All these factors build up the tension, which in turn has a greater impact on the family and audience because the ‘the higher you are the further you have to fall’.
Mr Birling’s speech about his idea of life, his morals and attitudes is a significant dramatic device as he gives the audience a clear view of the class division at the time the play was set and creates the image that he is a very ‘portentous’ man.
When the doorbell interrupted Birling’s speech at a critical moment because it was as if no more of Birling’s nonsense could be taken and that he needed to stop and be taught a lesson.
The doorbell is a meaningful dramatic device because of its sharp unexpected penetrating noise, and because it marks the entrance of the Inspector, who is going to have a influential and essential impact on The Birling family.
To heighten the impact of the Inspectors entrance the lighting changes. This has a huge effect on the audience, because it would create a sense of surprise and because the pink that was prior to the change created false warmth, and homely scene, but the lights change. The lights become brighter, more intense and harder as if shining the light of truth on the family. This change signifies a change in atmosphere, which leaves the audience in anticipation of what will happen next.
Priestley has given very specific stage directions for the Inspector, if these directions were not followed to their full then the impact of the character would be quite insignificant.
The Inspector need not be a physically strong man to carry the character, but he has to have a commanding presence over the family, the family’s attitudes to the Inspector will in turn affect the audience because the dramatic mood starts to change. The Inspector should give the impression of purposefulness and that he has little tolerance. When the Inspector talks it is directed for him to speak ‘carefully, weightily’ this would mean he speaks slowly, careful to enunciate and articulate all his consonants. The Inspector’s habit of staring at you before he speaks to you would be very disconcerting creating the effect that his penetrating glare sees inside your head, leaving the family feeling uncomfortable and insecure.
Birling’s first reaction to the arrival of the Inspector is to try and impress him.
BIRLING: …I was an alderman for years- and Lord Mayor two years ago
Birling’s attempt to make a good impression on the Inspector is in vain, the Inspector is not impressed, in fact he creates the appearance of contempt towards Birling. This dislike is fuelled by Birling’s actions towards his workers and his ignorance to the lower classes.
The main stage directions for the Inspector are in the tone of his voice.
INSPECTOR: (gravely)
Giving the audience the sense of the Inspector’s earnestness and patience.
The Inspector often answers the questions the Birlings’ put to him in one word answers, because there is no need for them to ask him questions and no need to elaborate on the answers. This makes the Birlings apprehensive of him, because he is catching them off guard. He went there to inspect them, not for them inspect him.
Whenever the Inspector talks about Eva Smith, he never hesitated to describe her pain and distress.
INSPECTOR (Impressively) : …This afternoon a young woman drank some disinfectant and died, after several hours of agony, tonight in the Infirmary…
He says this ‘impressively’ to make an impression and to make the Birling’s feel guilty. He also builds up a picture of desolation that Eva’s life had become by using many language techniques. He used repetition, which is a form of persuasion and emotive language like ‘desperate’ he was trying to persuade the family that they should feel guilty for the state they caused this girl to spend her final days of living in.
INSPECTOR: …..no work, no money coming in, and living in lodgings, with no relatives to help her, few friends, lonely, half-starved, she was feeling desperate.
The Inspector wants the Birlings’ to feel guilty, as he hopes it is a feeling that they will never be able to escape from. In doing so he would change their opinions of the lower classes, change their ideas about society and community values. This is mainly because of Birling’s implications and view that the lower classes were beneath him in every way presents to the audience that Birling is hypocritical as well as narrow-minded. In fact Eva Smith, the young woman that the Inspector is enquiring about, turns out to have higher moral values than the Birling’s.
ERIC: ….She went to you to protect me…..
This creates the impression that Eva Smith is caring and has considered Eric’s position and if it were to get out it would cause great social embarrassment it would cause him, her and his family. She also show a high moral standing when she refuses to take any more of Eric’s stolen money.
Mrs Birling: ..that gave her the idea that it wasn’t his money..
….He had given her money but she had refused to take any more…
There are many messages conveyed in this play. The main message comes with the lesson that the Inspector tries to teach the Birlings’. He tries to do this by bringing them knowledge so they are able to amend their views.
INSPECTOR (taking charge, masterfully): Stop!
They are suddenly quiet, staring at him
…..This girl killed herself and died a horrible death. But each of you helped kill her. Remember that. Never forget it. (He looks from one to the other of them carefully.) But then I don’t think you will…..
From this you see the Inspector’s commanding presence this is shown by the stage direction, he says stop masterfully, like a headmaster and all the children (the Birlings’) turn an look at him and are immediately quiet, he orders them never to forget what they had learnt that night. Then he looks at them slowly as if checking that each one of them knows their crime and their punishment, living with their guilt. The directions for the Inspector to stare at each character is a fantastic dramatic device, showing his power over them all, the silence while he looks from one to the other gives time for them and the audience to reflect on what they have heard.
