What dramatic methods does JB Priestley use in 'An Inspector Calls'?

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What dramatic methods does JB Priestley use in ‘An Inspector Calls’?

John Boynton Priestley was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1894. He served in the army during World War One and narrowly escaped death at least once. This had a big influence on his writing. After this, he became a playwright. A theme that occurs frequently in his plays including ‘An Inspector Calls’ is the effects of an individual’s actions on the whole of society, and what would happen in the future.

‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play that can be put in the genre of a detective dramatic thriller. It tells the story of the Birlings (a prosperous family in the early parts of the 20th century). They are celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft (son of a wealthy business owner) when a police Inspector calls to investigate the suicide of a young working class woman. One by one, every member of the family is interrogated until they reveal their part in her death.

Priestley deliberately set the play in 1912, a time that the audience don’t want to remember or ever wish to happen again. Eight million people lived on less than twenty five shillings a week which left many unclothed and unfed. Working conditions were terrible and there were no trade unions to defend workers’ rights. There was a distinct class system; the upper class seemed to own and rule Britain while the working class had to pay for it. The audience watching the play in 1945 have lived through war and this has shattered many of the class barriers. There were more social services and people weren’t expected to go without any help. Society was moving forward and the bitter past shamed and embarrassed them.

When the Inspector comes in he manages to get the characters to reveal their dealings with Eva Smith. The audience finds out that Mr Birling sacked her from her job because she wanted more pay and Sheila used her father’s name to have Eva sacked from her next job because she was jealous of her. Gerald had found her at the bar of the theatre, known to him as Daisy Renton and had an affair with her over the summer only to dump her when it suited him.

Priestly makes the Inspector seem almost omniscient, nothing surprises him and it’s as if he always knows what’s coming. ‘He wasn't a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.’ He answers “I knew already” when Gerald admits that he had known Daisy Renton. He asks questions not because he doesn’t know the answers but so that everyone else can hear the truth.

When he wants to get someone to admit something or to tell the truth, he is calm and collected. He isn’t sidetrack, he questions and questions until he gets the answer he’s looking for.  The Inspector also shocks the other characters into telling the truth. When Sheila walks into the room and the first thing the Inspector does is inform her of the death “This afternoon a young woman drank some disinfectant, and died, after several hours of agony.” It’s an awful way to introduce himself and Sheila is appalled “Oh – how horrible! Was it an accident?” she asks so that the story doesn’t seem quite so terrible. Instead of finding some way to relieve her distress he states without any feeling “No. She wanted to end her life. She felt she could go on longer.” This is not what Sheila wants to hear and she is left incredibly troubled.

He is rather rude to the family and won’t take any nonsense. When Mr Birling threatens to report him to the Chief Constable he doesn’t seem to notice and shrugs it off, he isn’t bothered or intimidated by people in higher positions than himself and will speak his mind no matter what.  The audience is left in awe of him and can’t figure him out.

Mr Birling likes to be the man of the house and wants to be in control, or at least wants to be perceived that way. He is very proud of his business and takes every chance to remind everyone that his accomplishments. He thinks of himself as a “hard-headed business man” as he repeats over and over again.

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Mr Birling is concerned only with getting his knighthood, making his company bigger and making as much profits as he can. He congratulates Sheila and Eric on their engagement and says that he’s “delighted”. But he seems more delighted about the fact that there’s a chance his company might merge with Gerald’s father’s bigger one rather than the prospect that his daughter has found happiness. He wants a knighthood so that he can be more respected by Gerald’s family and others whoa re higher class than him. He really doesn’t want the indignity of what happened to leak out ...

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