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An Inspector Calls
Act is the act where all the characters express their views of their responsibility for the death of Eva Smith, which contains valuable information about their willingness to change and share their guilt. From this act I will explore the thoughts and feelings of the Birlings and Gerald to understand whether they should change and share their guilt; and the obstacles which prevents them from doing so.
This play was set in 11; when the gap between the poor and the rich was getting bigger and bigger. The poor people were urging the government to set up a welfare state and there were fears of a revolution like the one in Russia. The Birlings is the one of the many rich families who still thinks 'there will be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere". Their treatment towards Eva Smith describes how the upper-class was treating the lower-class at that time.
By the time when the play was written (144-5), Britain had already experienced the First and Second World Wars. Priestley used this chance combined with the play to convince the audiences that a welfare state is necessary and World War III can be prevented, through his themes of responsibility, conscience and pride.
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Inspector Goole is here to change the Birlings' opinions of the society around them and prevents them being taught it again in 'fire and blood and anguish." He combined the irresponsible actions of each character and makes them learn from their mistakes. However it is up to the characters to decide whether they should and willing to change.
In Act , the inspector leaves the stage and gives his finial warning, "One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us."
At this point, the characters are given the chance to make comments. Also the play had changed from a formal situation with the presence of inspector Goole into an informal family situation. This can be discovered in the change in the language. When the inspector was present everyone was giving out facts and perhaps a few opinion of the fact, Eric "About a fortnight afterwards." As soon as the inspector leaves, the speeches became opinions. Mrs. Birling "so - so rude - and assertive "
From these opinions of each character, we can see who is willing to change and who became 'nice' people again after the incident.
In this Act, Mr. and Mrs. Birling appear to be the most humiliated because they were tricked around by the inspector. At the family feast, Mr. Birling was in a joyful state, expressing his thoughts in front of the family. As the inspector enters he became serious "Birling (still angrily) Well if you don't mind ". Mrs. Birling was even more humiliated when she was blaming everything on a lower class young man and 'should be made an example of' who turned out to be her son.
Then as they discover that the whole thing was a hoax, their language sounded joyful again. "Birling (triumphantly) There you are!" The final phone call gave the elders a shock as well as added fun to the atmosphere. This effectively created dramatic irony at the end of the play, and the revealed the consequences of refusing to learn the lesson of responsibility. Also the audience knew that the whole thing might repeat itself and the two characters will have to be taught again in humiliation. J.B.Priestley and Inspector Goole used the theme of lies and its consequences here to counter-attack the older characters and make them convince their share of responsibility.
In this play, every member of the Birlings family and Gerald were involved with Eva Smith/Daisy Renton one way or another.
Mr. Birling turned her out of one job and Sheila had turned out of another. Gerald kept her for a time but left her. Then Eric picked her up and made her pregnant, she feels that Eric did not love her so she went to Mrs. Birling's charity for help. However Mrs. Birling considered her as an undeserving case and driven her to suicide.
Both Sheila and Eric have admitted their share of responsibility. Gerald, Mr. and Mrs. Birling still thinks that Eva Smith's suicide is none of their business; from the way they talked. "Birling (jovially) But the whole thing's different now".
Sheila is presented to the audience as a "half serious, half playful" girl. Her actions and attitudes at the beginning of the play seems completely normal. However, as the play develops throughout Act and , Sheila's thoughts had overtaken the other characters. She was the first character to understand the purpose of the inspector. This made her admit her share of responsibility of Eva's suicide. Also she had been completely honest with the inspector. "Sheila …At least, I'm trying to tell the truth…"
Sheila sees through the other characters' attempts trying to cover up the truth. "Birling The girl had been causing trouble in the works." Here, Mr. Birling is trying to prove that it was not his fault.
Although Sheila agrees with the inspector, she did try to communicate or warn the other characters that what they should and should not do. "Sheila (with sudden alarm) Mother stop stop!"
During the first two acts, Eric mainly acts as the character moving the story on. Although he did arouse some curiosities with his sudden guffaw and break off in mid-comment about women's opinions on clothes. These have been later revealed from Eric's involvement with Eva Smith.
Eric has a greater importance than Sheila; as the heir to the Birlings family. However, he seems hostile towards his parents, especially his father. He finds him unloving and unapproachable. "Because you're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble - thats why".
As soon as Eric discovered his mother's lack of charity towards Eva Smith in Act , he was on the verge of physically attacking her.
Eric "(nearly at breaking point) Then - you killed her." In his eyes, his mother is the 'murder' of his wife and child.
Eric's share of responsibility for Eva's suicide is very great, even Eric himself admitted the fact "Yes. That was the worst of all". He is supporting the Sheila and helping the inspector to teach the elders the lesson of responsibility. "Eric (almost threatening her) You don't understand anything. You never did. You never even tried you "
Mr. Birling believed himself as a 'hard-headed' businessman who has to take risks and know what he's about. "But in fact, he knows a little about the things that were going on in the wider world, and he deliberately makes the wrong assumptions about the impossibility of was and the unsinkable Titanic. These opinions might give the audience an immediate impression that Mr. Birling is in fact very unimaginative.
During the conversation with the inspector, it is plainly obvious that Mr. Birling's goal is not to save his son in his conversation with Inspector Goole, but it is the possibility that he finds his way to the knighthood is what upsets him far more than anything else. "I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List "
To him, a knighthood not only means an upgrade of his position, but also, the pride of the whole family including Sheila. Therefore, Gerald will not judge Sheila as 'a girl beneath him', and thus make the marriage and his future business more successful.
As the inspector leaves the stage, Mr. Birling begins to pretend that 'nothing has really happened at all". And using commands "either stop or get out" to worn Sheila and Eric to show that he does not care about why the inspector came. From this, it revealed that Mr. Birling do not feel guilty at all and do not care for what he did to a lower-class person like Eva Smith.
