Stacey: Gerald shares a lot of views with Mr Birling, and Mr Birling supports him. Birling treats Gerald as a business link between the two companys.
Emma: Eric and Sheila are both considerably younger than the others. They are both in their twentys or so and as the inspector says, they are “Impressionable”.
Sophie: They both exhibit a willingness to accept that they have done wrong and will change their ways. Unlike the older members of the group who cling to the old ideas and aspirations.
Emma: This group of people are unaware of what is to come and are celebrating Gerald and Sheila’s engagement.
Jamie: Then an inspector comes into the scene to question the family. He begins by talking to Mr Birling and Birling gets the impression he is the only person who is going to be questioned.
Stacey: The inspector begins by saying a girl has died tonight in the infirmary after drinking disinfectant. This originally shocks the family and then “Inspector Goole” questions Birling.
Sophie: The girl is identified as being called “Eva Smith” who worked for Mr Birling and was fired after she helped lead a strike for higher wages.
Jamie: Mr Birling had left the strike and eventually the workers came back to work for his company, without a pay rise. Mr Birling had gathered the ring leaders up and fired them. Eva Smith was one of them.
Emma: The inspector questions Birling in a way that Birling is not accustomed to. For example Mr Birling was explaining the circumstances of the strike and says “Of course I refused”, referring to the suggested pay rise. The inspector asks him why he refused. This shocks Birling and as he isn’t used to being asked about it and presumes everyone should share his view of keeping profit up.
Sophie: The inspector continues questioning Birling and as his examination continues Birling evidently becomes intimidated and attempts to scare the inspector. He frequently brings up evidence of his authority and how superior to the inspector he is.
Stacey: Birling was a mayor at one point and brings this up to intimidate the inspector. He also brings up his friendship with the chief constable of police. Like he is threatening the inspector by having a ‘little chat’ to his boss about his behaviour.
Emma: The inspector is a moral angel, so to speak. He appears just after we hear Birling’s view on how someone should act towards others. He says “A man has to mind his own business and has to look after himself.”
Jamie: The inspector challenges this view. The inspector is a rather mysterious character. His name alone indicates a sort of avenging angel. “Inspector Goole”, incorporates two words meaning “Ghost”, “Spectre” and “Ghoul”.
Stacey: The inspector represents the new views that were arising throughout this period.
Jamie: In 1906 the Liberal reforms began. The view of prior to the Liberal reforms was self-help. The county tended to believe that anyone could prosper if they worked hard enough. There were a number of researchers, for example see Bohm Rowntree. Who found out that this was the not the truth and that the majority of people were not poor as they were lazy or unmotivated, but they had low wages or poor health due to living conditions.
Sophie: In these reforms there were a number of ones concerning the workplace. The workers gained greater rights and the National Insurance Act was set up to help against illness. Also the Liberal Democrats set up the first trade unions to protect workers from exploitation.
Emma: These reforms were not supported by all the country as they often believed that this was creating a ‘nanny’ state that would encourage people to procrastinate and become more and more reliant on hand-outs.
Stacey: Also, Mr Birling says he was mayor two years ago, which would have been in 1910. In 1910 there were a number of re-elections. Before 1910 not all working men could vote, in 1901 they could. So Mr Birling could have been outed from power by the fact that all men could vote.
Emma: Another political issue that is present is the play is the woman’s suffragette act. At this point, in 1912, women could not vote, and were looked down on.
Jamie: The country, at this point was still a strong believer in patriarchy. A woman’s duty was to look after the home and be looked after by their husband, money wise.
Sophie: The two male leaders in the group are Mr Birling and Gerald Croft. They both think that women are weak and should be protected and kept form unpleasant things.
Stacey: The inspector also challenges this view of male patriarchy. He doesn’t seem to agree that Eva Smith was at fault for being destitute.
Emma: In fact we learn that after Eva Smith losses her job in Birlings factory she became employed in a place called “Milwards”.
Jamie: Milwards is a clothes shop that Sheila Birling frequents, and we also learn that Sheila causes Eva to be dismissed from her new job.
Sophie: This is classic evidence as to how people with economic power can control the lives of those beneath them in this stance.
Emma: The general theme of the play is the revelation of problems in society at this time.
Jamie: The dramatic irony in the play about the industrial revolution sets an attitude of failure about the family.
Emma: For example the Titanic is mentioned.
Jamie: Mr Birling places it as a huge success for Britain, where as he knows it will fail.
Sophie: In some respects the family and its views are like this, failing in the near future.
