inspector calls inspector goole essay

An Inspector Calls Essays

One of the best things you can do to revise for any english exam is to read examples of essays. below you'll find a range of essays which you can read at your leisure., though there are always benefits in reading essays, becoming use to "active reading" is also important. to do this, use one of these strategies to help:, print the essay off and highlight key phrases or pieces of analysis that you like, keep some notes on the ways the essays use key vocabulary, cherry-picking the best phrases for use yourself, note down the structures of the essays but making a note of the focus of each paragraph, remember that there are hundreds of ways to write a successful essay, as the examples below will highlight. but they all manage to link the big ideas of the play with the language and structure; they all write about priestley's intentions and the audience's responses; they all recognise that this play is written to make a political point, not just to entertain the audience., a) how does priestley explore responsibility in an inspector calls , in the play, priestly wanted the audience to take responsibility for each other, to see that society was "one body." he wanted the audience in 1945 to recognise that although there had been positive changes since 1912, he didn't want them to regress and, in fact, wanted them to demand even more social reform., firstly , priestley uses the inspector to demonstrate to his audience that morality is a much more admirable quality in a person than mr birling's selfish manner. in act 3 mr birling offers "thousands" to help eva, though the inspector tells him that he is “offering money at the wrong time.” this shows that the inspector has the moral high ground and, although from a lower class, is holding all the power over the birling's treasured reputation. to the audience it would be obvious that birling should have given the money earlier, that it was inevitable that eva would end up costing him. it is also revealing that birling wouldn't give eva smith a small pay rise as it would have meant he couldn't "lower prices" but when it came to saving his status he was prepared to “give thousands.” by this stage, mr birling seems quite flustered and somewhat embarrassed as although in the outside world his authority is growing in his own home he can't control a man of “that class.” from a psychoanalytic perspective you could argue that this reflects birlings upbringing and the values that he was taught to respect as a younger man when he worked had and was kept poor in a way that taught him the value of hard work. in this way, mr birling feels that all the people who have money deserve it while the people who don't have money clearly don't deserve it. also, it is from his background that birling being taught to prioritise materialistic things could be the root of his difficult relationship with eric; he comes across as very cold and unforgiving which possibly reflected onto his son. this could easily be a subconscious cause of eric's addiction (looking for escape and comfort in the absence of his father's approval) and be linked to why eva viewed him to be more juvenile than gerald. the need for superficial things in his life like power and wealth is portrayed in the play as quite harmful and only something which will hold a person back, the inspector seems to be free from all these hindering social constructs and is definitely a much more favourable character because of this., in spite of their strong differences in beliefs, both mr birling and the inspector are very self-assured characters who are equally set in their ways . this is not mirrored in the younger characters like eric or sheila. priestly emphasizes a message directed towards the younger generations that they are the hope for change. throughout the play birling refuses to accept the need for reform or responsibility , he represents the stereotypical man of his age and class that priestley uses to contradict sheila's growing outward-looking empathy. when she promises the inspector that she will “never never do it again to anybody” she is acknowledging her privileges and shows that she understands how people must take responsibility for each other. i would say that her materialistic upbringing and the damage that has done makes her incredibly naive and impacts hugely on her opinion of others' worth. when talking about eva smith in act 1 one of the first things she asked was “is she pretty” from this line alone it is clear to the audience where her priorities lie and what kinds of values were instilled in her from a young age probably by her shallow mother. priestly highlights that it's the duty of the young to bring about reform and for this to happen they firstly need to realise the older generations won't do it for them. he also stresses that it's not ok for people like the birlings to take credit for their achievements but never accept responsibility for the consequences of their profit., priestley uses the contrast between age groups and class to explore universal divides caused by pride, reputation and lack of accountability, things that mr and mrs birling value highly but sheila is willing to let go of by accepting her mistakes and returning gerald's engagement ring (also rejecting her father's business interest in gerald.).

Examiners commentary:

The simple, clear first paragraph is fine.

The second paragraph, however, contains some interesting points that could be related to the question but which aren't. As a result, a lot of what's good in this paragraph is lost. This could have been easily fixed if the student had remembered to continually link their points back to the question.

The third paragraph is an improvement in that it does mention responsibility more often and has some interesting observations about the generation gap.

The third paragraph feels unfinished and unclear - it sounds like it's saying that Mr and Mrs Birling value accountability highly, or that the view a "lack of accountability" highly, neither of which are true.

AO1: Lots of AO1, though it isn't connected to the question often enough

AO2: Not enough AO2 at all - hardly any specific language analysis

AO3: Nothing of note outside of the first paragraph

Grade: This is a difficult essay to grade. There are lots of interesting points, especially about how our upbringings affect our outlook, but they're not always linked to the question which means they won't score as well as they should. Also, a complete lack of AO2 causes real problems. This is probably a G5 though with a few minor changes it could easily be pushed up two grades.

B) How does Priestley explore responsibility in An Inspector Calls ?

Priestley presents a strong message about responsibility throughout the play. he wants us all to take more responsibility for each other., firstly, he uses the character of mr birling to convey the ignorance of those who refuse to take responsibility. we can see this when mr birling says, “community and all that nonsense”. the use of the noun “nonsense” shows the audience that mr birling is mocking socialists and those who believe society should be a community. you can almost hear his sarcastic tone as if ‘community’ is an absurd idea. the word “all” also highlights his belief that anything to do with community, such as helping others and being responsible for one another, is ridiculous. this links to when he says, “a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own.” the repetition of the pronoun “his” emphasises that he only takes care of his possessions and doesn’t think twice about others. also, it exposes to the audience his sense of higher class entitlement linked to his lack of responsibility for things that are not directly his fault. the audience of 1945 would have been shocked because by this time, after the labour movement and war, people were becoming more open-minded about mixing social classes and community responsibility. this links to priestley’s message because he was a socialist and believed people should have equal rights., in contrast to mr birling, priestley uses the character of sheila to present those who are willing to take responsibility. we see this in the line, “i’ll never, never do it again to anyone”. the repetition of “never, never” reveals that sheila feels guilty and deeply regrets her actions. it also tells the audience that she is open-minded about changing how she behaves, regardless of her social class. the use of the noun “anyone” reveals that she doesn’t care if the person is upper class or lower class. she doesn’t want to put anyone in that position again and has taken full responsibility. if this play had been shown in 1912, the audience may have been more likely to agree with the birling’s ideas and would have thought sheila may be acting foolishly. however, the audience of 1945 would have been more sympathetic towards sheila because at this time, society was shifting towards the creation of the nhs, the introduction of education for all and the building of social housing. this reflected how society was coming together more and caring more for the poor instead of brushing them aside., similarly, the character of inspector goole is the main voice of responsibility in the play and is the voice of priestley himself as he is trying to show the birling family that being upper class doesn’t make them any less responsible for the community than the next person. this sense of responsibility is also reflected in the stage directions when the light goes from “pink and intimate” and “brighter and harder”, when the inspector enters. immediately, this tells us that the i nspector has a presence on the stage and that he has come to say something important. perhaps it is about bri nging light to the things that the upper classes like to hide in the shadows, or the harsh lighting works almost like he is interrogating the family. the spotlight is now on them and what they have done., additionally, priestley conveys a message of responsibility through the inspector when he says, “we are members of one body.” the noun “members” highlights that we are all joined together and if one member falls, then it brings everything down. furthermore, it links to the idea that community is like a family who should take care of each other no matter what. it could also have religious connotations because in the last supper jesus said, “this is my body that will be given up for you, take this in memory of me.” here, jesus said that people should eat the bread because it would bring everyone together and he always believed that people should be equal. in 1912, people were very divided and the poor would rarely move up to the higher classes. priestley was aiming to ensure that the shifts in society happening in 1945 were strengthened and that everyone felt that responsibility for others was important..

