prosperous manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period.
The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not
Cosy and homelike.”
This is evidenced in act one, page 1 at the start of the play. They also have a made called Edna. This shows that they belong to a wealthy family and they can afford a maid.
Priestley uses the character Arthur Birling to communicate to the audience all the corruption, hypocrisy, and immoral selfish values of capitalists. Mr Birling thinks that he is better than other people. This perhaps, is because he is a wealthy man, like smoking cigars. This may be considered to be a status symbol, showing that he thinks he has style and power. He talks too much. Sybil, his wife, accuses him of doing this in act one, page 4, line 10. Arthur thinks he knows everything. We know that this was not the case.
Arthur is argumentative. An example of this is in act one, page 6, line 25. Here, he begins a big speech where he dismisses the possibility of a World War and says the Titanic is ‘Unsinkable’. These are just two examples of what we call Dramatic irony. It is when events do actually take place in the future when we are sure at the time that they will not. It seems the only reason Mr Birling wanted Gerald to marry his daughter Sheila was so that Gerald had a good business and when his daughter will marry Gerald he will do a partner ship with Gerald and earn more money.
The social criticism in the play is highlighted by Mrs. Birling’s opinions of Eva Smith’s death for which she abdicates herself of an any responsibility and blame. Mrs. Birling met Eva for the first time Brumley Women’s Charity Organization when Mrs. Birling was on the chair and Eva came to herself because Eva was going to have a baby and their was no one who can listen to her, give money and advice to her. Despite Eva begging and pleading for assistance, to which she was rightly entitled, Mrs. Birling refused to give it. She adopted such a selfish negative attitude towards Eva because Eva Smith used her name and she didn’t knew that she is using the name of the person which she is talking to. Mrs. Birling didn’t like her manner and before hearing the story of Eva she refused to help her. Mrs. Birling said:-
“Yes, I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence – quite
deliberate – and naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced
me against her case.” (This was evidenced in act two page 43).
Mrs. Birling was adamant that the blame for Eva’s suicide lay with the irresponsible father of her child. This was one of many pieces of Dramatic irony in the play because at the time of arguing this point she was unaware the father was in fact Eric, her own son!
At the very end of this play in Act three, when it is discovered that Goole was hoax inspector, it is clear that neither Mr nor Mrs. Birling had learned any lessons from the circumstances surrounding Eva Smith’s death. Mr. Birling’s response was that he was very pleased that he will not appear on the scandals. He said that the inspector had a little bit of information and you allowed him to take off information from you.
“That fellow obviously didn’t like us. He was prejudiced from the
start. Probably a socialist or some sort of crank - he talked like
one. And then, instead of standing up to him, you let him bluff you
into talking about your private affairs. You aught to have stood up
to him.” (This is evidenced in act three, page 60).
Mrs. Birling’s attitude was similar. She believed that he didn’t made her confess. She said:-
“He certainly didn’t make me confess – as you call it. I told him
quite plainly that I thought I had done no more than my duty.”
This is evidenced in Act three, page 60. She also argued about her children that:-
“Really, from the way you children talk, you might be wanting to
help him instead of us. Now just be quite so that your father can
decide what we aught to do.”(This is evidenced in Act three, page
60 and 61).
Their approach reinforced their selfish, inconsiderate capitalist lifestyle. They took no responsibilities for other people and intend to continue as they had always done, despite Goole’s long speech and message on page 56, which attempted to make them think differently about their actions in future.
Priestley places his hope in the characters of Sheila and Eric, the next and younger generation, in his play. Sheila accepted her share of responsibility for contributing to the death of Eva Smith. At Milwards, a posh clothes store, Sheila had met Eva when she was trying a dress and it didn’t suit her. Eva laughed at her and Sheila didn’t like her laughing. And said to the manager of Milwards, if you will not get rid of that girl, I’d never go near the place again and I’d persuade mother to close our account with Milwards. When she was shown the photo of Eva Smith and told by Goole of the consequences of her actions she reacted by little, cry, a half shifted sob and ran out. She felt ashamed, emotional and responsible for Eva’s death. We sympathize with Sheila because she learned something, in Act three, page 71 that:-
“It was anything but a joke. You knew it then. You begun to learn
something. And now you are stopped.”
