Mr. Birling believes that a man should make his own way in life, stands on his own two feet and should only look after himself and his family. He says; “…a man has to make his own way – has to look after himself and his family too, of course… community and all that nonsense…a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own-”. This quotation clearly expresses Birling’s feelings about community, he believes it’s nonsense, and he doesn’t seem to care for others, only blood relatives and his wife. The audience now looking back to this attitude may well have thought like that before the war but probably have a totally different view after. The Inspector arrives and talks about community, he somehow manages to ‘predict’ (hence his name Goole - supernatural quality) the future and so his view on community is just like the audiences only that he is in the year 1912 whilst the audience are in the year 1945. This is an example of forward thinking and because many members of the audience felt like Priestley he could try to persuade them to take his point of view. This is a very good example of a deliberate attempt made by Priestley to get the audience thinking about this attitude of Birling’s and the past, maybe even Priestley himself thought like this before the experiences of the wars. Priestly enables the audience to use their hindsight to reject Birling’s opinions because Priestley has made Birling say the Titanic would not sink; “…the titanic…and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”, and there would not be a war “…Nobody wants war…there’s too much at stake these days…nothing to gain by war”, and we as the audience know he is wrong on this, we therefore also reject his other views and thus accept the Inspectors point of view as a result.
Mrs. Birling is another example of someone who will not admit personal responsibilities. She clearly does not want to accept any responsibility for the death of Eva Smith. A quote that shows this; “…father of the child, its his responsibility”. We can clearly see that Mrs. Birling is trying to blame the death onto someone else and we begin to gather an image of this woman in our imagination. Another quote that backs up this view is; “I accept no blame for it at all”. Again Mrs. Birling is refusing responsibility. The audience know that everyone is responsible for one another because they have been shown this through the Inspectors comments.
The Inspector talks about social responsibilities. Although Eric and Sheila do show signs of this the Inspector is the one who stands out the most. He says just before he leaves; “One Eva Smith is gone – but there are millions more Eva Smiths and John Smiths…all intertwined with our lives…We are all members of one body…what we do affects others”. This quotation is very important. The Inspector says these words because he is very aware of the fact that war will occur in the future which will cause the people no matter what position in society or class to come together, everyone will be responsible for one other, there will be no superior individuals. The audience will most certainly agree with the comment as they too just like Priestly have lived through the wars and are very much aware of the changes that are going to happen.
The upper class community at the time was very formal. There were successful businessmen and their very snobby wives who were totally dependent on their husbands business. There were frequent dinner parties where these upper class people met, and obviously their conversations were dominated by business. The Inspector enters on the stage during one of these parties. The upper class people were very shocked to find out if someone in their community ‘misbehaved’; it was more likely to be a lower class person who did so. Mrs. Birling shows this when she discovers that someone she thought was a respectful citizen actually frequently abuses young women, she says; “(staggered) well, really! Alderman Meggarty I must say, we are learning something tonight”. This quotation with the direction ‘staggered’ shows that Mrs. Birling is clearly shocked and amazed that this man is carrying out these activities on young women and also she is ignorant of the activities that are happening in the upper class society. Imagine the Inspector being a sharp object i.e. a pin and the Birlings are being protected by an invisible shield i.e. a bubble that only contains ignorance and what ever they want it to contain, the Inspector pops this bubble and the truth about the world rushes in. The Birlings are pretty much so ‘protected’ from the terrible world and the Inspector is pouring these terrible facts onto them, exposing them. This could be another function; to present the facts to the Birlings, to make them see the truth about the real world and so learn from what they are doing.
The Inspector manages to expose some of the characters double standards, Mrs. Birling being a good example. She says to her daughter Sheila; “…Girls of that class” in response to an opinion of Sheila’s, one which shows signs of sympathy towards Eva. Mrs. Birling also says; “..As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!” in response to one of the questions the Inspector asks, showing that Mrs. Birling is an upper class snob who could not possibly have feelings or consideration for other classes of people. She believes she is so much better and more superior to others, she is totally stuck up, mocking others from her over hanging, protective bubble. When the war ended especially the First World War everyone including people like Mrs. Birling, were ‘refreshed’ i.e. reminded that humans are one species and there is no reason why some of them should feel or believe that they are more superior to others. The war if you like was a warning or indication of some sort from somebody and was a deliberate event to make society realise what it has become. Another function of the Inspector is to try to warn the Birlings that if society will not change then war will follow. Priestley himself is using the Inspector as a tool to do this.