Really clear structure, with a clear target for each paragraph

Doesn't make a wide range of points but has a quote to backup each point and explores the quote in depth

Each section ends with something about the context

Though each point is presented with a quote attached, this could have been improved with some other references from the play even if those quotes or references weren't analysed in depth

AO1: Not much AO1 really, no real refernces to key moments of plot

AO2: Lots of great AO2 - quotes analysed in depth

AO3: Good AO3, all key points linked to context

Grade: A really neat, clear and well organised essay. A lack of AO1 is a problem, as is the fact that although each paragraph was linked to an idea connected to responsibility the link isn't always made clear. However, there's loads of AO2 and AO3 so it would be a comfortable G7. With a couple of sentences added to each paragraph which referenced a few key moments of plot it would go up to a G8.

C) How does Priestley explore responsibility in An Inspector Calls ?

Priestley explores ideas about responsibility through the way the birlings behave towards eva smith. arthur birling explains the family’s capitalist philosophy when he says ‘a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own’ which suggests that he feels that he only has responsibility for his own family and himself . this is reinforced by the way the birlings treat eva smith. first of all, arthur fires her from his factory to make an example of her because she asks for higher wages and dares to take responsibility for others by speaking up on their behalf. it is revealed that arthur’s prime motive is to keep wages down so that he could make more profits. priestley reinforces this through arthur’s constant repetition of ‘hard headed man of business’, to remind the audience that he is representative of capitalism and the damage it causes. the word ‘business’ is later used by birling to refer to the death of eva smith as he states how her death is ‘horrid business’ which emphasises the message that birling only sees people’s lives in terms of profit. priestley is showing the audience that a blind belief that generating profits and prosperity for the good of everyone is fundamentally wrong as it causes innocent people to suffer tragic consequences., although all the birlings are responsible for eva’s mistreatment and death in some way, they react differently when they find this out from the inspector. mr and mrs birling do not change and are only concerned about their reputation - the possible ‘scandal’ or arthur’s ‘knighthood’. however, priestley’s intention is give the audience a message of hope as sheila and eric do recognise that they have behaved badly by the end of the play and therefore he is suggesting that it is the younger generation that have the responsibility for adopting more socialist principles. through the younger birlings’ attitudes, priestley suggests that socialism is the modern way and that it is young people who will change society for the better., this change of views in the younger generation is also shown through the play’s structure as eric dramatically exits the stage at a crucial point suggesting he is struggling to contain his guilt over his mistreatment of eva smith. likewise, sheila is struggling with her guilt and tries to show that she has changed by directing others to realise their own responsibility in eva smith’s suicide. for example, sheila warns her mother not to ‘build up a wall’ this metaphor describes the separation of the social classes as mrs birling believes she is superior to the lower classes. the irony is that the opposite is true as priestley reveals how mrs birling’s behaviour is morally wrong – she punished a pregnant girl by refusing her charity when she needed it the most just because the girl used her name and in doing so angered mrs birling., through using the form of a morality play, priestley is able to identify what each family member’s sins and how it was these sins that they demonstrated and caused their mistreatment of eva smith. for instance, eric’s lust for eva smith meant that he forced himself upon eva and then his sloth – his inability to earn his own money meant he stole money from his father instead of facing up to his responsibility and earning money himself. by the end of the play, priestley shows that eric fully accepts his responsibility and describes how he cannot even remember his assault of eva as being a ‘hellish thing’. the use of this metaphor implies he is being tortured by his own guilt and knows he has been committed to hell due to his sins., priestley constructs the inspector’s role as that of a priest as he extracts all the confessions from the birlings and attempts to force them to accept their responsibilities through asking questions which challenge their capitalist way of life and challenges their edwardian values of social class and hierarchy. in addition, the inspector’s language has religious tones to it as he warns the birlings and gerald croft that if they do not stop exploiting the poor, they will learn their lesson with ‘fire, blood and anguish’. there is an inference that they will be punished in hell for not caring about the way those less fortunate are treated. through the inspector’s voice, the audience hear the socialist message that the birlings are being taught and we left knowing that this is a warning to us all – we need to accept responsibility and take better care of others around us., how does sheila change during an inspector calls, - summary paragraph, - stage directions, - confrontation with the inspector – she takes responsibility, - standing up to her parents, - the young are more impressionable, - ending – grown up, throughout inspector calls, sheila is the character who changes the most. at the beginning of the play she is a young, naïve girl who is happy to be told what to think and do; by the end she is the only character who really takes responsibility for the death of eva and is happy to tell her parents that she thinks they are wrong., the stage directions describe her as being “very pleased with life” a phrase which reflects her luxurious upbringing. she’s also described as being “excited” an adjective that suggests she is looking forward to her life. in both these respects she could be viewed as being ignorant to the reality of what her luxury costs others, or how difficult the times ahead will be., sheila refers to her parents as “mummy” and “daddy,” nouns that are associated with young children and not young adults; she is also told off by her mother for squabbling with her brother, a fact that reinforces our vision of her as being infantilised by her parents. sheila is then given a ring by her fiancé gerald. “is it the one you wanted me to have” she asks him, a phrase that suggests she wasn’t really interested in what she wanted but only what gerald wanted her to have. throughout the opening she is presented as a child, with no real desires or wishes of her own. in many respects, she is the traditional rich young woman – without a real mind of her own by virtue of her gender., when the inspector arrives, he explains how her spoilt behaviour in a shop led to eva being sacked. “then i’m really responsible,” she accepts, quickly recognising her role in the girl’s downfall. also, she observes that the inspector is getting ready to speak to gerald next and pushes this through, asking direct questions to gerald and working out the reasons why he wasn’t where he said he was the summer before. in both these cases, she is showing independent thought – by accepting responsibility even when others don’t and by pushing gerald against his wishes., during their time with the inspector, her parents and gerald repeatedly try to send sheila out of the room to protect her from his news – her mother argues that she is “looking tired,” something that we would only really say to a very small child. sheila repeatedly refuses, arguing that she will stay until “i know why that girl killed herself.” here, she clearly shows herself standing up to her parents, sticking to her desire to discover the truth of the situation., at one point arthur argues that the inspector is making “quite an impression” on sheila, suggesting that she’s coming around to the inspector’s way of thinking. “we often do on the young ones,” the inspector replies, suggesting that his socialist values are more affective on younger people. this reflects a view of priestley’s which was that socialism and left wing values are more impactful on younger people, a fact that’s often reflected in even modern opinion polls where right wing conservatives tend to be older. this is also shown in how, by the end of the play, mr and mrs birling remain unchanged by the arrival of the inspector, while their children change – even gerald admits that the events “affected him,” before he reverts back to his old ways., even after the inspector leaves, sheila continues to push his ideas trying to make sure that her family don’t forget him. she claims they are beginning to “pretend” that nothing has happened, clearly accepting that things won’t be the same again. her use of the verb is interesting as well, as games of “pretend” are really childish things. it seems that the girl who was once infantilised is now accusing her parents of playing make-believe. she also argues that her parents “don’t seem to have learnt anything,” behaving almost like a school mistress arguing that a lesson has been missed. she also says, in response to a speech from eric in which he accepts responsibility, that he makes her feel a little less “ashamed” of them, a word which really shows just how powerfully sheila sees her parents’ remorseless behaviour., her frustration is clear throughout the ending, where she says her parents’ behaviour “scares” her. this clearly references the inspectors closing words about “fire and blood and anguish” which referenced the years of war that would follow the period between the play being written and being performed. the audience at this point would doubtless be agreeing with sheila regarding her fear. her parents continue to ignore her desire to grow up, infantilising her again by suggesting that she’s just “tired” and “hysterical,” though they can’t ignore her final words when she refuses gerald’s ring again which clearly shows that she has grown up enough to express herself completely, how does priestley present mrs birling as an unlikeable character (high level response), priestley presents mrs birling as an unlikable character as she doesn’t change throughout the play. in acts 1 and 2 she doesn’t say much about the tragic death of eva at all, showing her lack of remorse., on the other hand, characters like sheila do realise the horror of the suicide. in act 2, gerald says “sorry, i’ve just realised a girl has died”. this is ironic [sic] as he had found out in act 1, but it had only sunken in in act 2. the word “sorry” shows he feels embarrassed about his emotional side, as many men of the time (1912) did., sheila also changes throughout, creating a stark contrast to her mother. in act 1 she refers to her mother as “mummy” like when she says “mummy, isn’t it a beauty” this shows she was dependant on her and worried about material things. she later says, “but these girls aren’t cheap labour, they’re people” to mr birling, showing his daughter isn’t afraid to voice her opinion but her mother is. in act 2, sheila says, “we really must stop these silly pretences”. the inclusive pronoun “we” not only presents sheila as the family member doing the right thing and trying to influence others, as her mother should, but also involves the audience, trying to give them a message. the noun “pretences” is significant as it was mrs birling who pretended not to remember eva smith., when she was shown the photo it was evident that mrs birling didn’t change throughout as at the end of the play in act 3 gerald suggests that “he’s been had”, and the birlings are keen to accept it, whilst sheila and gerald remain guilt-stricken. the audience of the time, in 1945, would have just experienced the war and realised everyone must start taking care of one another. they may have not been so quick to change, as, at the time, only rich, most-likely capitalist, people would have gone to the theatre to see the play, whereas a modern audience is more diverse and open., priestley also presents mrs birling as an unlikable character as she is dismissive towards many different groups. for example, she says “a girl of that class” when her part in the suicide is revealed. the noun “girls” shows mrs birling’s views that working class girls are undeserving of names. this derogatory comment would have infuriated an audience of 1945 as the working class were extremely beneficial during the war, though the class divide was massive in 1912. she is even misogynist, like mr birling, who says “clothes mean something different to women”. she says “sheila and i had better go to the drawing room”, which shows her views on women’s place in society, due to gender roles. she also says men have to spend a lot of time working away, but sheila challenges it and says she won’t get used to it. it is obvious priestley has used the younger generations as a symbol