Why does the Inspector call?
Why does the Inspector call?
The Inspector calls because he wants to show the Birlings and Gerald what they did wrong and how they can improve themselves. The play was set before World War 1(1912), but it was staged 2 years after World War 2(1945).
Characters and brief information: -
Arthur Birling (Mr. Birling) was a lord mayor for 2 years and was an alderman for a year,
Sybil Birling (Mrs. Birling) is head of the Brumley Women's Charity Organization,
Sheila Birling (Daughter) Sheila and Gerald were having an Engagement party at that night,
Eric Birling (Son),
Gerald Croft (son of Sir Crofts) Gerald's father and Mr.Birling were friendly rivals in business,
Edna (the Maid)
Inspector Goole.
The play starts in the spring of 1912 and the Birlings and Gerald have got together for the engagement of Sheila and Gerald, it was a festive moment in the household, Mr.Birling was making comments like "Just because the Kaiser makes a speech or two, or a few German officers have too much to drink and begin talking nonsense, you'll hear some people say that war is inevitable, And I say to that fiddlesticks!" and " the titanic- she sails next week - forty-six thousand eight hundred tons - forty-six thousand eight hundred tons - New York in five days - and every luxury - and unsinkable- absolutely unsinkable" , but none of it is true, other talks where taking place, Sheila says to Gerald "(half serious, half playful) Yes - Except for all last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you." Gerald quickly replied "And I've told you - I was awfully busy at the works all that time", to which Sheila replies, "(same tone as before) yes, that's what you say".
Sheila also made a comment on Eric saying "Your Squiffy" meaning he drinks too much The Birlings think of marriage as climbing up the social ladder, and Gerald's Father (Sir Croft) is Birlings Social superior, Mr.Birling says "Your father and I have been friendly rivals in business for some time now - though Crofts limited are both older and bigger than Birling and Company - and now you've brought us together, and perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together - for lower costs and higher prices".
Whilst the talking is going on, Gerald goes on produces a ring case, Sheila "(excited) Oh - Gerald you've got it - is it the one you wanted me to have?" Gerald says, "Yes - the very one" Mrs. Birling liking what Gerald
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Had done and said, "(smiling) Well, it came just at the right moment. That was clever of you, Gerald. Now, Arthur, if you've no more to say, I think Sheila and I had better go into the drawing - room and leave you men".
Then the doorbell rings, Edna goes to answer the door, she brings in the Inspector, Inspector Goole. At first Mr.Birling is being friendly to him by saying "Have a glass of port - or a little whisky?" then only seconds after Mr.Birling says "(after a pause, with a touch of impatience) well what is it then", then the inspector informs everyone "Two hours ago a young women died in the infirmary. She'd been taken there this afternoon because she's swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her insides out of course", her name was Eva Smith so the Inspector starts the questioning, he first shows the picture to Mr.Birling, Gerald says "(showing annoyance) Any particular reason why I shouldn't see this girls photo, Inspector?" to which the Inspector replies, " It's the way I like to work. One person and one line of inquiry at time, otherwise there's a muddle."
Any way Mr. Birling saw the photo and recognized the girl, he had discharged her because she demanded a raise and when she wasn't given one she asked why, according to Mr.Birling she was "one of the ringleaders" and Mr.Birling said, " I can't accept any responsibility." And he also said " Well its my duty to keep labour costs down, and if I'd agreed to this demand for a new rate we'd have added 12% to our labour costs." once asking Mr.Birling, he than turned to Sheila, he then explained the situation to Sheila, she sounded sympathetic, ...
