A theatre Critic commented:Priestleys play is unusual in that a character, the Inspector, could be said to direct the action of the play. Discuss this comment
Joanne Muter 10J
A theatre Critic commented:
"Priestley's play is unusual in that a character, the Inspector, could be said to direct the action of the play."
Discuss this comment, with particular reference to;
. The way the Inspector controls the sequence of events in Acts 1 and 2.
2. The use of dramatic irony in the play.
3. How Priestley uses the Inspector Goole as a mouthpiece or voice for his own views on society in 1912.
The statement above by a theatre critic tells us his/her views about the Inspector, in the play that we have studied in depth. I agree with this statement as the Inspector acts as an on stage director for "An Inspector Calls". I will discuss this point in detail in my essay. I will examine the way the Inspector controls events, characters and the audience in acts one and two, the usage of dramatic irony in the play, and finally I will discuss how Priestley uses the Inspector to air his views on the society in 1912.
The identity of the Inspector is key to the play, as it shows the way the characters have changed after being investigated by the Inspector. Sheila notes her observations to her parents,
" I have an idea- and I had it all along vaguely-that there was something curious about him. He never seemed like an ordinary police Inspector-"
Sheila just says this in passing, as it holds no relevance to her, but both Mr and Mrs Birling seize this theory and join in so they can forget about the whole incident. They continue to talk about this theory getting more and more confident that they are correct.
"I mean, they don't talk like that. I've had dealings with dozens of them"
Mr Birling's beliefs about this Inspector are then confirmed as Gerald enters and uncovers more truths about the Inspector. Birling confirms their beliefs by phoning the local police and questioning the identity of Inspector Goole. It is confirmed, the man who came and dragged the truth out of his family was not a police inspector. Birling revels in this information,
" Already we've discovered one important fact- that that fellow was a fraud and we've been-hoaxed- and that may not be the end of it by any means"
He doesn't care that his family have just been uncovered to be immoral and unethical and very low in the society of principles, all he cares about is the fact that this man wasn't a police inspector so everything is back to normal, no public scandal shall become of this and that his life is just as good for himself as it was before.
Gerald them questions the girl's death and if they have had involvement with the same girl.
" All right you all admitted something to do with a girl. But how do you know it's the same girl"
He questions the photograph that the Inspector used, as he thought about the evidence that he could be showing them all a different photo of a girl, because the inspector took control and only allowed one person to see the photograph at a time. He also debates the fact that the girl changed her name numerous times. How do they know that this was the same girl all along? The Birling parents quickly agree as to get rid of this horrible business and make sure there is no public scandal. Mr Birling sees this as an escape route, to know that he was not made a fool of and his beliefs were not put on trial. He wants closure and he wants to be reassured that some socialist crank did not successfully hoax him. Gerald quickly settles this by phoning the hospital to validate his suspicions about the girl's death.
"No girl has dies in there today. Nobody's been brought in after drinking disinfectant. They haven't had a suicide for months"
Birling celebrates this fact, not because a girl is not dead, he celebrates because there is no public scandal and he can get is knighthood, he think it is " all over now" What he doesn't realize is what Sheila has comprehended,
" If it didn't end tragically, then that's lucky for us. But it might have done"
She recognises this and stands up to her father and agues with him
"You're pretending everything's just as it was before."
She sees that she, and her family have been exposed for what they were and some of them still are. She sides with Eric and contends against her father and his values that he has. The Inspector has caused all this conflict even though he is no longer there. Somehow I believe that he wanted to be found out, so that the family have to react to something, which will depict their new beliefs if they have any. It will show Sheila and Eric who their family really are and how their beliefs and values damage people. The Inspector has this power over them and he has taught them that his identity is not the important issue here. Before his visit they would have believed the opposite to what they do now.
Finally the phone rings, Birling speaks to the police and tells his family that what the Inspector said was true.
"A girl has just died-on her way to the Infirmary-after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police Inspector is on his way here- to ask some- questions."
This is the end of the play.
I personally believe the same as Sheila, that it doesn't matter who the Inspector was and that he discovered information about them that they didn't want to know. I think that identity of the Inspector doesn't change what they did and doesn't change what could have happened even if it didn't.
I think Priestley chose to do this is to make the audience think how the characters will act with the real Inspector, if they will tell the truth or hide the truth behind closed doors. The audience then have a chance to think about the characters and if they have changed from the Inspector's visit.
It also allows them to judge for themselves who the Inspector actually was. All different people have different views about the Inspector's true identity.