for more open-minded people as eric also challenges mr birling on war. mr birling says the titanic is “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”. the repetition and qualifiers enhance the dramatic irony as he was wrong about both of these things. it is almost as though priestley is mocking people like mr birling., mrs birling also has capitalist views which don’t change throughout the play. she believes in a social hierarchy as seen in the stage directions before the play begin, where the characters are placed around a rectangular table which gives power to those at the top and bottom, and when she says, “be quiet and let your father think of what we should do next”. the imperative verb “be” shows how she is even being rude towards her own children., this contrast with shelia’s feminism, which was popular due to the suffragette movement in 1912, significant after 1945 as many women helped the war effort and important to a modern audience who have achieved so much. mrs birling uses her powers for bad as she “influenced” the committee to refuse eva help., priestley uses the play as an allegory for his socialist views. by inducing a sense of hatred towards mrs birling he allows the audience to see the flaws in a capitalist mind-set. priestley, having served in the war himself, developed strong socialist views. this is reflected in the inspector, who is a mouthpiece for priestley as he uses the metaphor, “we are all part of one body” to imply everyone should look after one another. priestley had a popular radio programme which was cancelled for being too “left wing” by the bbc. as time progresses, the audience becomes more socialist and the play is more effective., priestley presents mrs birling as having double standard. this can be seen in the quotation, “i’m sorry eric… didn’t know”, after finding out it was her son she was talking about when she said he should take full responsibility for eva’s pregnancy., despite stage directions calling for pink, intimate lighting at the beginning, mrs birling never seems to be intimate with her children. when the inspector asks if eric drinks, she says “of course not, he’s only a boy”, which shows she is either lying or not close with her family. however, sheila says he’s been “steadily drinking for two years”, showing she is either trying to get him into trouble or is keen to get him help. either way, she is closer with him than his own mother. the siblings also exchange comments when she calls him “squiffy”. the colloquialism has mrs birling unaware of the changes and reluctant to change her mind-set. this also foreshadows the importance of alcohol in the play as it was the cause of eric’s behaviour., how does priestley present the views of the inspector in an inspector calls (high level response), inspector goole is presented as an omnipotent, powerful figure throughout the whole play; his presence immediately has the power to change the light and cheerful atmosphere of the birlings' dinner party. the lighting changes from "pink and intimate" to "brighter and harder" once the inspector arrives. here, priestley's use of the adjectives "pink and intimate" suggests a warm and happy atmosphere whereas the adjective "harder" opposes this. priestley uses the inspector as a dramatic device. not only could it be argued that the inspector is an immensely powerful figure but also that priestley uses the stage directions that inspector goole's arrival to act as a symbol for how he wants society to improve. the lighting before the inspector arrives suggests that the birling family – who are a stereotypical portrayal of a middle class family – were happy whilst they were ignorant to the working class. the lighting change tells us how priestley wants society to change; he wants society to stop being ignorant to the working class., furthermore, j. b. priestley uses the inspector to convey that he wants society to change and become more empathetic towards the working class instead of perceiving them as being disposable. when the inspector arrives, he tells the birling family about eva smith’s suicide in which she drank a lot of strong disinfectant that “burnt her inside out”. priestley’s language persuades the audience to feel immense sympathy not only for eva smith but also for all of the working class; it could be argued that eva smith’s suffering and suicide is used as a metaphor to highlight the continuous struggled faced by the working class, throwing into relief the issues within society and how these problems are ignored by the wealthier classes. priestley’s gory imagery alternately makes the audience feel guilty because they may realise how ignorant they have been to ignore the struggles of the working class and persuade them to change by being more empathetic., priestley suggests that a pressing issue with the twentieth century society is that people are reluctant to take responsibility for their actions. this view is encapsulated through the use of the elder members of the birling family, arthur birling and his wife mrs birling – who do not take responsibility for their actions towards eva smith. however, priestley uses the inspector to try to change this. the inspector states that if we share nothing else, “we have to share our guilt”. here priestley uses the personal pronoun “we” to give society a sense of unity, implying everyone must do the same and follow the inspector’s teachings. ‘an inspector calls’ was set in 1912, a time in which society was divided by not only gender but by social class. priestley wants the middle and upper classes to transform from abusing their power to dominate and exploit the working class to instead being more responsible for their actions and treating people more sympathetically ., priestley uses the inspector to convey the consequences of what will happen if members of society do not change. he states that we will be “taught” in “fire and blood and anguish”. priestley’s use of a triplet of nouns act as metaphors for the two world wars. the entire play is used as a motif for the wars; if society proceeds to not improve the way in which members of society treat each other, the world wars will repeat in an endless cycle until we learn. here, the inspector is presented as an omnipotent being. ‘an inspector calls’ was written and first performed at the end of the second world war therefore the contemporary audience will have experienced the perpetual suffering that comes with them. priestley uses the inspector to make the audience fearful as they are persuaded to think that the inspector is a god-like character imposing judgement on society. this will persuade all audiences to change their actions and embrace socialist ideologies of caring for other members of society which is what priestley intended them to do., priestley wants the middle and upper classes to stop being selfish and exploiting the poor for their own financial gain, but instead be more generous and empathetic towards other members of the working class. the inspector is almost an impartial figure in the play because he does not fit into the distinct levels of society. this gives the audience the impression that the inspector is an unbiased figure; they will be persuaded to listen to him and change their views., compare priestley’s presentation of eva smith and shelia birling., in the play ‘an inspector calls’ we see a family called the birlings that consist of many different characters, personalities and beliefs. we only begin to see these different aspects when the family begin to learn how each one of them was involved in causing the chain of events which led a girl, eva smith to commit suicide. there are two characters in particular who are very different in the way that they live their lives and their own outlook on life. these two characters are eva smith and shelia birling., shelia is the daughter of sybil and arthur birling. they are a well-known family in brumley and are in the public eye constantly because of the position her father holds within the town as he is on the bench and the owner of the big birling and company and is due to marry gerald croft whose parents are very well-known also., eva smith is almost the opposite of the social scale to shelia. she has no friends or family to rely on and is quite an independent woman. she struggles to get by and is unable to cope with the strains that she is forced to be under at her age., at the beginning of the play we see shelia at the table with her family and how she is influenced by her family’s thoughts. she was quite childish and used petty excuses for her actions ‘i told him that if they didn’t get rid of that girl, i’d never go near the place again’. this shows that shelia had the same approach about how to treat others of the lower class as her father, which is not a good quality that shelia and arthur birling share., when we first hear of eva smith in the play we learn about the time that she experienced while working at birling and company. she was outspoken, resilient and gutsy as she led a group of workers on strike in an attempt to get higher wages ‘she’d had a lot to say-far too much- so she had to go’., there we see the huge difference in the lives that each of them live, but it is the way that shelia changes as the play goes on and learns more about eva smith’s life., once shelia knows more about the family’s effect on eva’s life she becomes more defiant, and mature. she begins to stand up to her parents who still look down on eva. she realises that there is no need to treat a person the way that the birling family did, no matter whether it was the same girl or not ‘everything we said had happened really hadn’t happened. if it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. but it might have done.’ she has a more compassionate approach to eva and her life as she learns about the suffering that this girl the same age as herself had to go through., priestly shows the importance of caring for others within your community by showing that if the birling’s had looked after eva smith and treated her with any respect then maybe it would have prevented her suicide, because she would have been in a lot happier state of mind. this also takes place near to every one of us. if you treat one person unacceptably then you never know what effect that may have on them and others around them, if you do your bit to treat every person with decency that you meet then you will have no regrets with what you have done., priestly also shows through shelia that she was the next generation, with the new ideas of how people of another class should be treated and how the other birling’s are still living in the old, traditional frame of mind, which is harsh and uncaring to others. whereas shelia would be a middle aged woman when priestly wrote the book, he wanted to show the difference of views between the younger and older generations of 1912., shelia birling and eva smith are very different characters, but it is the effect that they can have on each other’s lives which highlights priestley’s views about community., to what extent could you argue that mr birling is the most important character in an inspector calls , as the ‘head of the household’ mr birling is, arguably, the central character to an inspector calls. throughout the beginning of the play he displays the kind of arrogance that priestley expected to see from a selfish capitalist; throughout the exchange, he is completely unapologetic about the death of eva; and after the inspector leaves, he tries his hardest to get out of trouble. also, if you argued that an inspector calls is really a morality play, then you could see mr birling as representing the deadly sins of greed and pride, both things that priestly attacked capitalists for., at the beginning of the play, mr birling is described as “heavy looking” which immediately reminds us of a large, well fed, rich man, enjoying the luxuries of life. his “easy manners” but “provincial speech” remind us that although he is now rich (as symbolised by his knowledge of manners) he is from working class roots (provincial means from the country, or of a lower class.) mr birling is one of those men who had made money during the industrial revolution and, priestley argues, was then exploiting the working classes for his own profit., during the opening exchanges over dinner, birling shows off to gerald croft – his daughter’s new fiancé – by mentioning some rather expensive port he bought, and then gives a long and stuffy speech about how lucky his children are to be born into a time of such good fortune. throughout the speech priestley uses a lot of dramatic irony as he mentions birling’s belief that there would be no labour issues (despite the fact that the russian revolution was just five years away;) there would be no war in germany (despite two being on the horizon,) and – in a moment of comedy – that the titanic was “unsinkable.” throughout this speech, audience members are reminded of how little we know about the future, and how important it is that we prepare for the unexpected. birling is shown to be arrogant, small minded, and selfish; all features that a socialist like priestley would expect to see in a capitalist like birling., priestly times the inspector’s arrival so that he cuts birling off