"An Inspector Calls" was written by J.B priestly in 1945. The play was set in 1912. The play takes place in a big rich house. The play is about an inspector. His name is Inspector Goole, and he went to investigate about this girl that committed suicide. The girl drank some strong disinfectant and burned her insides out. The girls name is Eva Smith/Daisy Renton. The inspector starts his investigation by disturbing a family celebration. The family's name is the Birlings. They were celebrating the engagement of there daughter Sheila Birling who was getting married to a man named Gerald Croft. They were both rich and upper class family. In this essay I am going to write about the roles of the inspector.
One of the roles of the inspector is to develop the plot. He does this by asking questions to the other characters in the play. The inspector shows us that every member of the Birling's including Gerald Croft are involved in different ways of the suicide of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton. As the inspector asks question we learn a lot about her life. The Inspector shows us that Eva Smith/Daisy Renton was an employee of Mr. Birlings factory. One day Eva smith/Daisy Renton and four or five other workers asked Mr. Birling for a p pay rise. Mr. Birling refused to give them a pay rise. So Eva Smith/Daisy Renton and other workers leaded a strike. The strike did not last very long so Mr. Birling let most workers come back and carry on with there job. But he did not let Eva Smith/Daisy Renton and other workers who leaded the strike come back and carry on with there work.
The Inspector works out by asking his questions and shows us that Sheila was also involved in the suicide of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton in a different way. He shows us that after Eva Smith/Daisy Renton got Sacked from Mr. Birlings factory she tried very hard and got another job in a big cloth store called Millwards. She had no problems working in millwards until one day Sheila came into this shop with a very bad mood and tried this dress on. She looked awful in it. She was watching her self on the mirror and she saw Eva Smith/Daisy Renton smiling at her and Sheila thought she was being rude. So Sheila went to the manager of Millwards and said that Eva Smith/Daisy Renton was being rude and she wants her to get sacked. The manager sacked her because the Birlings buy a lot of cloth from Millwards.
The Inspector shows us by asking his questions that Mrs. Birling was also involved in the suicide of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton in a different way. The Inspector shows us that Mrs. Birling is part of a women's charity organization. Eva Smith Daisy Renton came to this place for help Mrs. Birling refused to give her help because she called her self miss Birling. Mrs. Birling thought she was being very rude.
The Inspector also shows us by asking his questions that Eric the son of Mr. And Mrs. Birling was also involved in the suicide of Eva ...
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The Inspector shows us by asking his questions that Mrs. Birling was also involved in the suicide of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton in a different way. The Inspector shows us that Mrs. Birling is part of a women's charity organization. Eva Smith Daisy Renton came to this place for help Mrs. Birling refused to give her help because she called her self miss Birling. Mrs. Birling thought she was being very rude.
The Inspector also shows us by asking his questions that Eric the son of Mr. And Mrs. Birling was also involved in the suicide of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton's suicide. The Inspector shows us that Eric met her in a pub and started likening her. He made her pregnant and was giving her stolen money. When she found out that the money she was getting was stolen she stopped seeing him.
The Inspector works out and shows us that Gerald Croft was also involved in the suicide of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton. Gerald knew her as Daisy Renton. (she changed her name to Daisy Renton when she got refused to get help fro the women charity organization) Gerald met her in a pub and started likening her and had an affair with her for about a year. She knew this day would come when Gerald will tell her that they need to break up because he was a very rich man and she was a working class person.
The second role of the Inspector is to make us understand the characters in the play. He does this by asking them questions and the way they react and answer to the questions shows us what kind of character they are.
The Inspector shows us that Mr. Birling is guilty of what he has done this is shown when he says
"If you don't come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking for the earth"
This shows that he did sack Eva Smith/Daisy Renton because they asked for a pay rise and he is guilty. This speech also shows that Mr. Birling does not feel guilty of what he has done. He is trying to say that if he gave them a pay rise they soon would be asking for more and more so what he has done is right.
The Inspector shows that Mrs. Birling is also guilty of what she has done this is shown when she says
"But I accept no blame for it at all"
This speech shows that she admits what she has done and she thinks she did the right thing. This speech also shows that she does not feel guilty of what she has done because she thinks she did the right thing.
The Inspector shows us Sheila is guilty of what she has done. This is shown when she says.
"I know I know it's the only time I ever done anything like that, and ill never, never do it again to some body else"
This speech shows that Sheila is guilty of what she has done and she quickly admits what she did with out much questioning from the Inspector.
This speech also shows that Sheila feels guilty of what she has done because she admits what she has done and she says she will never do it again. Sheila has also been changed by the Inspectors investigation. This is shown when they all find out that the inspector is not a real inspector and they all start celebrating and feel very relieved. They don't care what they did to this girl or the other members of the family as long as nobody finds out, and Sheila says
"No because I remember what he said, how he looked, and what he made me feel. Fire and blood and anguish. And it frightens me the way you talk, and I cant listen to any more of it".
This speech shows that she is still is feeling guilty although she found out the Inspector is not a real inspector. This shows she has changed and learnt some thing from the Inspectors investigation.
The Inspector also shows us that Eric is guilty of what he has done he admits what the Inspector says. The Inspector does not need to question him much to get the truth. Eric also feels guilty of what he has done. This is all shown when the Inspector questions him. Eric has also changed by the inspectors investigation. This is shown at the end of the play when they all find out that the inspector is not a real inspector and when they all talk to each other. The way Eric talks there it shows he has changed by the inspector's investigation.
The Inspector shows us that Gerald is also guilty of what he has done. He admits what the inspector says to him with out much questioning. This is shown when the inspector is talking to him. The way Gerald answers his questions to the inspector shows that he also feels a bit guilty of what he has done.
The third role of the inspector is to add mystery and intrigue to the play, and make this play more exciting for the audience to watch. The name of the inspector is "Goole." This name sounds exactly the same as a ghost name. At the end of the play we find out that the inspector is not a real inspector. So if his not a real inspector and his name comes from ghosts it makes you think that the inspector is maybe a ghost. This makes him very mysterious. They way the inspector enters the house he makes it very mysterious as well. He enters the house when Mr. Birling giving out a big speech to Gerald and Eric. The speech is about how a man needs to look after him self and his and own and not thinking about other people. During that speech the inspector disturbs him and enters the house. If J.B Priestly wanted to he could have allow Mr. Birling finish his speech then let the inspector in. But he didn't, I think this was because the inspector was here to correct him and show that he is wrong.
At the end of the play the inspector says a very big speech to the Birlings. This speech he said is.
"But just remember this. One Eva Smith is gone but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears,, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.
This last speech he says shows that he is not very interested in the law but he is more concerned in morality. Because actually the Birlings and Gerald Croft have not done anything against the law so there should be no reason for him to be here. This last speech also builds up the suspicion on what the inspector could be. This also makes the play very mysterious by the inspector.
The inspector questions the Birlings and Gerald Croft in a very rude manner. He treats them like they are ordinary people. If this was an ordinary inspector he would have respected them and would have not been very hard on them. This makes the inspector very different from other inspectors. This also makes him more mysterious and makes the play more interesting to watch.
The fourth role of the inspector is to show us the main theme of the play. He shows this to us by the last speech he says to the Birlings. Which is.
"But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smith and John Smith still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their sufferings and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish. Good night". This speech sums up the whole theme of the play which is social responsibilities and not only thinking about your self.
J.B Priestly uses the inspector to develop the plot, make us understand the characters, make this play more interesting to watch and give us the main theme of the play. The inspector is like the heart of the play without him we would have not known anything. The message J.B Priestly is trying to give to us is that rich families are not all good they also make mistakes and they need to learn from it.