I think that the Inspector was really a relation to Eva's Smiths, maybe her father. He is a socialist with socialist beliefs and ideals. I believe this because the police would have contacted family first. He could have then visited her in hospital and been given her diary and letters. He then could have decided to visit this family to shake them up and punish them for his daughter's death, and then could have given the diary and letters to the police to have a real enquiry.
The Inspector has the majority of importance in the play, as he is the delegate for Priestley's views and beliefs. He is a mouthpiece for him in which he can have his views portrayed perfectly. Priestley is a socialist with certain principles therefore the Inspector is a socialist with these certain principles also. This way Priestley allows the Inspector to be the narrator to the play and the director also. The Inspector is seen to be the one who is honourable and justified. He is obviously biased towards the Inspector, as it is himself in another form. The ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
The Inspector has the majority of importance in the play, as he is the delegate for Priestley's views and beliefs. He is a mouthpiece for him in which he can have his views portrayed perfectly. Priestley is a socialist with certain principles therefore the Inspector is a socialist with these certain principles also. This way Priestley allows the Inspector to be the narrator to the play and the director also. The Inspector is seen to be the one who is honourable and justified. He is obviously biased towards the Inspector, as it is himself in another form. The Inspector, in a talented way of allowing his views to be aired without actually saying them, he realizes that the play will have more affect on the audience rather than listening to him shrieking his beliefs in the middle of the town. The Inspector gets his views across without the audience realizing fully what he is doing. This is the first role of the Inspector. The second role links with the first distinctly as it is about what Priestley wanted the Inspector to do, both in the play and the extensive thesis and messages surrounding the play. The Inspector is there to serve a purpose in the play; he is there to question the Birling family (and Gerald)
He is there to control situations in the evening by using props such as the photograph as bait to the family, he also gains control by undermining the authority in the house, (Mr Birling and Mrs Birling) and making sure he gets his way and that everything is done to his standards.
"No I can't do that yet, I'm sorry, but he'll have to wait"
This is an example of the Inspector dominating the family and undermining Mr Birling's influence over his family, by controlling the characters he can also control the audience as well, he influences their opinions of the characters. The Inspector breaks this down and finally turns half of his own family against him. He is naturally intimidating by his physical appearance. In the stage directions it says that,
"He need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. He speaks carefully, weightily and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking to them."
This implies that he has a presence of authority, and that he is naturally a director and narrator. The first time the audience see him, they can realise that he is the director on stage, and that the other characters will be his puppets.
His role of narrator of the play is important and adds to the structure of the play as he skilfully manages to guide the line of enquiry back onto course as soon as the family start bickering between themselves. The Inspector is also there as the policeman of ethics and as the confessor to the family. He is there to make sure the characters face up to their morals and judge themselves instead of others around them. He is in the play to hunt for bits of information and dive into the surreptitious nature of the family. One definition of the character of the Inspector was " a catalyst, as someone who creates the possibility for others to face up to what they have done" I agree with this definition as he sparks off ideas in people's minds but leaves it for them to change. I do not concur with the proposal that the Inspector "existence is a result of the girl's death" I don't believe this because I don't believe that his strong morals are just from Eva's suicide. The audience have their own views about the Inspector, and what he is there to do, this makes him a dramatically successful character, as he sparks off ideas in the audience's minds, he controls their views and allows the audience to see his own views of the characters, and therefore society.
Priestley makes the Inspector dramatically successful in many different ways. Because the Inspector directs the action on stage, this allows him to direct the audience as well. Priestley gives us something to dislike about each character, and gives the audience a hope that these characters will be brought down. This controls the thoughts of the audience about the characters and then so changes their views on society, as they relate the characters to themselves and people in their world.
He makes the Inspector seem to be in the right at all times, this is because of the timing of the play. It was written in 1945 but set in 1912, and as the Inspector is Priestley the Inspector in a sense knows what has happened in the future, as the audience all ready know that Titanic sunk, and two world wars have happened. The other characters in the play know nothing of this. This is dramatic irony. This is the main way that Priestley controls the audience's thoughts, so this is how the Inspector controls the characters and the audience.
He makes sure that the other characters are seen to be fools especially Mr Birling, as he embodies all the capitalist values that Priestley wanted to put down.
"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"
" I say there isn't a chance of war. The world's developing so fast that it'll make war impossible"
This shows Mr Birling to be totally at fault. The audience know what has happened in the past. Priestley's use of time allows the audience to be more involve and lets them know more that the characters, which makes the play more successful in the audience's eyes and makes the play more interesting and more entertaining, as they can see that the views that the characters have are completely wrong. This allows Priestley and therefore the Inspector to convey the message about the society in 1912, and those they needed to change. This is made entertaining by the play and the audience can relate to it easier than a political broadcast. This helps the control of the Inspector, as he knows everything, he can almost see into the future as he is Priestley and he has lived through the devastation in the past years.
