Towards the end of Birling’s second speech he made a prediction that by 1940 when their future son or daughter may be getting engaged, they’ll be living in a world that will have forgotten all these ‘Capital versus labour agitations’ and the silly war scares. He also comments on how there will be peace and prosperity everywhere except in Russia. However, in 1939 the Second World War breaks out, in 1917 there is the Russian Revolution and I’ve already mentioned the general strike in ’26. These were all examples of irony, he is so wrong on so many occasions.
The Inspector calls in during Birling’s final speech. This time he is rattling on about how a man has to make his own way – has to look after himself and his family too. He doesn’t favour the ideas of how everybody has to look each other. This is a capitalist point of view where society is made up of individuals. I think that the Inspector calls in at this point in the play because as the story unravels the Inspector has a speech of his own, his final speech just before he leaves. This speech of his is from a socialist point of view where everything we do affects one another, therefore we are all responsible for each other.
When Inspector Goole was asking Mr Birling questions it only needed a straight answer. He didn’t challenge Mr Birling like does with his wife, which I will talk about later on. During the time the Inspector was asking Mr Birling questions he made a socialist comment. “Because what happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide”. I think that Inspector Goole made this comment to change Arthur’s point of view. However Mr Birling still couldn’t accept responsibility even though the Inspector’s word made sense. Birling was questioned abruptly and firmly to reinforce his character’s attitude to the lower classes.
Before Sheila had heard about the news of Eva’s suicide she was ecstatic about her engagement to Gerald. After she gets to know Eva’s suicide she gets rather distressed and wished that she hadn’t been told so her evening wouldn’t have been spoiled. She is feeling utter remorse. For the Inspector to find out what Sheila had done he described a situation which Sheila was involved in. Sheila remembers and then asked what she looked like. When she saw the photograph she recognizes it with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob, and then runs out. He questioned her calmly and gently and he can see she is willing to learn from her actions and be a force for change in the future.
To get the Inspector to hear what he wants from Mrs Birling he first asked rhetorical questions such as “But suppose we do, what then?” When he heard what he wanted to he hear he followed it on from there, “So he’s the chief culprit anyhow”. He also made abrupt challenges against her. Inspector Goole mad everyone come out with what they did to the girl even if they didn’t really care too much at the time, he then made them feel guilt. Also when Inspector Goole was asking Mrs Birling questions the techniques he used were that he makes her start blaming the father of Eva Smith’s child, not knowing it’s her own son who is responsible and starts make out that he, Eric is the chief culprit. She said, “he should be made an example of”; “He’d be entirely responsible”. Mrs Birling then says how it is the Inspector’s duty to make the father make a public confession of responsibility. This scene finishes with a dramatic finale as Mrs Birling finds out the Inspector was waiting to do his duty on her son. She has trapped herself.
The Inspector’s final speech is a socialist view, what the Inspector says here does not sound like an ordinary conversation. The way it is structured and the language that is used makes it clear that Priestley wanted the audience to listen carefully. In this speech the Inspector is saying that Eva Smith is symbolic of the working classes. Millions and millions of people who’s “lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness” are all connected with each other’s lives. What one person says and does affects the lives of others.
The inspector then goes on to say how we are all members of one body, and how if men and women don’t look after each other it will end in war. “We are all members of one body. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” This is an ironic reference to world wars.
I think that the Inspector’s final speech were the thoughts and words of Priestley himself. In the beginning of this essay I briefly mentioned a famous psychologist named Jung. When the Inspector said, “We are all members of one body” I think he really meant that when we dream we lose our identity and enter a world Jung referred to as “collective subconscious”. Here we all share ancient and universal experiences.
Priestley used a few simple techniques in the Inspector’s final speech that are also used in political speeches. There are many techniques that can be used but some go down well with audiences better than others. Anyhow the first technique that Priestley used was the listing of threes – “but there are millions and millions and millions…” I think that this technique was used to make people remember it more as it uses repetition. He includes the use of contrastive pairs, i.e. Eva Smiths and John Smiths. In this case Eva represented the female lower classes and John represented the men.
Finally there is negative talking about who the speech is targeting, the audience along with the use of powerful and memorable words. “If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” This last line rounds of the speech by making it strong and powerful and memorable, making it difficult for people to easily forget.
After the Inspector has left they are arguing about what is going to happen next. Mr Birling is only worried about his reputation and thought he was almost certain of a knighthood in the next honours list. The older generation are questioning themselves whether the Inspector was real. When Gerald told the older generation that there isn’t an Inspector Goole in the force, things were back to normal again for them and they were thinking it was a very good joke.
However the younger generation on the other hand still felt guilty, even if the Inspector wasn’t real. What they had done was imprinted in their minds and I don’t think that they will ever forget. Birling – “ Well, if he wasn’t, it matters a devil of a lot. Makes all the difference”
Sheila – “No it doesn’t”.
The way Priestley wrote this play makes it seem as if it is going to begin all over again. When the phone rings at the end the Birling family find out that a girl has just died drinking a bottle of disinfectant. This creates a dramatic effect and I think that Priestley wants us wandering how each character will act the second time round. I think that Priestley is suggesting that learning happens through time and experience.
I think the main message of this play is that everyone should take care of each other. People are responsible for each other. I think that this play does have relevance in our society. We are all responsible for each other for example the most important people choose how they wish to run our country, and look after our welfare. Sometimes ordinary citizens speak out for the people and tell the government what they really want.