When the Inspector enters he enters right after Birling makes a very capitalist speech. In his speech Priestly puts in a lot of dramatic irony. First Birling talks about strikes and during the time the play is set there were many labour, miner, and general strikes. Secondly he talks about ‘steadily increasing prosperity.’ However during the 1912s it was a very dark time. Thirdly Birling says that ‘war’s inevitable…Germans don’t want war.’ Fourthly he says ‘the Titanic… unsinkable.’ Finally ‘There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere- except of course Russia’ However the play was performed in 1946 in Britain after all that Birling said that wouldn’t happen had happened. Automatically the audience thinks that Birling is a fool and he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Through out the play characters enter in scenes at very convenient times. For example when Shelia enters after when the inspector finish questioning Birling. Also at the end of the act when Gerald is about to be questioned and Shelia ‘(laughs rather hysterically) Why – you fool- he knows…You’ll see. You’ll see.’ The timing of the inspector is almost ghostly and unreal.
Before the Inspector arrives in the scene there are stage directions to give you an idea what the Inspector is like. ‘Impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness…He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses.’ In the stage direction before the inspector talks he usually talks impressively. Giving him a strong air about him and he if he unimpressed he would talk ‘dryly.’ The inspector also has a purpose and wants to get to the point. On page 23 the inspector cuts in.
The Inspector also uses shock tactics which a usual inspector wouldn’t usually do. The shock tactics are especially affecting Shelia more than the others. Therefore just before questioning each of the character he repeats again about the death of Eva Smith. ‘Swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out… Suicide of course.’ The inspector repeats what happened to Eva Smith to Shelia more than the others. He also mentions that Eva Smith was very pretty making Shelia even more uncomfortable and guilty. However it links in to what happened to Eva Smith at Milwards when Shelia didn’t like her and had her sacked because she was pretty.
The inspector is also quite judgemental, however a normal inspector wouldn’t be judgemental but would only be interested about facts. After Shelia had finished her story he judges her by saying ‘you might be said to have been jealous of her…you used the power you had…to punish the girl.’ The inspector also judges Birling ‘If there weren’t, the factories and ware houses wouldn’t know where to look for cheap labour.’ Birlings capitalist views are used against him in the inspectors inspection. The inspector is a socialist and he doesn’t approve Birlings Capitalist views. The inspector feels that everyone is responsible for each others actions.
When the inspector questions Birling about Eva Smith. The inspectors seems to know what happened but still questions Birling. However the inspector seems to also know the exact dates. ‘Yes. End of September, nineteen-ten,’ Usually an police man would only be interested in facts.
It also very strange what the inspector knows and what he finds out in Act 1. He seems to know what happened but doesn’t say it himself but hints it and who ever he is questioning blurts it all out in the end. However when ever he finds something new he doesn’t react making the inspector even more mysterious. However things that had happened just before the inspector arrived he is oblivious to. For example Shelia’s engagement to Gerald. But is this really necessary information about the murder mystery.
The inspector is also quite rude to Gerald. ‘After all y’know, we’re respectable citizens and not criminals.’ The inspector replys ‘Sometimes there isn’t as much difference as you think. Often, if it was left to me, I wouldn’t know where to draw the line.’ An normal police man would not express his personal views but only enquiry about the suicide.
When the inspector shows each of the character the photo of Eva Smith he never allows more than two characters see the picture. In some cases he doesn’t even show the picture to Gerald as Gerald assumes he know who the inspector is talking about. This may suggest is the inspector really showing everyone the same photo or are they different pictures, making the Inspector even more mysterious than he is.
The inspector also manages to make the character confess what they did to Eva Smith playing a part to her death. For example Shelia confessed everything that had happened.
Overall I feel that the Inspector isn’t a real Inspector but the characters conscience. In other plays Priestley has written they are usually time plays. During the time the Inspector came to inspect nothing else had happened outside the Birlings living room. In the end of the play they are all together where they started of in the beginning of the play. Therefore what wrong they had done wouldn’t mean that it was done to the same girl as they weren’t allowed to see the picture at the same time. Priestly also presents a main theme in the play that we should care for each other. In the end the only reason why Eva Smith or Daisy Renton committed suicide was because no one cared or helped her.