Ultimately dramatic irony is used so that Priestley could successfully convey his views on society.
The Inspector is also there to convey political beliefs and society's values. The Inspector is obviously a socialist. At first his views are subtle, then they get stronger until the final speech, which is a strong political message for the audience. He is there to portray socialist attitudes in a good light, as the Inspector to the audience is always correct, that is why I think Priestley chose him to be a police inspector as in the time he wrote, it police inspectors were seen as honest upholding citizens. He is around to impart people about socialist attitudes like taking responsibility for your actions, helping each other, sacrificing individual wealth, people's actions and the effect they have on others, supporting one another and that everybody is equal. He is also there to show the socialist political message as well, things like community, social security, systems owned by the community, equality of opportunity and wealth and abolishing personal wealth would be to the benefit of everybody. These are strong political messages that the inspector has to get across, as these are the views of J. B. Priestley.
"She was here alone, friendless, almost penniless, desperate. She needed not only money but advice, sympathy, friendliness. You've had children. You must have known what she was feeling. And you slammed the door in her face."
He is also there to show the themes of the play, I have already discussed the social message and the political view. He is also there to show morality, he becomes a voice of conscience. Respectability is another theme of the play that the inspector explores as it was of great importance in Edwardian times, the Birling's believe that because they had money and therefore power that they also had respectability, the Inspector is there to teach them that respectability comes with morals and ethics. Via the Inspector, Priestley tells us about responsibility and power. The more power you have the more influence you can have. The Birling's and Gerald are just using their power for the good of themselves; they have also abused their power and led to Eva Smith's death. Priestley shows us using classes that the upper, more powerful class have influence in society and can affect the lower classes, this is what the Birling's did, so the Inspector is there to instruct them that with power comes responsibility, the more power you have the more responsibilities you have. Being responsible for yourself is not enough, " we are all responsible for each other" and that everybody is equal and deserve to be treated equitably. Priestley makes sure the Inspector explores conscience and guilt, the Inspector acts as a ghoulish manifestation of each character's conscience. He manages to pull out their confessions, Sheila along with the Inspector believe that they have to " share their guilt" and face up to the guilt, some of the family haven't done and carry on as if nothing has happened. The Inspector and therefore Priestley believe that people need to face up to their guilt and listen to their conscience.
The Inspector and Priestley see all the characters to be at fault but maybe not equally. Mr Birling started the vicious chain of events and he would not take any responsibility for her death. Priestley uses Mr Birling's speech about the "unsinkable Titanic" and the "war scares" to show how Mr Birling's views were completely incorrect and shows Mr Birling up for the fool he is, Priestley manipulates time by doing this and also uses dramatic irony and the audience know that the titanic sunk and the war scares turned out to be two wide scale world wars. Sheila acted out of insane jealously and abused her power she was also to blame, but she changed her views and ideals, Gerald in my opinion was let off lightly but he made her happy for a while, the Inspector did not blame him as much as the others, the Inspector blames Mrs Birling the most as she turned her away when she was in need and mistreated the influence she had. Eric is also to blame in the eyes of the inspector but he has changed, his drinking problem made him to blame, acting irresponsible. Priestley blames Mrs. Birling the most and Gerald the least I think. Priestley uses Mr and Mrs Birling as mouthpieces for all he is criticizes in society.
He is also blaming capitalist people with capitalist views about money, control and power, selfishness, arrogance and snobbery. He is blaming these people with these views for the wars that he had served in, and the state of the country between the time that the play was set and the time the play was written. Priestley uses the Inspector to make understood his views of society and the political and economic status. He made the Inspector a powerful man with morals but low in the class system, he is average age in an average suit, an average man. But he managed to drag the truth out of this rich, snobbish family who couldn't be more pleased with themselves.
Arthur Birling is not especially welcoming to the Inspector, he does not like his attitude, and the inspector feels the same way about him.
" But I don't understand why you should come here, Inspector"
Arthur speaks very impatiently and doesn't appear to care about the girl's death. The Inspector controls Birling by damaging his authority over his family, deciding that is the way the information will be heaved out of him. The Inspector sees Arthur as a capitalist with capitalist values, he sees him as an arrogant, competitive and judgemental man. The Inspector treats him as if he was below him; Birling tries to win back control by implying a threat to report him,
"What did you say your name was, Inspector?"