By putting their new found knowledge into practice and learning from their terrible mistake in their treatment of Eva Smith, which caused her death the Birlings would learn the message that small actions can have big consequences.
Another message that the Inspector brings is that everyone is equal, because we have co-inhabitants that live on the earth, the human race is one body and we all have as much right to be alive as every one else. The message is emphasised by its structure of short sentence and the repetition of the word ‘we’.
INSPECTOR: …We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.
The Inspector also gives a for-warning of the First World War, implying that it broke out because they did not have a sense of community and fellow men had not learnt the lesson that ‘We are all members of one body’. War was their punishment.
INSPECTOR: …And I tell you that the time will come soon when, if men will not learn that lesson, they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.
One of the final messages in the play is that if people don’t look after their workers, the lower classes then this may result in mutiny and political back fire.
INSPECTOR: One Eva Smith has gone- but millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths are still left with us
This is linked with Birlings’s speech that ‘community was nonsense’ and with the idea that he thought the minors strikes were over, but they were not, the labour troubles that he put down to ‘wild talk’ were nothing of the sort. In fact a lot more unseen trouble was coming all because the ‘Smiths’ were not appreciated and were suppressed into submission.
The effect that the Inspector has on each character and their reactions they have to him are all very different.
Birling’s immediate reaction is to try and impress him. When he sees that he has not done that his attention turns to the thought of a scandal that would ruin his chance for a knighthood. Which would be one of his greatest fears and disappointments.
BIRLING: Look – there’s nothing mysterious – or scandalous – about this business – at least not so far as I’m concerned.
When he becomes worried that there is a big threat of a scandal he tries to impress the Inspector again by pulling rank by introducing the Inspector’s boss into the conversation as a form of intimidation, but to no effect.
BIRLING: Perhaps I ought to warn you that he’s an old friend of mine, and I see him fairly frequently.
The effect that the Inspector has on Sheila is one of the most dramatic. He affects her through his sense of presence, how he talks, his tone of voice his aura and his knowledge. Sheila is also very aware that the Inspector has a hold over them that makes them say what they are thinking.
SHEILA: ….Some how he makes you…
After Sheila has been ‘inspected’ and feels remorse for what she has done she realises that the Inspector knows how they are all connected to Eva Smith.
SHELIA: …he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet….
When Sheila realises that they cannot hide from the truth she starts to warn her mother and becomes a moral narrator.
SHEILA:… It means we’ve no excuse for putting on airs and that if we’ve any sense we won’t try…..And if you’re not telling the truth, why should the Inspector apologise? And can’t you see, both of you, you’re making it worse.
She can also see many of the points the Inspector brings. Like the point of cheap labour, women employed in factories because they are thought less of so are paid less money. Sheila sees this and is disgusted.
SHEILA: But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people.
The Inspector had the least effect on Gerald, out of the three younger characters, this because he sees the situation through a businessman’s eyes like Birling does. However the Inspector had a huge effect on Gerald and Sheila’s relationship. The Inspector bought honesty into their relationship, he may have caused their engagement to be over but this gives them a chance to get to know each other again. Honesty is very important to Sheila and she still feels for Gerald, which is why she accepts that he will be coming back and does not object to it.
SHEILA: ….You and I aren’t the same people that sat down to dinner here. We’d have to start all over again, getting to know each other-
Eric is a weak character, shy but is sympathetic and has a sense of justice, His weakness, and his parents still treating him like a child and not loving him have made him become dependent on drink.
ERIC goes for a whisky. His whole manner of handling the decanter and then the drink shows his familiarity with quick heavy drinking.
He accuses his parents of never really caring for him and not understanding him, that could be what has fuelled his rebellion and, money spending.
ERIC: You don’t understand anything. You never did. You never even tried- you-
When Eric was with Eva, he gives the impression that he was very childish and behaved more like a spoilt boy than a man. That is one of the reasons why she would not marry him, and because he did not love her.
ERIC: ….She did not want me to marry her. Said I did not love her- and all that. In a way, she treated me – as if I were a kid. Though I was nearly as old as she was.
This shows Eric’s ignorance because she probably knew that he was nearly as old as she was, but the way he did not act his age and was not mature enough to accept the responsibility of marriage and a child.
The Inspector seems to have the most effect on the younger characters in the play, Mrs Birling picks up on this
MRS BIRLNG: You seem to have made a great impression on this child, Inspector
INSPECTOR: (coolly) We often do on the young ones. They’re more impressionable.
