How do the characters, themes and dramatic devices of An Inspector Calls ensure that it still popular with a 21st century audience?

How do the characters, themes and dramatic devices of An Inspector

Calls ensure that it still popular with a 21st century audience?

The play An Inspector Calls was written by a man called John Boynton Priestley, I will be trying to answer the question: How do the characters, themes and dramatic devices of An Inspector Calls ensure that it still popular with a 21st century audience? John Boynton Priestley who was born in Bradford, Yorkshire on 13 September 1894 over a century ago. It was first performed in 1945. The play was set in 1912 before the war; it centres around the wealthy Birling family. A visit from the mysterious Inspector Goole proves to be a horrifying experience for the Birling’s as they learn that they have all played a part in the suicide of a young girl called Eva Smith .The conditions in England at that time were disgraceful. There was a large divide between the rich people and the poor, there were unsatisfactory working conditions for the poor also there was no welfare state e.g. the nation health service was a shambles and there was no benefit for the people who couldn’t find work for one reason are the other. There was some support for single mothers but if one of the people running it didn’t like some thing about you then you wouldn’t get any money, we know this because in the play when Eva Smith goes for help to the place there ms Birlings works and because Eva Smith says some thing that she didn’t like so she didn’t get any money to support the baby. There was a feeling by the rich that nothing could go wrong for them and every think was going to get better. I think that John Boynton Priestley wanted to show all the rich and wealthy society that every thing wasn’t going to be alright, that there were changes to come.

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At first you have no suspicions of the Inspector, but as the play gradually moves on it slowly1 dawns on you that the Inspector might be an impostor. I think that Inspector represents truth and is not a real person at all but just a representative of justice. I think that this is a very plausible idea and probably Priestley’s own thought. I think that the Inspector gives it away when he gets far too emotional and worked up about things. A real police inspector would not get so involved. Here is an piece from the play, at the end of Act 2 where the Inspector gets too involved: Inspector: "(very sternly) Her position now is that she lies with a burnt-out inside on a slab. (As Birling tries to protest, turns on him.) Don't stammer and yammer at me again, man. I'm losing all patience with you people. What did he say? Here the Inspector gets to emotional about such a small thing. I also think that a real police inspector would treat Birling with more respect. Another reasonable explanation would be that the "Inspector" actually phoned them up and pretended to be the police. I think that a real Inspector would leave far more formally rather than just storming out: Inspector: But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone-but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.

John Boynton Priestley makes Mr Birling look arrogant and foolish using dramatic irony in the play Mr Birling say’s many things some examples being ‘the titanic – she sails in a week’ ‘and every luxury – and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’. Every one in the audience knows that the titanic sinks so it makes him look stupid. Another example is there he says ‘there’ll be peace and prosperity’. The audience also know that Mr Birling is incorrect again. After the inspector Goole has gone Mr Birling say that it doesn’t matter he wasn’t a real inspector, we will all laugh in the morning. Sheila has a different opinion she says to her farther, ‘so nothing really happened. So there’s nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn. We can all go on behaving just as we did’. I think that they have different views because the age difference Mr Birling is old and stubborn and Sheila is young and thinks about the bigger picture.

My conclusion is that this play will still be very popular in the future because there are issue in the play that are still happening now and also the ‘whodunit’ is very popular but the last thing I am going to say is that it is a great play and that the twist at the end makes you want to see again, it gets your brain working.