An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls.

An Inspector calls was written during the year of 1945 by a man named J.B Priestley. An Inspector calls was written for the purpose of entertainment of its audience but also to put across Priestley’s valid points and views towards the welfare estate. Priestley was a socialist: someone who believes that product and distribution is controlled by people according to equity and fairness. Priestley uses his play to try and show people that community in 1912 was non-existent and that the world needs to change rather than return to the egotistical society that existed in pre war England.

In this play Priestley gets across his message towards his intended audience to help change our political views. Priestley showed us how many people had no care for people of a lower and different stature in comparison to them. Inspector: Two hours ago a young woman died in the local infirmary. She’d been taken there this morning because she swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside of course. .Mr.Birling: (Rather impatiently) Yes, Yes. Horrid Business. But I don’t understand why you should come here inspector.

He uses the Birling family as an example of the Capitalistic family that was common amongst the higher classes in 1912 who had no cares for other people and he shows that with the power of Socialism, represented by the inspector, the uneasy deceptive appearance put on by the Birling family to cover up their real flaws and how they have treated those whom they consider to be lower class. The pronunciation of death did not affect Mr.Birling; he had no concern about the welfare of this young woman he was more anxious to hear about his business within this situation. This give me an idea about the type of capitalism that took place between the different societies also how people of a higher class had no regards towards others around them. This makes the audience feel spiteful towards Mr.Birling because he has been classed as a ‘’family man’’ but still has no care for any other but himself. He has not shows repentance towards the death of a young woman.

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Mr.Birling had a high status within his community and by using his authority he attempts to intimidate the inspector by showing power and naming an influential person within his stature. Mr.Birling: How do you get on with our Chief Constable Colonel Roberts?

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Inspector: I don’t see much of him. Mr.Birling: I ought to warn you, that he is a old friend of mine, and that I see him frequently. We play golf together sometimes up at west Brumley. Inspector: (dryly) I don’t play golf. Mr. Birling, taking advantage of his social status is trying to mount pressure on the Inspector by informing him he is a man of importance who is in contact with many influential people. Knowing the facts that the inspector has been presented with by Mr.Birling, it seems to have no affect on Inspector Goole neither does it create and fear towards him. Inspector Goole does not seem perturbed as he replies ‘’dryly’’ towards Mr. Birling’s attempted intimidation.

Eric and Sheila's positive response to the Inspector's message, compared to Mr and Mrs Birling's negative response, is also greatly symbolic. Priestley uses this generation divide to show that the younger generation symbolise hope for the future. The fact that they are remorseful of what they have done suggests that they will make a conscious effort to improve human relationships. Unlike their parents, who are only interested in wealth and material items, Priestley shows that the younger generation will make an effort to perform their duties towards their fellow citizens

As many other factors to be considered In this play timing is also crucial.

Birling: A man has to make his own way- has to look after himself- and his family too, of course, when he has one and so long that he does that he wont come to much harm.

Eric: Somebody at the front door. At this very moment Inspector Goole arrives at the front door interrupting the Birling’s during their celebrations. He came at this instant as if he knew what was happening within the household, and what they were talking about. It was as if he came to uncover all the lies that this family was based upon and how other relationships that were about to blossom were being built upon undiscovered lies.

When Gerald confess to Sheila what had happened between him and Eva Smith, the Inspector comes right in after they had finished arguing and he already knew what Gerald was going to confess to, just he was waiting for Gerald to give him a chance. At the end of the play the Birlings had just decided that there was nothing wrong because the Inspector was not real; and then immediately the telephone rang to let the Birlings know that another Inspector was on his way to teach the Birlings their lesson again.
Climaxes are used at the end of every act to help build tension and give the audience time to reflect on what has just happened, so that they have time to make connections between what has been said in the play and to make sense of Priestley's message.

Stage directions and lighting also have a great impact on the type of atmosphere that is created. The lighting was pink and intimate until the inspector arrived, this is when the lighting dramatically changed and became brighter and harder. The reason for the lighting being pink was because of the relationships that were evolving and blooming within the room. The pink created a calm and peaceful atmosphere. The connotations for Pink are peaceful and innocence, this shows us that no one is yet aware of the ordeal that has taken place because they do not yet know that outcome for their actions.

Priestley uses dramatic irony in his dialogue to ridicule Mr Birling with his speeches about the titanic as "unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.", and how "there isn't a chance of war" although the audience know with recollection of the past that the titanic had sunk on its voyage, and that there had been two world wars and now they were emerging into the cold war. These show that the opinions of Mr Birling, a symbol of Capitalism, are based on nothing more than fantasies of how life could be, although this never happens because people are ready to accept that everyone in this world is the same, no matter where they come from and that until we work this out, the world will never develop far enough to stop the wars.

Priestley presents the Inspector as a man of great moral integrity so that the audience can identify with him and respect his views (people who are also socialists) He uses Arthur Birling as a voice for capitalism, who is ridiculed by the Inspector, a representative of socialism. The dialogue between them shows this, as the Inspector repeatedly twists what Birling says, showing that he is the voice of truth. For example,
Inspector: I'm sorry. But you asked me a question.
Birling : And you asked me a question before that, a quite unnecessary question too. Inspector: It's my duty to ask questions"

A meaningful message is held within An Inspector Calls, as well as being a murder mystery, in the way that Preistley uncovers the death of Eva Smith, it is also a moralistic play. Preistley shows the audience how not to live their lives, using dramatic devices to demonstrate this. He makes the audience contemplate over the fact that they are actually "members of one body" and that they are all "responsible for one another" and has made them realise that socialism is the way forward instead of capitalism. In this way, An Inspector Calls is extremely relevant in today's society where people still need to work together and help others around them who are in need. J.B.Priestley effectively uses many dramatic devices in An Inspector Calls, such as symbolism and timings. He applies them in order to portray his political views, using an upper class, Edwardian family and a lower class woman to do so.