during one of his selfish rants: “a man has to mind his own business and look after himself,” he is saying as the doorbell rings. his initial response to the inspector is immediately defensive: he delivers a short speech detailing the members of the local police force that he knows, and the fact that he used to be mayor. the inspector seems uninterested though. throughout their exchange birling makes it clear that he feels no responsibility saying a number of times that he had nothing to do with this “wretched” girl’s death. the use of this adjective is interesting as “wretched” can mean poor or downtrodden, but it can also mean disliked and disgusting; birling, we have to assume, feels both are true. at one point he argues, perfectly summarising priestley’s feelings about the attitude of people like birling: “i can't accept any responsibility. if we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward.”, during the remainder of the play, mr birling continues to reveal himself as being selfish and without regret. he is continually worried about the threat to his dreamt of knighthood and, when the chance arises, is even happy to direct all the blame at his young son, eric. he also tries to bribe the inspector, offering him “thousands” now it has all gone wrong, despite the fact that he wouldn’t pay her even a few shillings more at the time. throughout act 3, it is mr birling who leads the campaign to recognise the inspector as being a fraud and he is the most relieved when it turns out that there is no dead girl. however, unlike sheila, he isn’t relieved that no-one had died but is simply pleased to have saved his own hide., however, as the main character in the play mr birling receives both the opening and closing lines. in the end, it is him who is stuck, holding the phone and revealing that there is and “inspector on the way,” and in many ways it is him that the audience will be most pleased to see get his just deserts., what is the role of the inspector in an inspector calls , an inspector calls is a parable that was set during the belle époque (meaning the beautiful period) which lasted from 1870-1914. in the play, a family have their dinner party interrupted by an inspector who comes to visit. though this is a morality play in the traditional sense, its moral compass is very much set by the author’s belief in socialism ., the inspector arrives at a critical point. mr birling, the patriarch of his family, is delivering a lecture to his son and future son-in-law, about how “men must look after themselves…” in this way he is exposing his deep selfishness – one that priestly believed was at the heart of all capitalists. at this point there is a “sharp ring on the doorbell,” the adverb perhaps foreshadowing how the inspectors arrival will cut through the birlings’ veneer of respectability ., almost as soon as he arrives, mr birling reminds him of his own social standing – that he used to be mayor and has played golf with the chief inspector. the fact that mr birling is threatening the inspector is barely concealed , though the inspector brushes it aside. as a morality play, all the characters in an inspector calls represent something else - an ideal or social group or class. here, the birlings represent the wealthy and privileged elite while the inspector represents the newly educated middle classes, who would rise up and form a bridge between the elite and the working classes below them. the inspector, as becomes clear, is here to ensure that the birlings do not get away with how they treated eva smith., the inspector is described as giving an “impression of massiveness.” this is interesting as it makes it clear that he isn’t massive but should give that “impression.” as a direction this is a bit of a nightmare for a casting agent . he shouldn’t be big, but should have a gravitas that makes him seem huge. fortunately, however, priestley has written a part that gives every opportunity for moral superiority for an actor., also, from the moment he arrives the stage directions call for the lighting to change from “pink and intimate” – perhaps reflecting the rose - tinted spectacles through which the birlings view the world – and to something more “harsh.” perhaps this change is designed to highlight how the inspector’s arrival puts the birlings behaviour in the spotlight or exposes the lies they kept hidden in the shadows ., the first to fall to his inspection is mr birling, who sacked eva after she arranged for a strike amongst his workers while they demanded more pay. though birling admitted that she was a good worker, he clearly saw his profits threatened by her behaviour and made an example of her. mr birling’s children, however, do not share his selfishness and, as his son points out, “why shouldn’t they try for higher wages we try for bigger profits.” in many ways this quote exposes the selfish, unreasonable nature of capitalists : that they see their own right to desire more profits as god given , while those who resist are “troublemakers” and “cranks.”, after mr birling, the inspector turns to sheila, who had eva sacked from her job in a local department store. it is clear from the story – which sheila tells – that she was jealous of eva’s good looks. it is also clear, however, that sheila deeply regrets her actions. not long after this, mrs birling comments that sheila’s feelings have been changed and claims that the inspector has made an “impression” on her. this is a telling word – an “impression” is something that is the result of pressure, as though she’s been bullied into seeing things differently; but it is also something that often disappears over time. mrs birling’s feelings are clear: that the inspector’s ideas have affected sheila, but only fleetingly . the inspector replies dryly , acknowledging that he will often have an effect on the young. in many ways this reflects the old adage that young people are more socialist by nature, gradually turning to the more self-centred right as they grow. this is certainly the point that is being made by priestley, as the inspector affects the younger generation far more than their elders., after sheila, he turns to gerald who, again, reveals his own role in the death of eva. by this stage she is known as daisy renton – a name that perhaps reflects the fact her position: daisies are simple flowers that call to mind the innocence of daisy chains; while the appearance of “rent” in her name reminds us of what she did to her body in order to survive., the play continues to get darker as the inspector turns to mrs birling. under pressure she tells the inspector, and the audience, about how she turned away a young pregnant woman and that if the inspector was doing his job properly he should be chasing down the father. at this point, the audience know that she is talking about eric and are tensely waiting for the big reveal. in many respects it is also at this point that the audience is forced to reflect on the nature of this play: up until this moment, the action seems relatively realistic and, although the focus has been on only one character at any time, the focus has shifted around the room without any seeming construction . this time, however, the structure is too neat to be believed; it’s too well constructed to maintain the illusion of realism , and we know that we are watching a parable in which the inspector has an almost divine control over the action., after exposing the family’s “crimes” the inspector finally delivers his closing speech, which has all the hallmarks of a sermon that is delivered to the audience as much as it is to the family. in it, he reminds us of all the eva smiths and john smiths there are in the world, and that we are “one body.” here, the inspector is addressing both the audience in 1945 and the audience in 1912. the telling difference was the two world wars, during which the working classes proved themselves to be every bit as strong and resilient as their “social superiors.” the sense of national bonding that took place during the wars led to significant social changes in the uk, not least the creation of the nhs and the welfare state, and it was characters like the inspector (and priestley) who made sure this happened., his final warning, however, that “if we do not learn this lesson we will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish,” has a slightly different meaning in the two time periods. for the family in 1912 it was prophetic ; but for an audience in 1945 it would have been suggesting that the wars were almost a punishment for their behaviour, and a way of suggesting that if they didn’t embrace socialism now then the wars, and all the horrors that came with them, would return again., at the end of the play, the birlings receive a phone call which tells them that a real police inspector is on the way, to talk about a girl who has recently died. this final moment raises questions about the role of the inspector goole we’ve just watched, and it is at this point that his name seems important: is he a goole, or a ghoul, or something else from some other world is he some angelic messenger send to bring divine judgement that question is never answered, though the audience – or the young ones at least – should have no doubts that his understanding of the world is from a “higher” place., another essay on the role of the inspector in an inspector calls ., this essay's structure is as follows:, a summary paragraph, how the inspector is introduced, mr birling and the inspector – good for ao2, a “panic” paragraph – without quotes – that picks up on some key moments from the rest of the play – good for ao1, the inspector at the end, in the play an inspector calls, a police inspector brings judgement to a rich family who live in 1912. the play is a morality play, in which each of the characters represents a particular role or opinion. in this morality play, the inspector promotes a socialist understanding of the world in a way that reflects the views of the play’s author jb priestley., when the inspector arrives he cuts off mr birling’s lecture when he is saying that “ a man must look after himself and his family …” this interruption symbolises the way that inspector is going to stop mr birling’s views. also, it says that there is a “ sharp ring on the doorbell .” the word “ sharp ” suggests that the inspector will cut through mr birling’s selfish ideas. also, from the moment he arrives the stage directions call for the lighting to change from “ pink and intimate ” to something more “ harsh .” this is because the birlings see the world through as being nice and friendly while the inspector will bring a “ harsh ” judgement on them., in the play, the inspector works as a foil to mr birling’s selfish capitalism. at the beginning of the play, mr birling calls socialists “ cranks ” – which means crazy – and says that if we all listened to socialists we’d be like “ bees in a hive .” this remark criticises socialists as bees lack individuality, they work almost like a big machine, and only do what they’re told and mr birling doesn’t want the world to be like this. the inspector, however, believes that we are “ members of one body ” and that we are “ responsible for each other .” in this way, the inspector is talking about the socialist ideas which suggest that because we all live together we should look after each other. in fact, he goes on to suggest that if we don’t learn to do this we will “ taught it in fire and blood and anguish .” this is clearly a reference to the two world wars which were fought between the time the play was set and when it was written. it is also telling that mr birling didn’t think the wars would happen – he would probably have referred to that as being an idea from some kind of “ crank .”, at the beginning of the play mr birling threatens the inspector by saying that he plays golf with the chief inspector. the inspector, however, doesn’t care and carries on his investigation. throughout the play, the inspector acts like he doesn’t care about the characters social standings and only wants to focus on the facts. he is someone logical and he doesn’t care what people think of him. he just wants the truth about eva’s death. he also has a habit of looking “hard” at the person he is addressing. this is because he is inspecting them, almost as though he’s looking through them and into their soul., in the end the inspector leaves and we are left unsure as to whether he was real or not. however, because his name is inspector goole – which sounds similar to ghoul (which is a kind of spirit or ghost) – the audience would be within their rights to think of him as a kind of spiritual prophet or divine messenger., a third essay on the role of the inspector in an inspector calls , jb priestley uses the story of an inspector calls to contrast the differences between upper/upper-middle and working class people in society during the edwardian times. the inspector questions the birling family to think about the consequences of their actions on others – predominately the working class and people whom they believe to be inferior to them. priestley uses the inspector to make society question their morals and think about accepting responsibility for their actions. each character reacts differently to the