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Any way Mr. Birling saw the photo and recognized the girl, he had discharged her because she demanded a raise and when she wasn't given one she asked why, according to Mr.Birling she was "one of the ringleaders" and Mr.Birling said, " I can't accept any responsibility." And he also said " Well its my duty to keep labour costs down, and if I'd agreed to this demand for a new rate we'd have added 12% to our labour costs." once asking Mr.Birling, he than turned to Sheila, he then explained the situation to Sheila, she sounded sympathetic, The Inspector than said that after 2 months "she had what seemed to her a wonderful stroke of luck. She was taken on in a shop - and a good shop too - Milwards." He went on saying "After a couple of months, just when she felt she was settling down nicely, they told her she had to go.... All she knew was - that a costumer complained about her - and so she had to go" then Sheila confessed, "when I was looking at myself in the mirror I caught sight of her smiling at the assistant, and I was furious with her. I'd been in a bad temper anyhow ... I went to the manager at Milwards and I told him that if they 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 them", so here the inspector commented "infact, in a kind of way, you might be said to have been jealous of her" Sheila replied "yes..." so the inspector said "And so you used the power you had, as a daughter of a good costumer and also of a man well known in the town, to punish the girl just because she made you feel like that" but when Sheila was replying "If I could help her now" the inspector jumped in saying "(harshly) Yes, but you can't, its too late, she's dead" this is when the inspector is conveying the message think of the consequences before taking any action whatsoever otherwise you shall regret it.
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In the mean time the inspector went on saying, "I'm not going until I know all that happened. Eva Smith lost her job with Birling and company because her 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. Now she had to try something else. So first she changed her name to Daisy Renton-", Then suddenly Gerald said "(startled) What" then the inspector repeated "(steadily) I said she changed her name to Daisy Renton" Gerald replied "(pulling himself together) D'you mind if I give myself a drink, Sheila Sheila merely nods" then Sheila follows him to ask a few questions of her own, like " how did you come to know this girl - Eva Smith...Daisy Renton then - it's the same thing." And so on then finally he confessed "All right. I knew her, lets leave it at that".
Then the inspector then asked Gerald "(sharply turning to him) Mr.Croft, when did you first get to know her (an exclamation of surprise from Birling and Mrs. Birling" Gerald tried to hide it by saying " where did you get the idea that I did know her" to which Sheila replied, "It's no use, Gerald. You're wasting time" this shows that Sheila is upset and angry then Gerald comes out with it "All right if you must have it, I met her first, sometime last year in the stalls bar at the palace... I happened to look in, one night, after a long dull day, and as the show wasn't very bright, I went down into a bar for a drink, It's a favorite haunt of women of town - ... I didn't propose to stay long down there. I hate those hard-eyed dough-faced women. But then I noticed a girl who looked quite different. She was very pretty - soft brown hair and big dark eyes-... she looked young and fresh and charming and altogether out of place down there. And obviously she wasn't enjoying herself. Old Joe Meggarty, half drunk and goggle - eyed, had wedged her into a corner with that obscene fat carcass ... The girl saw me looking at her and then gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help. So I went across and told Joe Meggarty some nonsense - ... got him out the way - then told the girl that if she didn't want any more of that sort of thing, She'd better let me take her out of their, she agreed at once ... We went along to the County Hotel, which I knew would be quiet at that time of night, and we had a drink or two and talked ... She only had a port and lemonade - or some such concoction. All she wanted was to talk - a little friendliness - and I gathered that Joe Meggarty's advances had left her rather shaken - as well they might - ... I asked her questions about herself. She told me her name was Daisy Renton that she'd lost both parents that she came originally from somewhere outside Brumley. She also told me she'd had a job in one of the works here and had had to leave after a strike. She said something about the shop too, but wouldn't say which it was, and she
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Was deliberately vague about what happened. I couldn't get any exact detail from her about her past life. She wanted to talk about herself, - Just because she felt I was interested and friendly - but at the same time she wanted to be Daisy Renton - and not Eva Smith. In fact, I heard that name for the first time tonight. What she did let slip - though she didn't mean to - was that she was desperately hard up and at that moment was actually hungry, I made the people at the County find some food for her. ... (Steadily) I discovered, not that night but two nights later, when we met again - not accidentally this time of course - that in fact she hadn't a penny and was going to be turned out of the miserable back room she had. It happened that a friend of mine, Charlie Brunswick, had gone off to Canada for six months and had let me have the key of a nice little set of rooms he had - in Morgan Terrace - and had asked me to keep an eye on them for him and use them if I wanted to. So I insisted on Daisy moving into those rooms and made her take some money to keep her going (Carefully, to the inspector.) I want you to understand that I didn't install her there so that I could make love to her. I made her go to Morgan Terrace because I was sorry for her, and didn't like the idea of her going back to the Palace bar. I didn't ask for anything in return."
