Inspector Calls

In a theatrical sense J.B Priestly uses the Inspector as a dramatic device. He does this by giving the Inspector the power to control the action on the stage, through movement or speech. Eric asks for a drink before being interviewed and Birling says no, however the Inspector over rules his decision. ‘Could I have a drink first?’ Birling: ‘no’ Inspector ‘yes’. This shows how the Inspector has the power and can control what goes on by over ruling Mr Birling. The snappy “yes” shows the inspector is quick to make the decisions and control the household. The Inspector uses powerful speeches to involve both the actors and the audience. ‘But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone, but there are 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’ This speech is so powerful that it makes both the audience and the actors to think deeply about the actions they do every day and how these actions affect everyone around us. “In fire, blood and anguish” is a resemblance of heel and he is saying if people do not learn then they will in hell. ‘We are members of one body’ This quote shows that everyone must look after one and other, and think about what they are about to do as we are all alike. We are all members of God is the message. The “we” refers to the family, who were all involved in Eva’s death.

J.B Priestly is clever in the way that he is able to create mystery about who or what the inspector is. The Inspector knows so much about the family without ever meeting them. Gerald ‘There isn’t any such inspector’. When Gerald comes back to report that there is no such inspector who goes by the name Inspector Goole it creates mystery behind who he is and how he knew all the information he did. After the family expresses their relief, a call from the police shocks them and creates even more mystery. A police Inspector reports ‘that was the police- a girl has just died-on her way to the infirmary – after swallowing some disinfectant.’ This is a huge twist and questions everyone’s mind into how the inspector was able to predict the future, is he a time traveller or alien? A play needs to have moments of tension and intrigue to be successful and ‘The Inspector calls’ has many moments of this. The stage directions are able to convey tension and intrigue. ‘the telephone rings sharply. There is a moment of complete silence. BIRLING goes to answer it’ The stage directions are able to make to stage go silent due to a sudden and interrupting ring on the phone, and as the audience sit and wait to find out what is going on tension is created.

The inspector is used as a structural device on the symbolic level as a vehicle for Priestley’s moral message. He does this by encouraging the audience to learn from the mistakes of the past. After the inspector makes the family feel guilty, Sheila explains that they all made mistakes that cost Eva Smith dearly. ‘That’s what’s more important not whether a man is a policeman or not.’ This shows that if you do not except responsibility for you actions then you will not be able to learn from your mistakes.

Priestley also encourages the audience to be aware that capitalism can be destructive an has many victims. ‘Eva smith was one of them, she had a lot to say – far to much to say, she had to go’ this is a quote from Birling as for his reason for firing Eva. She asked for a bit more pay and in return she was fired as she stood in the path of Birling’s pursuit of richness and power. His decision had a huge impact on Eva Smiths life, and it really shot her down. The message Priestley puts across here is that capitalism can be wreck less and ruin peoples’ lives. The main message Priestley conveys is that we must be aware that our lives are all linked and our paths will cross one day and that our behaviour effects one and another. The inspector’s final speech explains this to the audience in a bold and emotional way. ‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’ The inspector explains here that every action we make can affect someone’s life in many ways and our paths will cross one day. “we” refers to the audience and actors so they are involved in what the inspector says as well. When the inspector says “we are responsible fr each other” he is saying that if we do something that affects someone in small, but bad way then we have to take full responsibility.

Priestley used the inspector to convey his message. The Inspector does well in displaying this message to both the audience and characters. The inspector is able to send out this message by revealing that the Birling family all have something to do with the death of Eva Smith. The family members are all reintroduced to their individual meeting with Eva and how they all caused her pain. Mr Birling still refuses to take responsibility for his actions due to capitalism. This shows that capitalism can be crippling and can turn people into greedy selfish people.         This is part of Priestley’s message. However other members of the family except responsibility to an extent, but they do realise that they are not fully responsible for Eva’s death and that they all took part in a sequence of events that caused Eva to end her life. Eric says “ she’s dead now, and we all helped to kill her” The way in which he says this shows us that he feels sorrowful and annoyed. He has accepted responsibility for the part he played and he regrets what he has done. As a member of the audience, from reading the play it has opened me up to the idea that our lives could all possibly be linked in everything we do, and how that can affect someone in many ways. It has also made me think about what I am about to do before I do it. It has also made me realise that if we all work together we can make society a better and nicer place. It’s the simple things that make the big changes. This is what Priestley intended the book to do to the audience, therefore he had succeeded in conveying the message.

J.B Priestley was able to convey an important message through the use of the inspector. He used the inspector as a structural device in two ways, theatrical and realistic. By doing this it made the play interesting and made it so the audience would take in his message and think about it. He also used dramatic devices such as stage directions to help enforce our ideas about the inspector. The Inspector is a bold and powerful man and Priestley is able to get his moral message across because of this. The final speech made by the inspector is strong and emotional and this is how the message is put across well. Priestley is still able to put his message across today. His play has been made to work in three different time periods; 1912, 1945 and the present day.

The play “An Inspector Calls” has been made to work in three time periods; 1912 1945 and to the present day. 1912 was when it was set, this was when capitalism was big and the world was advancing. There was a huge social divide and Priestley’s message tells us to think about what we do and how our actions affect each other. Things have changed since 1912, however capitalism drives the modern economy, which is fuelled by greedy businessmen. There is still a social divide however people try not to see it, as they feel better off without it. The play is able to get Priestley’s message across in all the time periods because of this. The play is used as the voice of Priestley’s message.