The fact that the ‘younger ones’ are more impressionable is a good sign because it means that there is hope for the future, hope that the community will be brought together and people will be able to see each other for who they are, not where they come form.
The Inspector has helped Mrs Birling open her eyes to the world yet she still treated her children, who are now young adults as if they were young adolescents.
MRS BIRLING: …you’re not the type- you don’t get drunk-…..
The Inspector reveals to Mrs Birling what her son is really like, she does not believe and refuses to, then she eventually sees that he is right, but as soon as he as left she returns back to he old way of thinking. ‘You can not teach old dogs new tricks’ this links back to the younger ones being more impressionable, there is hope for the future but in he present, the older generation is set in their ways. This is true for Mr Birling he reverts back to his old ways of thinking, and becomes amused because he was so worried. Sheila sees what he is doing and becomes worried so repeats the message the Inspector brought ‘Fire and blood and anguish’ but to no avail.
‘MRS BIRLING: They’re over tired. In the morning they’ll be as amused as we are.
The Inspector also brings about the realisation that Sheila is a normal girl, and in no way different from the others. There is no reason for her to be wrapped in cotton wool, she is already aware that men have mistresses so there is no reason to be kept from hearing about her fiancée’s. This message is said harshly to have more impact and to quieten Mr Birling.
INSPECTOR (sharply): Your daughter isn’t on the moon. She’s here in Brumley too.
As the Inspector leaves all characters are stunned into silence.
He walks out leaving them staring, subdued and wondering. Sheila is still quietly crying. Mrs Birling has collapsed into a chair. Eric is brooding desperately. Birling the only active one, hears the front door slam, moves hesitantly towards the door, stops, looks gloomily at the other three, then pours himself out a drink, which he hastily swallows.
This gives the impression of them all being in a state of shock, shocked that they caused someone’s death. Shock that the other members of the family caused someone’s death. Shock that they do not know each other or themselves that well. Shock that this all happened in one night, the were so happy, now the are despairing because of their guilt. Shock that one man could cause them to have changed. After they have been ‘investigated’ they do not know what to do with themselves. They were now going to have to rethink their own meaning of life.
The Inspector adds a supernatural element to the play. The Inspector’s name is Inspector Goole, a ghoul is another name for a ghost. The Inspector must have unnerved the Birlings’ because it was clear that he knew a lot about them and he predicted the First World War which gives the sense that he could see into the future. Adding to the aspect of him being supernatural. When the Birlings start to think about the Inspector, the conversations they were having before he came, about that community was nonsense, and can not just be coincidental. Then Sheila realises that there was something different about him.
SHEILA: (slowly) It’s queer- very queer (she looks at them reflectively)
This slow realisation starts the audience to think about it too, all the uses of dramatic irony in the first scenes, the photo that the Inspector had shown every one, but only individually, was it the same photo?
When Gerald re-enters, he has had time to think over his questioning, his ‘inspection’ and notices how suspicious the Inspector was. He also brings up the dramatic device of the photo, how the Inspector had only let them see it one at a time.
GERALD: We’ve no proof it was the same photograph and no proof it was the same girl. Now take it from me I never saw a photograph…..
No matter how they tried to not implicate themselves it still had happened though, the audience knows this and can see them returning back to their old ways. It may not have been the same girl or the same photograph but these minor actions can still have big consequences.
There is another build up of tension when Gerald is phoning the Infirmary. It is nervous tension, because they are waiting to hear if a girl had really died. This is a huge contrast to the relief they feel after Gerald has put down the telephone receiver.
GERALD: …No girl has died in there today. Nobody’s been brought in after drinking disinfectant.
The relaxed atmosphere emphasises and builds up for a new fear they will feel, bringing greater impact to the phone call.
The telephone rings sharply. There is a moment of complete silence
BIRLING: hat was the police. A girl has just died – on her way to the Infirmary- after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police inspector is on his way here- to ask some questions.
As they stare guiltily and dumbfounded the curtain falls
Tension is built up in the moment of silence and by the relaxed atmosphere of the family who went expecting any more trouble, increasing the impact the phone call had on the family, carrying the suspense all the way through right until the end of the play.
As the play draws to a conclusion the play leaves the audience feeling in a state of suspense and shock. Wondering and guessing what is going to happen. They may be thinking about, was the first Inspector preparing them for this? Was he trying to help them? Will they have to go through it all again? Have they learnt their lesson? What will the consequences be?
Each audience member would have interpreted the play differently and will have been
left with their own personal view and moral interpretation from the messages the
Inspector brought the Birlings. This is why ‘An Inspector Calls’ works well as a play.
