are still people living in cardboard boxes on the streets.
Other issues, including refugees, asylum seekers and homelessness have changed since the play was written and set in 1912. However, similar themes and messages are still present with these different issues. ‘An Inspector Calls’ clearly conveys the idea that the Birling household was an ivory tower on its own island in a sea of despair, unable to look beyond itself. Today, Britain could be described in the same way in the light of world poverty, and therefore this is an example of how Priestley’s messages can be relevant in the modern society, even though the issues involved have changed.
I believe the overall moral in “An Inspector Calls” has something to do with how events can take effect on someone’s life over a period of time. We should think about the less fortunate than ourselves, and how our actions could take a massive impact on others who live and work around us. I think that Priestley hoped the play would challenge the audience of any year, with their moral beliefs of right and wrong.
Everybody’s interpretation of “An Inspector Calls” is different, and indeed the play teaches different people, different things. The viewer is made to think carefully about the hidden messages, and consider the possible consequences of a wrong action. The play should make us think about past thoughtless actions and what we would do if we are ever in that situation again.