The Inspector wins back control, and treats Birling with little respect and speaks to him in a cocky and confident way. Birling reacts to this, as he doesn't particularly like the Inspector's tone. Birling rises to the Inspector's inducement, and makes a fool of himself. Birling reacts to the Inspector in an impatient and intolerant way, the Inspector always remains having complete control over him, but unlike some of the other characters, the Inspector never warms to Birling because he sees that Birling will never change as he is a conceited man who is only concerned with preserving his position in society and hiding the scandal as not to disturb it.
He treats Sheila in a completely different way; he treats Sheila with more compassion as she later shows empathy for Eva. He manipulates Sheila by using her emotions. She opens up quickly and warms to the Inspector and tunes herself into the enquiry and helps him, almost turns against her family and helps the Inspector to retrieve information from her fiancé Gerald. The Inspector sees her as a girl who has been spoilt and damaged by being raised in a dutiful capitalist family.
The Inspector doesn't get the confession out of Gerald initially, Sheila does. The Inspector treats Gerald different to the others, he acts differently, he still speaks with authority but to Gerald he speaks in more of a gentle way because he knew that Eva Smith or Daisy Renton meant something to Gerald and he knew her more than the other members of the family.
"What's the matter?"
The Inspector is quite kind to Gerald, at first we think that Gerald responds to this and quite respects the Inspector. But after a while, we discover that while he was thinking things through, he was just thinking about how the Inspector was a fake and how the whole thing was a set up, Gerald is thought by the Inspector not to be as much to blame, but if the inspector knew what Gerald had said after he left and I think his perception of Gerald would have altered. Gerald fully agrees with the Birling parents, that it makes a great amount of difference that the Inspector wasn't a real Inspector, he is alike Mr Birling and just wants to sustain his status in the upper classes.
"Everything's all right now Sheila. What about this ring?"
He is just carrying on as if he hadn't just been found out to have an affair, and that the whole business was of no importance because it wasn't a real police Inspector. Gerald obviously doesn't react to the inspector and his business, as the Inspector thought he did.
The Inspector treats Mrs. Birling very sternly and severely, as this is the only way he can get through to her. She reacts to this, as she also does not like the idea of an Inspector telling her family what to do and when, and bossing her around telling her what to do. The Inspector likes Mrs. Birling least, because she tipped this girl over the edge and shows no remorse, only shifts the blame. The Inspector is quite rude to Mrs Birling and doesn't attempt to hide his feelings towards her.
"You have no hope of not discussing it Mrs. Birling."
He puts pressure on her to confess, she does so. She retorts to the Inspector by patronizing him and threatening him with her social rank.
"You know very well why she wanted help"
She is incredibly rude to the Inspector, as she can't tolerate the fact that she and her family has been revealed to have been controlled by a middle class average man.
The Inspector treats Eric as older than his parents treat him. His parents patronize him and treat him as a child. The Inspector treats him as a man, and speaks quite coolly to him, as he does not react to the Inspector much. Eric only reacts to the Inspector politely and answers all of his questions truthfully and without difficulty. The Inspector reacts to this, and treats Eric quite respectfully; a mutual respect. Although the Inspector doesn't absolve Eric for what he has done, he realizes that Eric will now mature and grow away from his parents.
The Inspector is intelligent, and treats them all as individuals, and handles each differently depending how they respond to his questioning.
Each character reacts differently after the Inspector has left. Sheila is "still quietly crying" she is exhausted by the whole occurrence. She is distraught and is upset by what she herself did, and what her family did and their reactions to what they have done, which, led to Eva's death. She is very distressed by her mother and father because of their reactions to the questioning of the Inspector's identity.
"You began to learn something. And now you've stopped. You're ready to go on in the same old way"
She doesn't care who the Inspector was, she has learnt from the experience, learnt her responsibilities and learnt to show compassion for others surrounding her, she has learnt the connotation of community. The Inspector has had a great impact on her.
Mr Birling acts completely different to his daughter. He "pours himself out a drink, which he hastily swallows" He begins to blame Eric for the whole thing, and states he cares, but he continues and states" I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List-" As soon as the Inspector has left he is already back to the old Mr Birling, being selfish, thinking about the public scandal. He has learnt nothing from the whole experience. As soon there is a chance of an escape route for him in the form of the inquiring of the Inspector's identity as well as the chance of Eva Smith's identity, he quickly responds and forgets the whole thing and begins to celebrate and even imitates the Inspector's final speech
" You all help to kill her (Pointing at Sheila and Eric, and laughing) And I wish you could have seen the look on your faces when he said that."