Mrs. Birling is the chairwoman of Brumley Women Association. She is extremely snobbish and very conscious of her social position. This can be seen by the way she judge how people was treating her. "Well, I must say his manner was quite extraordinary;"
Mrs. Birling often stereotyped the lower-class, in her eyes, they are almost a different species and are always associated with bad things. She tried to explain this opinion to inspector Goole and tried to hide the facts, but was greatly humiliated when the lower-class young man with drinking problem turned out to be her own son.
Like Mr. Birling, Mrs. Birling puts her pride and social position at first place rather than condemning her son. This can be seen by the joy in her language when she discovered that the inspector was fake.
Sheila "All right. But it doesn't make any real difference y'know."
Mrs. B "Of course it does."
Gerald is a factory owner like Birling, he is also afraid of a public scandal. He sounded relieved and joyful when he figured out that the inspector was not real. Whilst celebrating with Mr. Birling. "(Smiling) Thanks, I think I could just do with one now."
Unlike Mr. and Mrs. Birling, who was too busy describing how well they have behaved and did not let go much information. Gerald used his common sense to review and identify the inspector. This shows that Gerald is more interested in why the inspector is here.
Gerald gave away some information, but decided to avoid further questioning by "going for a walk", this shows that he is unwilling to know or tell any more fact. But Gerald did keep Eva Smith/Daisy Renton happy for a time; and in many ways, Gerald should be the least to be blamed for Eva's death.
Within the whole play, Gerald's attitude towards the inspector is unclear. He neither agree nor disagree with the inspectors' words and his state of mind can be described as sitting on the fence.
In 11 when the play was set, Britain was in a society of a mixture of capitalism and socialism. As the gap between the rich and the poor gets greater, the poor became more united and this lead to many small strikes. Within this confused society, people gave different opinions and attitudes towards their actions.
Britain had always been capitalism since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Gerald, Mr. and Mrs. Birling were grown up in these societies, and therefore are very keen at keeping the country capitalism. They believed that the idea of "everyone has to look after everybody else" was "nonsense"
Mr. Birling assumed that Britain would maintain capitalism. "And we're in for a time of steady increasing prosperity". This selfish comment proves that Mr. Birling hoped the society should stay as capitalism to the next generation.
Mr. Birling is used to live in a capitalism society, his fate and power is based on this kind of society. If he and people like him disobey the rules of capitalism, there would not only be public scandals but a revolution which could make them lose everything.
However, for the younger generation (i.e. Sheila and Eric), their minds and attitudes towards the state of the society are different to that of their parents. Both Sheila and Eric realised that people like Eva Smith does not deserve suffering and they are the ones responsible for her suicide. "We are responsible for each other." These speeches are also a representative of the upper class beginning to feel responsible for a lower class.
The reason that they do realize their irresponsible actions and make the change might be the fact that they do not have anything to lose unlike the elders who either has property of social pride at stake.
J.B.Priestley used different kinds of language to reveal the personalities and opinions of each character. As the inspector leaves the stage, the whole family began to argue about their responsibility. Sheila and Eric are on the socialist side who persuades the elders to take responsibility. Sheila "The point is, you don't seem to have learnt anything."
The elders on the capitalist side expect the youngsters to stay as the way they were. Birling "Any more of that you are out of this room".
Both sides' speech contained dashes and questions which only has one answer; to convince the other side of what is responsibility. Sheila "That'll be terrible for her, won't it?"
In Mr. Birling's speech below
Mr. Birling "… (Imitating INSPECTOR in his final speech.) You all helped to kill her. (Pointing at SHEILA and ERIC, and laughing.)…"
J.B.Priestley used stage directions in brackets to show that Mr. Birling is careless about the death of Eva Smith and was not afraid of the inspector.
In fact all these arguments are based on the conclusion of the inspector's speech "if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish". Indeed, it was people like the Birlings who were not convinced to change the society and were taught in the First and Second World Wars.
The play was set in 11, at this time, the poorer proportion of the population was increasing, more and more people were urging the government to set up a welfare state, and introduce the basic services like pension and free school dinners. However, people like Mr. Birling thinks that the idea is 'nonsense' and will go away in a while.
Further more, Mr. Birling mentioned about 'the Titanic she sails next week' and the Revolution in Russia, which gave further details that the play was set two weeks before the Titanic sunk.
From the attitudes of the Birlings, especially Mrs. Birling, is revealed that the lower-class were still treated badly at the time the play was set.
When the play was written it was already in the 140s. This difference in time allowed Priestley to create dramatic ironies like the sinking of the Titanic which Mr. Birling described as 'unsinkable', and the Great Depression which Mr. Birling thought "There'll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere".
The author J.B.Priestley had experienced two world wars, and saw the state of the society when the play was set. He had served on the frontline in WWI, and had seen how the lessons of one war had remained unlearnt, that lives of ordinary people had not improved and that another more devastating war had occurred. Priestley was one of the 'socialist cranks' Mr. Birling had mentioned, however without Priestley and other 'socialist cranks' like him to teach the audience and us the lesson of responsibility and moral, we might be taught again in 'fire and blood and anguish'.
Priestley used 'inspector Goole' to teach the Birlings a lesson and the content of this lesson are the themes within the play which Priestley tried to pass on the audience.
In my opinion, J.B.Priestley is inspector Goole. The Birlings family and Gerald is the society or the audience. Those who are convinced are represented by Sheila and Eric, those who did not are Mr. and Mrs. Birling. The person who neither is nor isn't convinced is Gerald.
From the opinions given by the characters in Act , the audience will be able to decide who they want to be.
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