Each character in the play has an individual personality and of course their personal view on different matters will be very different from others, in one sense each of the Birlings can represent each member of an upper class society. Some characters tell lies whilst others admit the truth straight away. In my view Eric and Sheila are very alike and are the sort of people who would admit to the truth straight away with no hesitation although Sheila is more honest. Gerald and Mr. and Mrs. Birling seem to me to be a little more difficult to get the truth out of. The Inspector very cunningly manages to get a confession or something with significance out of all the characters one way or another, for example he leaves Sheila and Gerald to talk alone whilst he is listening to the conversation and waiting for that key confession. Sheila and Mr. Birling say their part in the role of Eva Smith’s death with little persuasion, although Mr. Birling needs to be convinced occasionally. Quotes that show the characters lying, telling the truth, being honest or being deceiving are (Gerald lying); “And I have already told you – I was awfully busy at the works all that time”. We later discover that Gerald was actually having an affair not working at his works. Gerald clearly is feeling nothing when he says this even though he is lying to his fiancé and deceiving himself. Sheila shows honesty and responsibility when she confesses that she got Eva Smith sacked from Milwards. She does not hesitate and takes responsibility for her role in the death of Eva Smith. The quotes that show her honesty is when she says; “(miserably) so I am really responsible?” this quotation is showing that Sheila is felling guilt for her participation in the death of Eva Smith. Also; “…I’m trying to tell the truth”. This quotation is showing that Sheila is someone who is honest, kind and caring unlike her mother. The Inspector has in one way done a good thing by introducing this news, he has made the Birlings, Sheila in particular, realise that things terrible do happen, for example the suicide of Eva Smith, and if you have been responsible somehow then you should accept the consequences that await. Sheila explains what happened freely, and throughout she shows signs of guilt. Sheila is an honest person unlike her fiancé Gerald who needs persuasion to admit his role in the death.
Mr. Birling being a businessman like Gerald has similar opinions (these two characters represent all upper class businessmen) and so when the Inspector and Eric try to make Mr. Birling feel responsible he obviously tries to blame it onto the girl and Gerald backs him up. The quote that shows this is when he says; “Rubbish! If you dont come down on some of this people they will soon be asking for the earth”. Gerald replies “I should think so!” These quotations show that Mr Birling’s honest opinion is to be tough and harsh to the employees if they ask for more so that you do not show weakness. It also shows that he feels strongly about this as he has used said this view in a loud manor (exclamation mark shows this). Is this view wrong? Should he be saying this? Priestley is trying to get the audience thinking about these aspects he is concerned about and he uses the Inspector or numerous occasions very effectively to get these views out of the characters.
Mrs. Birling as I mentioned before doesn’t want to accept responsibility for Eva Smith’s death. When the Inspector asks her questions, she could be considered a liar as she says; “…I’ve done nothing wrong - and you know it”. Mrs. Birling has done something wrong however she cannot admit it this quotation is showing that she is in fact lying. The Inspector is using what the characters have done in the past to question against them and to see how much they can tolerate, he in one way ‘ winds them up’ by going against what they think is right.
There are frequent examples throughout this play that show that the men are ‘more able’ to accept bad news. Mr. Birling and his wife try to protect their young daughter from the suicide on numerous occasions one such occasion is when Mr. Birling says to the Inspector; “(angrily)… there is not the slightest reason why my daughter should be brought into this unpleasant business”. Mr. Birling does not want his daughter to be exposed to the horrible truth of life, at least not at the moment. Again there are examples throughout the play that show that the men are more likely to have a sexual relationship before marriage and it is considered natural, unlike for the upper class women who are not allowed or presumed not too. Priestley doesn’t believe that women should be protected we can tell this because he uses the Inspector who says in affect that there is no reason why Sheila should not hear the truth. He says to Sheila when Mr. Birling tells her to run along; “No, wait a minute Miss Birling”, in other words he wants Sheila to be involved in the conversation.
