The story of the play revolves around the death of a working class girl, committing suicide after drinking strong disinfectant. Whilst Eva Smith was working in a factory, “in bad conditions and for low pay”, she was part of a group, which organised a strike. Her employer Mr Birling sacked her for being a troublemaker. She then got a job as a sales assistant in an expensive clothes shop. An important customer (in a bad mood) named Shelia Birling thought she was giggling at her, and used her influence to get the girl sacked. Eva Smith then became despondent and thought of becoming a prostitute in Palace Bar. Gerald Croft pitied her and ‘kept’ her for several months as a mistress. Eva fell in love with him, but he finished with her because he was engaged to Shelia and his friend wanted the flat back. As she had no chance, Eva went back to the same bar, thinking again of becoming a prostitute to earn a living, when a younger man Eric, who saw her twice, forced himself on her. When she found she was pregnant she applied for help at a charity. Mrs Birling the head of the charity refused her help because she didn’t believe her when Eva called herself Mrs Birling. Soon these characters are made to realise each one of them had a part in the death of Eva smith. The play ends with two twists “Who is the inspector?” and a phone call informing the audience that a police inspector is calling wishing to interview the Birling family over the death of Eva Smith.
Through the play Priestley skilfully keeps the audience interested and in suspense. He carefully manipulates the Inspector’s responses to each character to keep the action of the plot moving forward. The inspector is used to change the speed of the play and moves the play carefully forward when the family begins to bicker. “There’ll be plenty of time, when I’m gone, for you all to adjust your family relationship”.
“You’ll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I’ve gone”.
When interviewing the characters the inspector careful shows the photograph to that one person. “Only one line of enquiry at a time.” Making the audience have suspicion. After the audience discover that there was neither a suicide of the girl, which leaves audience with the conclusion is the whole investigation true. Then there is a telephone call from an Inspector investigating a suicide and wishing to call round.
The inspector focuses on each character in turn to slowly develop the plot. When the inspector interviews Mr Birling he reacts arrogantly and rudely using his class and status. “I was an alderman for years and lord mayor two years ago-and I’m still on the bench,” Mr Birling said this rudely to the inspector putting him in his place as well as bragging about his status. He is affronted that a working class person has the audacity to question him.
Mrs Birling’s interview portrayed her coldness as a woman and also towards the working class, “I didn’t like her manner, she’d impertinently made use of our name”. Mrs Birling is hard on Eva and wants no blame for the death of Eva Smith. “Unlike the other three, I did nothing I’m ashamed of or that wont bear investigation”. Mrs Birling also claims “…I did my duty” and that “… You have no power to make me change my mind”. Mrs Birling believes it’s the father’s fault, “Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility”, not realising the father of the child is Eric her son.
Following the inspector’s questioning of Shelia we find that she reacts guiltily, “And if I could help her now, I would-“. Eva was sacked from Milwards when Shelia believed Eva was giggling at her when trying on a dress. Shelia then used her class and status to get the girl fired. “I went to the manager at Milwards, and told him that if he didn’t get rid of that girl, I’d never go near the place again and I’d persuade mother to close our account with you”. We are then told from the inspector that Eva Smith changed her name to Daisy Renton, wishing to put the past behind her, hoping to make a new start.
From both Gerald and Eric’s interviews it seems that they both used their position to abuse Eva Smith. When Gerald is being interviewed he admits meeting the girl, “I met her first, sometime in March last year, in stalls bar”. We are then informed this is where the ‘Women of the town’ earn their money from prostitution. Soon after, Gerald splits up with Eva leaving her upset and with no money, which meant she had to go back to prostitution. Gerald then becomes guilty for abusing Eva and tries to wriggle out of the situation. “She didn’t blame me at all. I wish to god she had now, perhaps I’d feel better about it”. Eric’s entrance for his interview begins at the end of act two and starts in act three with no time jump, as if this could happen in the average evening. The inspector then tells us that Eric stole money from his father to give Eva. When she found out the money was stolen, ‘She didn’t want to see me again’ although Eric still cared for her. Although Eric forced himself on Eva Smith and got her pregnant she left Eric and was left to bring up his child.
Irony is a technique also used to great effect by Priestley to help keep the audience interested. Mr Birling tells his family that, “so long as we behave ourselves, don’t get into the police court or start a scandal we shall live a very good knighthood”. Gerald says, “After all, y’know, we’re respectable citizens and not criminals”, even though the family is soon to be interviewed over the death of Eva Smith a working class girl. Mr Birling also talks about “The Germans don’t want war” but only two years later war broke out, showing how much he knows about his country. Then he tells about ‘The Titanic’ has every luxury and its ‘unsinkable’, when the Titanic sunk that year. As an audience these speeches are key moments to introduce us to a problem.
Any actor preparing for his role for the play would be left in little doubt about how precisely Priestley wanted them to portray his characters because of the detail in his stage directions. The stage directions were used to develop the personality of each character especially Eric and his drinking problem. “Eric goes for a whisky”. “The drink shows his familiarity with quick heavy drinking.” Eric claims that he is a bit ‘squiffy’ and he’s ‘had a few drinks, including rather a lot of champagne’.
Through the careful controlled script Priestley was able to develop his themes. Priestley intends the audience to believe in love and responsibility. We learn from Shelia and Gerald that if there is no love or trust, the relationship is worthless. Also as an audience we notice that the younger generation are responsible for there action but not Mr and Mrs Birling. Mr and Mrs Birling bring their family love and position, but we learn that position is not always the best thing in life. The family’s positions drove Eva Smith to a dreadful death.
At the end of each act, including the last one, the audience is left in suspense. Through the three acts Priestley carefully ensures dismissing characters and returning them for their interrogation not to distract the audience, allowing them to concentrate on certain parts of the play. In act one this is because the inspector has begun to suggest that many people share a joint responsibility for the misery, which prompted Eva Smith to end her young sad life. By the end of act 2 it’s revealed that Eva is pregnant and there’s a strong suspicion that Eric might be the father of the unborn child. At the end of act 3 the Inspector’s strange behaviour leads to doubts about his identity, which also raises doubt about Eva and her death. Then comes a telephone call from an Inspector investigating the death of a working class woman on the way to the infirmary.
Priestley leaves the audience with the problem of deciding who or what was the real role of the inspector. Whether he was real or a time traveller does not seem as important as the messages the inspector portrayed. As Shelia said, “Well, he inspected us alright.” Perhaps that is what Priestley intended the audience to understand that the inspector can call on us any time.