inspector and priestley uses this to represent capitalist vs socialist ideals., - nice opening – clear and specific and leaves the examiner comfortable that you know what you’re doing. may be a bit long – though it is all meaningful, when the inspector enters the birling household, the stage directions states that the lights change from ‘pink and intimate’ to ‘brighter and harder’. this shows how the presence of the inspector changes the atmosphere and how he is here for a purpose. the lighting change from ‘pink and intimate’ to ‘brighter and harder’ almost shows how the inspector is going to burst the birling’s protected, capitalist bubble. the idea of the lights being ‘brighter and harder’ create the idea of a spotlight shining on the birling family and how the inspector is there to expose them to the truth. in the stage directions, it also says that the inspector ‘creates an impression of massiveness’. this shows that although the birling’s are superior to him in class, the inspector still holds the authority over them all. it could also be foreshadowing that the inspector is going to create a lasting ‘impression’ over the birling family and impact their lives hopefully for the better., - super cool lots of detail, specific things being said and focusing on sections of the text. this is what you want to do, in act one, mr birling makes several threats to the inspector about his connections with the chief constable. this shows how mr birling feels threatened and uncomfortable with the inspectors presence. he tries to assert his authority over the inspector to protect himself and his pride as he’s being questioned by someone who is inferior to himself. he doesn’t want to damage his reputation and all he is thinking about is himself. this represents the capitalist society and how they refuse to think of any but themselves and how they will go to any measure to protect their reputation. mr birling also tries to emphasise his importance to the inspector by mentioning gerald and his family name. he says, “perhaps i ought to explain first that this is mr gerald croft – the son of sir george croft – you know, crofts limited.” by mentioning gerald’s family name, it shows how mr birling is trying to intimidate the inspector. also, mr birling could be mentioning the croft name to try to make himself feel more in control of the situation and back in the superior position in the room. priestley uses the reaction of mr birling to the inspector to represent how people of the upper capitalist class use their positions of power as an excuse to be ignorant to their actions. priestley wanted make people aware of this to questions their own ignorance., - again, this is great. you show a clear understanding of the relationship between birling and the inspector and clearly explain the power dynamic in the room, at the end of the play, the inspector makes a big final speech to the birling family. it opens with a reminder that there are thousands of “john smiths and eva smiths” in the world. this reminds the audience that we all have to accept responsibility for our actions and realise it is not enough to only think of ourselves but we must think of others as well. the inspector then goes on to say that “we don't live alone. we are members of one body. we are responsible for each other.” these three concise sentences summarise the lesson priestley was trying to convey to the audience. by keeping the sentences short but powerful, it leaves a lasting impression on the birling family but more importantly, the audience. this links to the beginning stage direction of the inspector creating an ‘impression of massiveness’. he then warns the family (and audience) that if ‘men don’t soon learn their lesson they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish’. this is a reference to the many years of war that had taken place between when the play was set and when it was performed. it could be seen to be served as a warning to the people that they need to change their actions or history will repeat itself., - really good as well. you’ve focused in on specific techniques here and shown a clear understanding of how those techniques have effects., overall, this is a very good essay – it’s got a wide range of detailed quotes, points and pieces of analysis. it could be improved with a few moments where you zoom in on specific words and explore the meaning of them – think about mr birling saying he “can’t” take responsibility, or mrs birling saying she “won’t” take responsibility and the inspector saying “we are responsible.” this kind of link will push this essay up into the 8-9 category., what is the significance of the ending in an inspector calls , in effect, ‘an inspector calls’ has arguably three endings, or climaxes. the first is the final speech of the inspector, before he exits dramatically, walking ‘straight out’. the second is as the family think it all may have been a ‘fake’. the third represents the justice in the final words of the play., priestly ensures that the inspector says little in the way of moral judgment until just before he exits. this in itself increases dramatic tension – the audience is waiting for a confrontation which is dependent on all the facts of the story finally emerging. his final speech is based on the great moral authority he has gained through the entirety of the play and is in a sense cathartic. as an ‘inspector’, he is symbolic of the moral and legal authority of the police force. ‘inspecting’ carries the idea of sifting carefully though the actions of the birlings in a detailed and objective manner. priestley adds objectivity and legal precision to the inspector’s character; thus by the climax of his investigation, we, the audience, instinctively trust his moral conclusions also. there is a sense of relief in hearing the birlings finally being condemned for their actions., the inspector’s final speech is, in tone, almost a sermon. the frequent use of blunt, short diction is combined with imperatives which make him seem almost a preacher or a prophetic figure, as he tells the birlings to “remember this”, and tells them that “we are responsible for each other.” although he uses often the first person plural to emphasise their common humanity, he is also accusatory with his use of ‘you’ as he threatens them with what will come if they fail to learn this lesson. the imagery priestley draw from is biblical by nature. from the eucharist service, the inspector uses the biblical metaphor that we are all “members of one body”. the well-known nature of this metaphor makes it seemingly self-evidently true to the audience. the apocalyptic imagery that follows is equally well-known, as the inspector promises “fire and blood and anguish”. the tricolon is heavily emphatic and emotive – the birlings’ rejection of it, which follows swiftly, creates a further sense of their moral vacuity. this sermonic end to the inspector’s presence onstage makes him seem a didactic mouthpiece for the play – he speaks in effect as much to the audience as to the birlings. although it is a relatively brief and restrained speech, nonetheless it is a powerful end – it seems – to the drama., birling’s absence of moral epiphany is enacted in the second ‘ending’ of the play in the ‘huge sigh of relief’ he emits when he discovers that the inspector is not actually from the police station. he rejects the inspector’s final words through this stage direction which creates a dramatic hyperbole that it is impossible for the audience to miss. eva smith’s name suggests that she represents all of the ordinary humanity, eva suggesting eve of genesis, symbolically the mother of humanity, and smith being a stereotypical working-class surname. thus birling’s ‘huge’ indifference is, symbolically, to the suffering of any human being, particularly those who are his socially inferior. indeed, his estimations of people’s worth have been entirely based on their money or their social connections; early on in the play he attempts at first to threaten the inspector by explicitly ‘warning him that the chief constable, colonel roberts, is an ‘old friend’ of his. birling’s ‘relief’ therefore is that his place in society is not damaged after all – even though it is based on corruption and inhumanity towards whose who are weaker and more socially vulnerable than him. thus birling has learned nothing at all in the play., further, birling is ‘triumphant’ when he decides that the story is nothing more than ‘moonshine’. ‘triumph’ suggests victory and winning – birling’s delight is based on his perception that he will not be in any way held to account for his misdeeds. ‘moonshine’ is a dismissive colloquialism – priestley uses this to emphasise that there is no emotional impact whatsoever on birling for the suffering of eva smith and those whom she represents. this is accentuated by mrs birling’s suggestion that in the morning eric and sheila will be as ‘amused’ as they are. the tragedy of what happened to eva through her circumstances and through the undeserved actions of others is in effect diminished to a joke. priestley ensures that this anticlimactic interpretation of the play’s events by mrs birling is morally repugnant to the audience. the older birlings and gerald are villainesque, antagonistic figures., sheila is partly redeemed from the birling’s self-seeking immorality. sheila’s response to birling’s ‘relief’ is to accuse him of ‘pretending’ that all is well. this accusation of play-acting creates an ironic role-reversal, as though birling is the one childishly refusing to engage with reality, and she becomes the parent-figure who rebukes him for his immaturity. this childishness is not an indication of birling’s innocence, but of his lack of responsibility. sheila is the youthful one in the conversation, but she is the one who is vulnerable to the corruption of her parents, and she lacks meaningful power. partly also because of her gender, she is, like eva, the victim of birling’s philosophy of greed – and yet the awakening of her moral awareness is presented as a coming-of-age epiphany. she learns to reject the selfishness and inhumanity of her parents as she realises that all the working-class are intrinsically human beings. she absorbs the relatively complex moral didacticism the inspector represents with regards to the interconnectedness of human society. this is particularly shown by her quoting the exact words of the inspector’s apocalyptic list of consequences if the rich fail to heed the social situation: she quotes his words of ‘fire and blood and anguish’. although she shows no explicit awareness of the social apocalypse of which the inspector warns, she recalls what ‘he made me feel’. her emotional engagement is presented in ironic juxtaposition with her parents’ emotional disengagement. priestley redeems her partly to show the morally repugnant nature of the birlings’ lack of redemption, through juxtaposing their response with hers., the unrepentant birlings are presented by priestley as grotesque not only through their failure to realise their wrong-doing, but also, and more importantly in their seeking of moral superiority over eva smith and the workers she represents. the callous self-righteousness they exhibit is best portrayed in mrs birling’s rhetorical question, ‘why shouldn’t we’ when sheila asks how they possibly can continue as they were before. the fact she considers the question to need no actual answer indicates her moral blindness – it indicates her assumption that the rightr of the powerful to abuse the poor is irrefutable and self-evident. priestley, through the drama, shows how society creates moral indifference to the working-class., the superficiality is also epitomised in gerald’s statement that ‘everything is all right now.’ this bland cliché becomes ironically extremely emotive for the audience as we know that the lack of a moral compass for the birlings and gerald means that others will be treated just as eva was. the superficiality of this analysis has great dramatic power to repulse the audience – and perhaps to begin to effect the social change priestley desired., the third and final ‘ending’ is mysterious. at one level, it satisfies the audience’s hope that there will be justice for eva. by instructing the actors to look ‘guiltily’ around, priestly ensures that the moral indifference of the second ending is not the concluding note of the play. birling speaking on the phone when the person has ‘rung off’ indicates also that his social authority is over; creating the sense that there is justice has lost what he really cared about. the inspector’s semi-comical surname, ‘goole’ also seems relevant right at the play’s climax. there is the suggestion that he did indeed in some way represent supernatural forces intervening in the birlings’ lives to bring justice for eva. however, the play by its nature ends inconclusively. in effect, we are left on a cliffhanger wondering what the ‘real’ police inspector will do. perhaps this reflects priestley’s aim for the audience to think about the play’s social message. the ending of ‘an inspector calls’ is a strong statement of the responsibility of those who seek money and social rank at the expense of humanity. it is strongly didactic and powerful., check this essay.