He is still a capitalist and a traditionalist and unfortunately this experience could not change him.
Gerald enters later on in the scene, before he leaves he seems to be genuinely upset, but later when he uncovers the Inspector's real identity and the truth about Eva Smith it seems like everything he started to discover he has just forgotten because the inspector wasn't a real Inspector.
"Even then, that may have been all nonsense"
He stared to change from being Gerald who agrees with Mr and Mrs Birling to someone who has his own opinions, but he changed back again, he sees it as now the circumstances have changed, things can now go back to normal. The Inspector thought Gerald changed but he was wrong. He thought he had had an impact on Gerald, he did for a while, but it got ruined in the probing of the identity of the Inspector.
Eric reacted very similarly to his sister, He is "brooding desperately" he seems more outraged that distressed. He argues with his father and is in disbelief as his father rants about knighthood and Honour's list,
"Oh-for God's sake! What does it matter now whether they give you a knighthood or not?"
He seems in shock but alike Shelia he realizes that they were lucky that it didn't horribly end, but it might have done, he is in deep regret, but accepts the responsibilities that he holds for other people, he seems to have advanced away from his parents, this is what the Inspector has done, and he wasn't even a real police Inspector.
Mrs. Birling "has collapsed into a chair" she firstly shifts the blame to her son, like she did before; she is entertained by this fiasco, after she discovers the real character of the Inspector and of Eva Smith.
"In the morning they'll be as amused as we are"
She reacts very correspondingly to her husband. She is quite quiet after the Inspector has left, which suggests she is still shocked, probably at the fact that someone in a lower class to her and just tricked her whole family into giving him information, changed her two children and just found out that this man whose intelligence has out beaten hers, when she is so high in social rank. The Inspector's impact on Mrs. Birling is quite small, as she has not changed in the slightest; she remains the same judgemental, materialistic, prejudice and arrogant person.
The Inspector's final speech is enormously powerful; it is almost a political lecture. It has a great impact as a final speech, as that will be remembered by the family, that is how they will remember the Inspector, and they will never forget his words. It has great impact on all the family, even though some will not change. None of them interrupt, or even try, they all just listen. Parts of the speech are directed at certain people, emotive language is directed at Sheila as this will get through to her most,
" You can't even say "I'm sorry Eva Smith""
The Inspector directs parts at Mr Birling so he can thoroughly understand them,
"Then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish"
As Mr Birling is scared of war, as it will do damage to his business the Inspector mentions it, to make Mr Birling remember the message.
He directs parts at Eric also to make him listen, as Eric knows he has made a terrible mistake, he knew Eva Smith and he feels most of the guilt,
"Well, Eva Smith's gone. You can't do her any more harm. And you can't do her any good now, either"
Eric fells he needs to make it up to her, but the inspector tells him he can't, but if he changes he can help other "Eva Smiths and John Smiths"
Mrs Birling "collapsed into a chair" so the speech must have had some affect on her. The Inspector, I believe doesn't direct any part of the speech to her, she needs to listen to the whole thing and learn, but she doesn't. The Inspector dislikes her the most and only one part of the speech wouldn't change her; the whole thing didn't. I think the Inspector directed his speech more at Sheila and Eric, as he knew they had a chance of changing, as they are "more impressionable" than the parents as they are stuck in their ways, and will never change.
The Inspector's final speech is straight from J. B Priestley; it is a socialist speech and sums up the whole message of the play. The message to the audience that they should accept their responsibilities for other fellow human beings, equality for everyone, with equal opportunities and the helping, caring, sharing attitude that we all need to make a better world. The audience will listen to this especially as they have just seen two world wars, it will make them think about if the capitalist values and attitudes made the tragedy happen, the death of Eva Smith, world wars and any other unhappiness caused by people in the world. The message is still strong to this day, but it will have had more of an impact of that society. It will make them all think about themselves; that is what J. B Priestley wanted to happen.
" We' don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other"
This is what the characters in the play will take away from their experience; this is also what the audience will take away with them. Priestley created a controlling Inspector to convey his views. With a weak Inspector these views would not express his opinions successfully.
I feel I have answered the question to the best of my ability, I have discussed the Inspector's control in acts one and two, the use of dramatic irony in the play and how Priestley used the Inspector to air his views on society in 1912.
I thoroughly agree with the theatre critic's comment, I do believe that the Inspector directs and narrates the play.