The Inspector controls the structure and pace of the play. He is the dominant character, he very effectively manages to carry out many functions. He moves the play onto the next scene with no stops; this obviously creates excitement for the audience and ‘keeps them on their feet’. When one scene finishes the next begins straight away, almost like a story. The Inspector acts as a chorus constantly recapping on the situation so far when new information is presented. This quote shows this; “…Eva Smith lost her job with Birling and Company because the strike failed and they were determined not to have another one. At last she found another job – under what name I don’t know – in a big shop, and had to leave there because you were annoyed with yourself and passed the annoyance on to her”. Here the Inspector is recapping on why Eva left the company and why she left the shop. This method allows the audience and the characters to slowly build up a story of the events and see the information much clearer. This also makes the play more exciting for the audience as they are able to decide for themselves who is actually responsible for the death.
Without a doubt the Inspector dominates the conversations, he brings subjects up and allows the characters to react and express their personal opinion on the matter. He also targets one person at a time to prevent confusion and to apply pressure; “One line inquiry at a time. Otherwise we’ll all be talking at once and won’t know where we are”. By directing his questions to one individual character he allows the other characters to react and apply pressure on onto that particular character also. One could say that the Inspector is a storyteller because of what he does and says and how he affects the play itself he almost narrates the play.
The Inspector manages to affect each character one way or another. He angers Mr. and Mrs. Birling, he makes Sheila and Gerald feel guilt and he devastates Eric, that’s not to mention the fact that he upsets the engagement party and the engagement itself. When the Inspector arrives and starts to ask his questions Birling becomes very annoyed especially when he starts to accuse his family. Before the Inspector arrives Birling seemed to be very happy as he said many times “well this is very nice, very nice indeed”. An example of Birling’s change in attitude is when he says; “(angrily) look here, Inspector, I call this uncalled-for and officious. I’ve half a mind to report you…” This quotation with the fact that Birling is shouting in rage clearly shows that he is annoyed with the questioning and approach that the Inspector is making. Birling on many more occasions explodes in rage and shouts at the Inspector. However when the story unfolds he seems to become more considerate and understanding, when the Inspector leaves Mr. Birling slowly becomes how he was before the Inspector arrived. A quote that shows that he is ‘recovering’ is when he says after the Inspector has gone; “(triumphantly) There you are! Prove positive. The whole story’s just a lot of moonshine. Nothing but an elaborate sell!…Gerald, have a drink” This quotation is clearly suggesting that Birling is going back to his usual self and has thought very little of the ordeal. In the long run Birling seems to have been affected only a little, he becomes angry and frustrated but soon recovers, however, during his angry speeches the Inspector has managed in one sense to affect his emotions and get this reaction.
Mrs. Birling seems to have been more insulted than anything. She is constantly saying throughout the Inspector’s interrogation that he is conducting his questions in an elaborate way. Quotations that show that Mrs Birling has been insulted or annoyed as a result of the Inspectors visit and questioning are as follows; “I beg your pardon!” (This phrase is also said again on page 41) The exclamation mark expresses annoyance or frustration of some sort. Also this quote shows that Mrs. Birling has been insulted; “ The rude way he spoke to Mr Birling and me – it was quite extraordinary!” It is clear that Mrs. Birling overall is not that affected by the Inspector that much only the fact that she is very surprised and insulted over the Inspectors questioning. There is no long-term effect on Mrs. Birling as a result of the Inspector’s visit.
Sheila is most certainly affected by the Inspector and the whole situation. Before he arrives on the scene she is enjoying the celebration; she is delighted with her engagement ring and is joking about with her brother Eric. We can see that she is happy because she says when she receives an engagement ring from Gerald; “ (who has put ring on, admiringly) I think it is perfect. Now I really feel engaged”. This quotation is a sign of happiness. When the situation about the suicide comes on Sheila starts to get very upset and her unhappiness continues throughout the Inspectors visit. As I mentioned before she feels guiltily for Eva Smith’s death and cannot forget about it, even when the Inspector leaves and when her father and Gerald realise the Inspector was a fake and suggest he is to the rest of the family, Sheila is still very much effected and cannot take it all in. Quotations that show that Sheila is distressed when the Inspector talks about the suicide and when he leaves are; “(rather distressed) Sorry It’s just that I can’t help thinking about this girl – destroying herself so horribly…”. The fact that Sheila is rather distressed shows the audience that she is not happy and has been emotionally affected by the ordeal. Sheila cannot go back to how she was before the ordeal as she says; ”…I remember what he said, how he looked and made me feel…Fire and blood and anguish. And it frightens me the way you talk, and I can’t listen to any more of it”. Without a doubt Sheila is upset and feeling very distressed. The Inspector has indeed influenced and frightened her and now she is unsure whether to wed Gerald so she has been long-term effected. The Inspector has managed to make Sheila see that this isn’t just a lower class girl with no rights who doesn’t deserve respect, Sheila has actually felt sorry for this girl and wants forgiveness for her participation in the death of this young woman.
