Mrs Birling’s reluctance to accept change and responsibility can be seen as analogy for the defects of the capitalist system as a whole. Mrs Birling does not want change that will aversely affect her life, in the same way that the Capitalist system is not designed to help those that are poor. J.B Priestley wanted to show the shortcomings of such as system. He favoured a left- wing approach towards dealing with society’s poor, and used ‘An Inspector Calls’ as an allegory for this.
The way in which Inspector Goole also responds differently to different characters in an attempt to control the situation can be interpreted as an analogy. The Inspector seems unimpressed by both Mr Birling and Mrs Birling and is gradually reduced to anger when dealing with these characters. This is especially evident during the dramatic speech when he announces “You’re offering money at the wrong time. Mr Birling”. The stern tone he resorts to is the only way in which he is able to communicate his message to the unreasonable Birlings. In the same way J.B Priestley was angered by what he saw as a decadent society that utilised an oppressive economic system to exploit the poor.
Another way that the Inspector’s role can be determined is by looking at his intentions in visiting the Birling family. Initially it could be considered that the Inspector is there simply to cause the Birlings to repent for the consequence of their actions relating to the death of Eva Smith. This however is a simplistic view, instead there are “millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths”, and the Birlings should not just feel sorry for one incident, rather they should consider their whole outlook on life is wrong. The Inspector is there to demonstrate that the death of Eva Smith was not an isolated incident; everyday situations like that happen as a result of the Edwardian society that oppresses the poor.
This era was characterised by the great divide between rich and poor. The inequalities of the time were highlighted by the First World War, where slowly society began to realise the need for change. The Inspector also warns that unless such a change occurs, “they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” The use of dramatic hyperbole is unlike anything a normal Inspector would likely say and hence it is more remarkable. The audience knows of the meaning behind this message, which makes it all the more ominous and further suggests that the play is an allegory. The First World War occurred two years after the year this play was set in, and the Second World War had only just ended when the play was first performed, so conflict and the reasons as to why it occurs would be fresh in the minds of the audience.
The characters heed the Inspectors advice to varying degrees. Initially it seems that even Mr Birling will change his ways when he offers to “give thousands – yes, thousands” of pounds to the poor. The younger generation, particularly Sheila, appear to realise the error of their ways also. This is evident in the way in which they accept responsibility, for example Sheila claims “I had her turned out of a job. I started it”. However when the Inspector leaves and is discovered not to have been an actual member of the police force Mr and Mrs Birling forget all the Inspector has taught them. In this respect, the Inspector failed in his quest to change the Birlings, for it is only the younger generation, and to an extent Gerald, that seem eager to alter how they view lower classes. The rejection of change by Mr and Mrs Birling mirrors the general trend in real life of how conservative values are generally held by older people, and it is the youth that seek change. This is another example of the play as an allegory, much like The Somonyng of Everyman, a morality play from the late 15th century.
The actual identity of the Inspector is open to interpretation, and there are several possible explanations. Firstly, it is possible that the Inspector is actually God. The Inspector appears to be omniscient; he knows answers to questions much in the same way God knows all. Another possible explanation is that the Inspector is a sort of ghostly apparition that seeks to change the Birlings or achieve some sort of revenge. The name ‘Goole’ is a play on the word ‘Ghoul’. As well as that it could be considered that ‘Inspector’ is a reference to a ‘spectre’. By interpreting the Inspector as a ghost, this raises similarities to the famous Dickens novel A Christmas Carol.
An alternative to this is the possibility that the Inspector is actually a manifestation of a social Conscience. The Inspector attempts to teach the Birlings the importance of social integration and this could be because the Inspector is the voice of a social conscience in human form. Alternatively, the Inspector could actually be Priestley himself. Priestley was a Socialist, and many of the Inspectors ideals are left wing and socialist in nature, such as his firm belief in the need for a change in the socio-economic conditions of the poor. Mr Birling even calls him a “socialist crank”, a derogatory term.
In conclusion, the Inspector severs two roles; firstly he tries to teach the Birling family the importance of social responsibility and secondly he warns of the dire consequences if they do not change during a time in which social constraints were extremely high. The socialist values presented in the text are in accordance to J.B Priestley’s own beliefs and thus the Inspector could be considered to be Priestley himself or a manifestation of social conscience.
