The final scene of Act Two of JB Priestley's "An Inspector Calls" is one of the most dramatic in the play

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The final scene of Act Two of JB Priestley’s “An Inspector Calls” is one of the most dramatic in the play. Explain the reasons for this.

        

John Boynton Priestley was born in  in 1894. On the outbreak of the  Priestley immediately joined the . He was sent to France and in September 1915 took part in the Battle of Loos. After being wounded in 1917 Priestley sent back to England for six months. Soon after returning to the  he endured a German gas attack. Treated at Rouen he was classified by the Medical Board as unfit for active service and was transferred to the Entertainers Section of the British Army.

Because of his experiences and encounters in the First World War, Priestley adopted a Utopia sense of view which is an idealist who envisions the possibility of a perfect society. Priestley believed that all people in any class all had equal rights. In the play “An Inspector Calls”, Priestley used contrasting characters, Eva Smith and the Birling family to display how people can be looked upon so differently.

Near the end of Act Two, Gerald Croft leaves the Birling household to get some fresh air clear his head and to think things through. When Gerald states that he is to leave the house, Mr. Birling objects to this, but Inspector Goole plainly says “All right Mr. Croft.” This shows that the Inspector is in complete control of the family and that he is stamping his authority. This leaving of the investigation symbolizes the fact that the Inspectors trial will move onto another character. Just before Gerald leaves, his fiancée Sheila Birling hands over her ring to Gerald, showing that their engagement is now called. This is just one of the examples that show how attitudes and moods have changed throughout the play so far. The play began with warmth and happiness but the mood is now dark because the engagement is over. Even though the marriage is now out of the question for Sheila and Gerald, the pair now has more respect for each other than before because Sheila has revealed how she played a part in Eva Smiths suicide and Gerald revealed how he dated Eva (Daisy) when he was already engaged. The audience would see this moment in the play as very dramatic because they believed Gerald to be a caring and loving man, but they now see how he has cheated on his fiancée. In reaction to the calling off of the engagement, Sheila says:

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“At least you’ve been honest.” and

“We’re not the same people that we were half an hour ago.”

This proves that the couple now has more respect for one another after their revelations. However, Mr. Birling seems concerned about the engagement, not because he cares for his daughter though, he is concerned because he wants to move up the social ladder, and the only way he can is by a relative marrying a person in a higher social position than themselves. At this time, if two rich families’ children married, both families would gain wealth and respect, and ...

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