Eric has been affected like his sister Sheila. Before the Inspector arrived he was merry. He goes off the stage during the Inspectors questioning but returns and gets emotionally upset and devastated when he finds out that his family know about what he has done and especially when he finds out that his mother ‘killed’ Eva Smith and her child - his child. A quotation that shows this is when he says; “(nearly at baking point) Then - you killed her. She came to you to protect me – and you turned her away – yes, and you killed her…damn you, damn you” this quote shows that Eric is very distressed. We can see this because the directions Priestley has given Eric are to act distressed, ‘nearly at braking point’. Eric is affected long-term as well as short term this is shown when he says; “(bursting out) …You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing really happened at all…” also: “(shouting) And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her…” These two quotations are clear signs that Eric is still thinking about the matter seriously even when the Inspector has gone, telling the audience that he has been affected long-term.
Gerald is very similar to Mr. Birling after the Inspector leaves he doesn’t take the matter very seriously and even jokes about the ordeal this shows there has not been a long-term effect. Before the Inspector arrives Gerald is happy and when he questions him he does get a little agitated. He says to Sheila just before the play ends; “Everything’s all right now Sheila…” This quotation is showing that Gerald now wants to go back to the celebration and marry Sheila and to forget all about the suicide. He clearly is not thinking about Eva Smith when he says this, no long-term effect. The Inspector managed during his questioning to make Gerald see that this girl is actually dead. Gerald doesn’t realise this until he is forced by persistent questioning and pressure from the other characters. By studying these reactions we can see what the characters are really like we can also examine his affect on them. Another function of the Inspector could be to make to characters react and express their view on the matter. The Inspector has managed to bring the characters emotions into play and uses them against them.
The Inspector during his visit has an impact on the audience in many ways. He creates dramatic tension by continuing the scenes without interruptions; this allows us to get excitement and keeps us viewing the play without losing interest. He, when he leaves, gives a speech on society covering many aspects and talks about the war and that if men will not learn to accept responsibility and respect others they will be taught in blood, fire and anguish. This very dramatic speech manages to get the audience thinking about the characters and if they are what they first seem and of course the audience at the time would have been thinking about the war during this speech. These aspects, that the audience have experienced and felt feelings for are very emotional and Priestley has chosen to write about these. How did the Inspector know that war would be a result of this society? This question can be answered by examining his name, Goole, this name in a way represents supernatural qualities, can he be a person or is he maybe a ghost. The Inspector also knows all this information, he must be on the characters conscience as well, he is also pressurised himself because he has to work fast, he has to get the confessions out of the characters before the real Inspector arrives. He during his visit accuses the characters of something allowing the rest of the household to start coming in with questions thus pressurising that particular character again; this creates tension and is attractive for the audience. And of course he leaves the play with a great impact on the audience, who or what is he? Why did he come here? These questions have no particular answer and so the audience may well discuss this after the play has ended. Priestley wanted the audience to think about his play and the Inspector when it had finished. He wanted it to be discussed and questioned he did this by using the Inspecotor – the way he worked throughout his appearance on stage. The audience can also, now with the experience of what the play is about, read over it again and approach it at a different angle trying to solve the many unsolved mysteries.
What is the overall function of the Inspector in the play? I personally believe that the Inspector represents Priestley himself. He covers his entire central themes and ideas and allows the audience to think about these particular concerns. The audience is kept in suspense yet kept thinking on many important issues that are emotional and very dramatic. The Inspector is there on stage to get the characters confessing, and accepting responsibility and caring for others not just ‘their kind’. The Inspector manages to pass on messages to the characters and make them see reality.
‘An Inspector Calls’ is a very dramatic and serious play that manages to keep an audience in many ways and express important issues to society. You should not begin to get greedy and selfish but instead learn to care ‘for your brothers’ because after all the message received from the play is clear; We are all members of one society, we must accept responsibility and care for others or accept the consequences.