There are drastic differences that are seen in people who are born in different generations. One may argue that the younger generations are more impressionable and naive while the older generations are very hardheaded and assertive. By creating characters like Sheila and Eric with a large age gap between Mr. and Mrs. Birling in the play An Inspector Calls, tension is created through their differences clashing. J.B. Priestley’s use of contrasting characterization within the Birling family in the play An Inspector Calls creates tension and communicates his theme that one must take into consideration the consequences of their actions and take responsibility for them.

The Birling’s children, Erica and Sheila, are presumed to be very naive and still listening and agreeing with their parent’s words due to their ages. Yet, thought the play both Eric and Sheila prove to be mentally mature and responsible while directly reflect the inspector’s message. Eric Birling was caught up in the complicated situation relating to the death of Eva Smith through his role in impregnating her. Although he is ashamed, he steps up to the plate and confesses his actions and even admits to the fact that “I wasn’t in love with her or anything”, yet he understands that his actions did produce consequences and he takes responsibility for them. He insists on giving her enough money to keep her going, even though it included stealing money from his father (Priestley 50). This action was done unjustly, yet it shows how determined Eric was in order to fix his mistake and take responsibility for his actions- exactly what the Inspector teaches. Sheila Birling, the sister of Eric, also starts out by admitting to her role in the death of Eva. She expresses her sorrow and regret for her actions stating how “It was my own fault… and if I could help her now, I would” right away (24-25). Even though she did not take action like Eric did, she still takes responsibility for her actions and shows that she really does care about the consequences she was unable to attend to. As the play continues and everyone finds out that inspector Goole was a fake, the parents of Sheila and Eric both start to downplay the events of that evening. Suddenly the tension starts to rise as soon as the children speak directly against their parents stating “if you must know it’s you two who are being childish” (55). Sheila is so disgusted by the actions of her parents, that her character takes an unpredictable turn and she evolves into a brave young woman annoyed enough to scold her own parents. Even Eric states directly to his parents that “well, I don’t blame you. But don’t forget i’m ashamed of you as well. Yes- both of you” (54). The characters Sheila and Eric create tension in the play through their differences regarding their view on taking responsibility that contrasts greatly with their parents. The fact that the younger generation is standing up to the older generation and doing unconventional actions like scolding them, the main theme of the novel is clearly represented.

