This play has three time zones when it was written, when it was set and when its been read or watched.
We first recognise priestlys aim, half way through the play when the inspector reveals that its not just Sheila and Mr Birling who are responsible for the tragic event leading to Eva Smiths death. It also seems a coincidence that the inspector arrives just minutes after Mr Birlings speech about ‘how man has to make his own way- has to looks out his family of course.’ I think J.B Priestly did this to give us the first indication of what the play is about, that they shouldn’t just look after themselves but should consider others as well.
The inspector makes an impression on whole family but mainly Sheila and Eric ‘you seem to have made a great impression on this child inspector’ and the inspector replies with, ‘we often do on the young ones.’ This could mean that the younger generations are less set in there ways and have time to change there lives around, where as older generations are more set in there ways and made more mistakes, but less likely to change the way they think. Mrs Birling says ‘simply because I’ve done nothing’
Both mr and Mrs birling are quite defensive and have to have the truth dragged out of them, especially Mrs Birling, the inspector has to ask most of the questions ‘was it owing to your influence, as the most prominent member of the committee, that help was refused the girl?’ or ‘you admit you were prejudice against this case’ and has to accuse her of seeing her ‘two weeks ago.’
Sheila makes a really good point that ‘he’s giving us the rope –so that we all hang ourselves’ which I think means that’s the more you try and hide the truth or your actions, when you find out it will be ten times worse.
At first Sheila seems quite oblivious to what has been happening like her father sacking this girl just for wanting a pay rise, but when she finds out she seems shocked ‘sorry! Its just that I cant help thinking about this girl – destroying herself so horrible.’ I think this shows that she’s had quite a sheltered life and doesn’t really know what’s going on around her and as she’s a young influential girl, she’s influenced by many things especially the inspector and begins to understand how he works.
Youngsters have more chance to change there errors of there ways, and tend to pick up things a lot quicker and this is no exceptions for Shelia and Eric. Gerald tends to be in the middle of to the two age gaps as he’s older than Shelia but younger then Mrs and Mr Birling.
The structure of the play is quite basic, as the inspector interviews each member of the family individually and what they’ve done as he questions the family in series of events. Mr birling going first about the sacking of Eva Smith, for wanting a rise of 25 shillings a week.
Sheila got Eva smith fired because Sheila complained about her work because Sheila was in a bad mood and was in a furious temper.
Gerald is the third person in the chain of events, he met her in a bar and she was known as Daisy Renton, he had an affair, which carried on over the last summer and was his ‘mistress.’
Mrs Birling refuses her help when Eva Smith also known as ‘Mrs Birling’, she comes to ask mrs birling for help as she’s jobless, homeless, and pregnant by Eric, mrs birlings son. We don’t find this out to the very end though.
Gerald doesn’t actually admit the affair until after he has seen the photo and has to as his facial expressions give a clue to the family that he actually knows her. After the inspector has questioned him, he leaves and goes for a walk, ‘they watch him go in silence.’ This is like reality of Eva smiths’ death has actually hit, and has sunk in. Its like sadness has fallen on the room. Sheila sees her future husband walk out the door after a major argument because he was having an affair. This is like a image of everything they had together, the trust, loyalty being drifted away from one another. As if they had never been together, as it was all lies.
Mrs birling enters the room full of self-confidence and it says she seems out of key to what is happening around her. We know that she’s not always with what is happening around her, as she doesn’t realise that there’s prostitutes in ‘brumley?’
The inspector is almost physic as he looks at his watch almost knowing that Eric is going to enter the house again almost within seconds.
I think the inspector is called inspector Goole, and is more often than not in the spot light or in the main conversations. The inspector seems to remain in the doorway throughout the first and moves inwards leaving the open, as he moves into the room. This shows authority.
He seems to control who talks and when they do, he makes sure that only on person is being questioned at a time too.
The family seems to divide into two sides by the end of the story, one side with the older generations and one with the younger generations. As the younger generations can actually see the errors of their ways, and intend to try and change them, where as the older generations still deny they have done nothing wrong and cant see how there actions have contributed to the death of Eva Smith.
Sheila knows that the inspector knows more than he’s letting on and tries to warn everyone that the more they try and run from the truth and there actions, it will soon come back with the consequences, this is what Sheila means when she says ‘giving us rope – so that we can hang ourselves.’
The ending leaves the whole family wondering whom the inspector Goole actually is?
There’s quite a few theory’s that the inspector could be. One of which that makes the most sense is the reincarnation of Eva Smiths dead child visiting its family, trying to mend the error or their ways before it is to late.
It could also be a time traveller where he’s trying to warn the family that their actions have great consequences before other people have the same treatment as Eva Smith had.
Just before the inspector leaves he says his final piece, which is quite meaningful and is almost quite persuasive, trying to make them think about their actions. Inspector Goole says ‘and I tell you that the time will come when, if men will not learn that lesson they will be taught it in fire, blood and anguish’. This is use of dramatic irony, as the fire blood and anguish part is about the first and second war, and that it will take wars like this to try and stop people just thinking about themselves, and not thinking about the consequences of there actions.
The blood and anguish speech that the inspector says is mainly aimed at people like mr and mrs birling as they are set in there ways.
I think the play is really successful and shows the reader that or audience that every action has a consequence on someone, its showed that a few chain events can have tragic consequences like the death of Eva smith. It also means if we all don’t start learning we will all suffer.
In today’s society we still suffer from actions having great consequences. It also shows that we’ve had two world wars and we’re still having people living like ‘eva smith and john smith’ and we’re still trying to learn are way of error and make a mends.