By the end of the play she has clearly learned her lesson, and shown that unlike her parents, she cared for others and represented a socialist outlook on life.
The character of Eric changes as the play progresses. In act one we initially find him to be shy, unconfident and squiffy. He then appears to grow in confidence especially when he stood instead of his father on a number of occasions. Goole’s questioning provokes and encourages Eric to confront Mr. Birling. For example in Act one, page 15 Eric accuses his father of throwing out Eva Smith of the job.
“He could kept her instead of throwing her out, I call it tough luck.”
He also complains about Eva’s death because of his father. The part of the play highlights the fact that despite all of the money and wealth with in the Birling family household, they are not happy together and cannot understand or respect each other’s point of view. This is mainly because Eric’s view is that of a socialist and Mr. Birling’s is that of a staunch capitalist. Eric, like Sheila, accepts their share of the blame A for their behavior that contributed to the death of Eva Smith.
Gerald is an interesting character in the play. In the early stages of the play we learn that he is a busy person. He was very suspicious Eric was up to. Evidence to support this opinion is found in Act one, page 9, when Gerald Croft says:-
‘Sounds a bit fishy to me.’
He is in a difficult position at this engagement party and is under pressure to marry Sheila of Mr. Birling because if he do something wrong it might affect to his marriage with Sheila. It might be fair to say that Gerald had socialist tendencies because when he met Eva Smith in the stalls bar at the palace. She was half drunk and goggle eyed and had wedged herself into a corner. He helped her by giving her money and place to live. But he didn’t tell the truth to Sheila and he betrayed her trust. Gerald was very naïve because after the discovery that Goole was hoax he still believed that he and Sheila would not break their engagement. Gerald thought it easy, just like Mr and Mrs Birling, to pretend that nothing had happened and that he could simply marry Sheila after all. He had not learn’t his lesson, he was thinking that nothing had happened and he could still marry Sheila.
It is clear that an inspector calls is an effective piece of social criticism because it makes us question how we should try to lead our own lives. Through the character role of Goole, Priestley encourages us to behave properly and respect and care for others unlike Arthur and Sybil Birling. In the bigger picture he is really saying that society can only live together in peace and harmony if people cooperate together and work and support each other.
I feel that the play was a very enjoyable theatrical experience. A play is memorable if it keeps you thinking, exciting and to learn a new message. The play had a number of cliff hangings, exciting moments, for example, in Act one, page 10 when the door bell rings and Eric says:-
‘Somebody at the front door.’
Then Edna says to Mr. Birling.
‘Please, sir, an inspector’s called.’
Also in act three, page 53. I was riveted by Eric when he told that he was going to be a father!
“And the next time – or the time after that – she told me she thought
she was going to have a baby. She wasn’t quite sure. And then she
was.”
Every Act ended with suspense. This made the audience to continue seeing the play.
An Inspector Calls also had many examples of dramatic irony. This is when the full meaning of a situation or a speech is understood by the audience but not by the characters on stage. There was also considerable dramatic irony the fact that each of the Birling’s and Gerald all seemingly had a part to play in Eva’s death without even being aware of it, until Goole’s arrival. Perhaps most dramatic of all was the ending of the play when the telephone rings and after answering the telephone Mr. Birling says:-
“That was the police. A girl has just died – on her was to the
infirmary – after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police
Inspector is on his way here – to ask some – questions.”
This leaves the audience feeling what will happen afterwards.
In conclusion, reading and understanding the play made me reflect and think carefully about my own life. The play, the characters and Priestley’s message has made me think that all of our lives are connected with one another. If we do something with others it will affect us as well because in reaction they can harm us as well. On the other hand if we do good to others their will be happiness all over the world.