The older generation in the Birling family consists of strong characters: unlikely to sway in their ideas easily, hard headed, and arrogant. Arthur too is confronted about his dealings with Eva Smith, but immediately states that “the girl has been causing trouble in the works. I was quite justified (19). Here, he is seemingly ok knowing that she was forced to kill herself all because of something that started out with him originally and a sign of regret is not to be found. The younger generation, prominently Sheila is verbally pointing out her contrasting viewpoint directly saying (to Mr. Birling) “I think it was a mean thing to do” (21). Tension is created as a result of her comment, but in a way she forces her father to re-examine at his actions by him hearing an opposite viewpoint and internally contemplate her and the Inspector’s message. Another situation that increases the tension overall is when Sheila hears her father describe Eva as cheap labour, and automatically she jumps in stating “but these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people” clearly showcasing the differences in the mindset of the two generations (19). Lastly, Mrs. Birling gets confronted with her mistake and does admit to her actions. Her arrogance shows through when she plainly lays out her thoughts to the inspector that “if you think you can bring any pressure to bear upon me, Inspector, you’re quite mistaken. Unlike the other three, I did nothing I’m ashamed of or that won’t bear investigation… You have no power to change my mind” and like Mr. Birling does not have a hint of regret in her (44). Sybil Birling is blinded to the problems within her household and herself, and therefore tension is created when she directly contradicts the viewpoints of her children. The theme of the play is brought out because of this, when the children start to argue their point about accepting responsibility for their actions’ consequences.

