Another useful technique he uses to maintain the readers interested is suspense he has used this technique throughout the whole of the play and has used it very effectively. An example of him using this technique is when Sheila is enjoying her life; happy and is going well (Also the fact that she was young; attractive and engaged to Gerald).
However when the inspector Goole character came into he plot and starts questioning people of the tragic death of a girl named Eva Smith. Sheila’s happiness is abolished into pieces. First of all she is shocked by hearing that she has died and especially shocked about her parent’s involvement with the death of Eva Smith. The suspense is still being created until Sheila realises that Gerald also has a say in this too. As the inspector questions people he asked Gerald that ‘did you have an affair with Daisy Renton (Eva Smith) the previous summer’. After hearing this Sheila declares the relationship between her and Gerald over.
Mr Birling the father of Arthur Birling is a factory owner and his ambition is to make money ‘ Its my duty to keep the labour costs down’ Mr Birling refuses to take any responsibility for Eva Smiths death. When the inspector questions Mr Birling he starts to become annoyed. He tries all sorts of things to get the inspector to exit, Mr Birling addresses to the inspector that he is a good friend of the chief constable. ‘I ought to warn you that he’s an old friend of mine’. This shows us that Mr Birling has a strong relationship with the chief constable and could get the inspector into some trouble.
At this moment Priestly maintains the interest of the 1945 audience by making them wait to see if Mr Birling is going to report him to the chief constable. As the investigation continues, the characters speak less formally to each other before the inspector arrives to interview them about the death of Eva Smith. This shows that they are trying to get a quick word to each other so the statements are given are similar. This builds up suspense and keeps the audience interested to read on further to see what happens next. When the inspector does arrive the tense is finished of the first act.
Eric, at this moment thinks that he is innocent and has nothing to do with this investigation. Until the inspector says that after being sacked from Mill wards Eva Smith changed her name to Daisy Renton. Immediately Gerald’s guilt becomes obvious. This is shown by an outburst of shock from him exclaiming ‘what?’ This then leaves Sheila in his company, free to ask him questions.
Priestly uses a variety of techniques inside the plot of the play to keep the audience maintained into the play. One of the techniques used is omniscience. This is when the reader is in a position where they know what’s happened or going to happen. Priestly uses this technique by mentioning the reader in this position of omniscience. The readers already know about the sinking of the titanic even before this play was written. This is an example of an omniscience technique used by Priestly. He has used several more such as, the outbreak of the world war one and the emergence of Russia as a world power. The audience knows the consequence of the world war one. This puts the reader in suspense because they already know the result but would it be the same.
When the Birling family realise that the death of Eva Smith was because she commit suicide. The birling family also was told later, that they were going to be questioned by a police officer later about the death of Eva Smith. Priestly has still maintained the audience’s interest because the audience will begin to think that they just got questioned and who the other inspector guy. As the play continues we find out that he was a fake and he dug out all the secrets and the history behind the people of the high class. This made them feel foolish and stupid.
Social context is also used in this play in various places throughout the lay. Lady Crofts (Gerald’s mother) says that she isn’t happy about the engagement between Sheila and Gerald because Sheila is a girl of a lower class. Mr Birling also showed disrespect towards Eva Smith because he sacked her. The reason for why she was sacked was that she wasn’t rich and she was a girl from a lower class.
When everything is said and done, I think that in the play ‘an inspector calls’ the most significant act was act 2, this is because it has the best character interaction between Sheila and Gerald. All of gelds secrets were revealed. The inspector sparked off little questions and triggered huge things such as the money that got stolen from Mr Birlings office. People of lower class steal things and now people from high class are doing the same thing, showing no difference the two classes. Over all, throughout the whole of the play Priestly had maintained the interest of a 1945 audience by using character, plot, historical and social context techniques.
