'We don't live alone - We are members of one body - We are responsible for each other' - What is Priestley's main aim in 'an Inspector Calls'? How successfully does he achieve it? Refer to a production you have seen.

        In Stephen Daldry’s National Theatre Production the set symbolises the two different aspects of the play: The Edwardian townhouse in Brumley and 1945 in the background. A scene was shown from the Blitz (when Germany kept bombing England continuously). There are sirens going off and there are people dressed in 1940’s clothes and there is the Birling’s Townhouse in the background. When they show 1912 and 1945 it gives a better perspective on the irony for a modern audience. Priestley makes people understand what the world was like before we came. Priestley puts his aim across through the characters especially the inspector because his words and speeches are very dramatic and leaves the other characters thinking about what he said because his lines have a very big impact on them. He also makes the audience feel involved because he makes it relate to something that could happen in real life. His lines also builds up tension between the characters within the family he turns them against one another by making them all believe that each and every one of them are involved with Eva Smith’s death and that they all knew who Eva Smith was. For instance when Sheila finds out the Gerald was having an affair with Eva Smith behind her back because he lies to Sheila and tells her he was working she decides that she doesn’t want to get married to him any more ‘But just in case you forget – or decide not to come back Gerald, I think you’d better take this with you’ Sheila decides to give the ring back to Gerald. The inspectors closing speech makes the characters speechless abut what he has said. Sheila, Gerald and Eric are the only ones who are affected about what the inspector has said. Mr and Mrs Birling are worried about their status and about what people would think of them if they found out what had happened they don’t learn anything at the end of the play even though Sheila tries to explain to them ‘I tell you whoever that inspector was. It was anything but a joke. You knew it then. You began to learn something then. And now you’ve stopped. You’re ready to go on in the same old way’. Mr and Mrs Birling just think that Sheila is being silly.

        Priestley uses one room for the play and uses lighting when the inspector arrives. Daldry uses a different idea because he has a different set he uses many expressionistic devices. Priestly also leaves the audience startled when the inspector makes his closing speech in Act 2 Priestley uses a lot of dramatic dialogue to build up the tension between all the characters. When Mr and Mrs Birling think that it is alright not to feel guilty about Eva Smiths death Sheila interrupts and says ‘…. Your just beginning to pretend all over again’. When Mrs Birling realises that Eric is the father Priestley uses Stichomythia to make his aim effective leaving the audience anxious and in suspense about what is going to happen next. He has used this idea from Greek drama when each of the characters interrupt each other. The audience anticipate what the family are trying to deny, that Eric is the father of Eva Smiths baby.

        Priestley puts his ideas across through courtroom thriller a type of genre so that he can keep the audience in suspense. He shows the age gap between the characters. When Sheila says ‘these girls aren’t cheap labour they’re people’. Her views change because the inspector influences her whereas Mr and Mrs Birling stay the same. The inspector questions the characters like he knows everything already but the characters don’t realise it at the time. The inspector tells them about their mistakes and how they can learn from them. The characters aren’t bothered what happened in society especially Mr and Mrs Birling they are more bothered about what society would think of them.

        Priestley manages to reach out his aims through the characters personalities and language. Sheila uses more slang compared to Mrs Birling; she uses words like ‘squiffy’ Sheila’s language reflects her age.

        Priestley manages to make us feel sympathetic towards Eva Smiths terrible death. Because she was not shown in the play we can’t judge whether she was a nice person and a person to sympathetic towards. We only have the proof of the lines that the characters have said about her. Mr Birling doesn’t show any sympathy for Eva Smith. Even though he doesn’t actually say that she deserved everything that came to her it is confirmed through his personality and the tone of his voice e.g. ‘portentous’ and ‘provincial’.

        J.B Priestley succeeds in his main aim because ‘An Inspector Calls isn’t any old play that you can read because it makes people today think of their responsibilities and morals and what our society is like today compared to the society in 1912 and it makes us think how we can make our society a better place if we are prepared to learn from past mistakes.