Sheila said "Yes, but why are you saying that to him? You ought to be saying that to me."
Gerald responded, "I suppose I ought really. I'm sorry, Sheila. Somehow I -"
So Gerald learnt his mistake of cheating, and not informing the right person at the right time. While this is happening, Sheila gets curios in the matter and shows it when Mr. Birling asks the Inspector to apologize.
Birling: (angrily, to Inspector) Look Here, I'm not going to have this, Inspector. You'll apologize at once.
Inspector: Apologize for what - doing my duty?
Birling: No, for being so offensive about it. I'm a public man-
Inspector: (massively) Public Men, Mr. Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges.
Birling: Possibly. But you weren't asked to come here to talk to me about my responsibilities.
Sheila: Lets hope not, though I'm beginning to wonder.
Mrs. B. Does that mean anything, Sheila?
Sheila: It means that we've no excuse now for putting on airs and that if we've any sense we won't try. Father threw this girl out because she asked for decent wages. I went and pushed her farther out, right into the streets, just because I was angry and she was pretty. Gerald set her up as his mistress and then dropped her when it suited him. And now you're pretending you don't recognize her from that Photograph. I admit I don't know why you should, but I know jolly well you did in fact recognize her, from the way you looked. And if you're not telling the tru-
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Th, why should the Inspector apologize? And can't you see, both of you, you're making it worse?
She turns away. We hear the front door slam again.
Then the Inspector turns his attention to Mrs. Birling.
Inspector: Mrs. Birling, you're a member - a prominent member - of the Brumley Women's Charity Organization, aren't you?
Mrs.Birling does not reply ... (calmly) it's an Organization to which women in distress can appeal for help in various forms. Isn't that so?
Mrs. B: (with dignity) Yes. We've done a great deal of useful work in helping deserving cases.
Inspector: There was a meeting of the interveiwing committee two weeks ago ... you were in the chair ... You'll remember that Mr. Croft told us - quite truthfully, I believe - that he hadn't spoken to or seen Eva smith since last September. But Mrs.Birling spoke to and saw her only two weeks ago.
Mrs.B: (after a pause) Yes, quite true ... she called herself Mrs. Birling - ... Yes I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence - quite deliberate - quite deliberate - and naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case ... I'm very sorry. But I think she had only herself to blame.
Inspector: Was it owing to your influence, as the most prominent member of the committee that help was refused the girl?
Mrs.B: (stung) yes it was, I didn't like her manner..
Now the Inspector turns his attention to Eric, who was drunk at the time, Mrs.Birling had thought that he doesn't drink.
Inspector: When did you first meet this girl?
Eric: One night last November.
Inspector: Where did you meet her?
Eric: In the Palace bar...I was a bit Squiffy.... I began talking to her, and stood her a few drinks...
Inspector: You went to her lodging that night?
Eric: Yes, I insisted ... and that's when it happened.
Inspector: When did you meet her again?
Eric: About a fortnight afterwards ... I couldn't remember her name or where she lived ... she hadn't a job - and she'd no money left.
Inspector: How much did you give her?
Eric: ...about £50 all together
Inspector: Where did you get the money from?
Eric: (miserable) I got it - from the office-
Birling: You stole my Money
Eric: I intended to pay it back
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While Eric and Mr.Birling where arguing Gerald came back informing that he met a police sergeant and he asked about an Inspector Goole, He swore that he had never heard of him inspector wasn't an inspector.
And they looked in the library and the Inspector was gone.
