'An Inspector Calls' Consider the role of the inspector and the effect he has on the other characters up to the moment he leaves.

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 ‘An Inspector Calls’

Consider the role of the inspector and the effect he has on the other characters up to the moment he leaves.

   The play begins with a family, the Birlings, seated in a room filled with expensive luxurious furniture and yet it does not seem cosy or homelike,

     ‘The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike…’

From the onset of the play we are given a glimpse of the reality of the Birling family and there is a clear contrast in appearance as they own expensive furniture and yet it is not homelike or cosy. This can be linked to the effect that the Inspector has upon the other characters. He takes the superficial respectability of the Birlings and exposes the reality to show that there is no love between them.

    When the curtain opens the family are seated round a table and there is an atmosphere of smugness and self-satisfaction. Sheila is also filled with excitement. This empahsises the atmosphere of happiness and satisfaction. However the Inspector ruins this atmosphere and his role is to destroy the smugness as this happiness is obviously not genuine. Mr. and Mrs. Birling seem like unpleasant characters and the Inspector unleashes the inner most thoughts of these characters and exposes the reality under the veneer of respectability. The opening of this play is important as it shows the Birlings before they are exposed and shows how appearances are not always a true representation of a character. This introduction of the characters explains the general impression of the Birlings and their upper class respectability. During Act 1 we encounter the happiest moment in the play as Gerald proposes to Sheila,

         ‘I’ll never let it go out of my sight for an instant.’

This is an ironic comment as Sheila later returns the ring to Gerald and this is a direct consequence of the Inspector’s visit and questioning. The Inspector has a massive impact on Shelia’s life as he drives an emotional wedge between her and Gerald. Also during Act 1 Arthur Birling delivers a long speech about the world developing. The play was set in 1912 and attitudes were very complacent. Arthur Birling was over confident; always thought things were going well,

     ‘…And I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible…Why a friend of mine went over this mew liner last week – the Titanic – she sails next week….and every luxury- and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable…’

This speech by Mr. Birling is a speech of utter complacency and J.B Priestley is using him as a spokesperson for attitudes of the period. Birling also mentions 1940 during his speech. Priestley uses this year because this was a time were Britain was on the verge of defeat because they were alone at war with Germany. The audience would realise and appreciate the irony of Birling’s reference to 1940 because the first performance of this play was in 1946. Another ironic point in this speech is when Birling mentions the Titanic and boasts that is unsinkable; he is completely wrong about this remark and many others. The Titanic can also be a symbol of the Birlings because on the surface it was luxurious and unsinkable and on the surface the Birlings look unsinkable and are content with life. However when the Titanic met the iceberg, it sank. The Birlings’ iceberg would be Eva Smith and the Inspector. This clearly shows his blind faith in the future and his complacency in his family. This is an early glimpse of how wrong Mr. Birling can be.
  Just prior to the Inspector’s dramatic arrival Birling relays another of his philosophies,

     ‘…a man has to make his own way-has to look after himself – and his family of course, when he has one…’

Here Birling is speaking for the whole social attitude of the time in which the play is set. He is also a spokesman for the wealthy class, the people who were arrogant and believed they should not have to take responsibility for others. At this point in the play the Inspector makes a dramatic entrance with a ring of the door bell.
   It is significant that the Inspector’s ring is described as sharp because it changes the whole attitude of the gathering .However the Inspector does have a much more dramatic role and effect on the other characters throughout the play. He bears bad news that a young woman has died in the infirmary. Eric reacts quite suddenly and involuntarily responds with a genuine expression of upset,

    ‘My God! ’

This shows that from the beginning Eric has some good in him. This is a clear contrast with Birling’s attitude,

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     ‘But I don’t understand why you should come here, Inspector...’

Here there is a clear difference between father and son. Eric has some genuine concern inside him for his fellow man but Birling sticks to his philosophy and only cares about himself. The Inspector follows this with a curious reaction and shows a picture, but only to Arthur Birling. No one else is allowed to see this.

    The Inspector questions Mr. Birling and reveals that he had previously sacked Eva Smith. Birlings philosophy now rebounds upon him. The Inspector refers to a chain of ...

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