Through tension between the characters, the main theme that we don’t live alone, are members of one body, and are responsible for each other is revealed. Sadly for this to be revealed, tension is built greatly dividing the Birling family- the younger vs the older generation. The children desperately try to get their parents to accept what they believe is the inspector’s lesson and purpose for visiting, yet Arthur and Sybil are set on the idea that they are just “the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke” (72). Although it may be true that the inspector is not real and the older generation will never learn, the main theme is being communicated successfully to the audience. By looking at Mr. and Mrs. Birling and the way they instigate an attack on themselves by their children, the audience feels disgusted by them and the theme reaches the audience.

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An Inspector Calls Essay

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The Role of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls Essay

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The Role of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls In the work, An Inspector Calls, Inspector Goole role has been a described as a staging device. Yet, defining Inspector Goole as meerly a staging device implies that he is not a character in his own right but exists simply as a way of exploring the personalities and lives of other, more fully rounded, characters. While it is true that An Inspector Calls would not work without Inspector Goole's central role, it reduces him a little to refer to him as 'just' a staging device . In order to understand the full significance of Inspector Goole, it is worth exploring how his primary role works and then looking at what further significance JB Priestly attaches to him. …show more content…

Yes, yes. Horrible business. But I don't understand why you should come here, Inspector. Neither does the audience at first, but Goole's slow unravelling of the connections between Eva Smith and every member of the Birling household forms the central fascinating strand of the plot. The shape of his investigation is dictated by the needs of the audience rather than strict police procedure. His questions to each member of the family re-tell the events of the final part of Eva Smith's life in chronological order, whereas a more naturalistic approach would have been to start with the events immediately leading up to the suicide and work backwards from there. Goole's statement about his methods could just as easily be about the demands of the drama itself It's the way I like to go to work. One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise there's a muddle. The chronological approach is also echoed by deepening moral lapses on the part of the Birling household. Birling himself commits the mild sin of greed when he has a disruptive union organiser sacked. Sheila is guilty of little more than a fit of pique when she has the same girl dismissed from her job in a shop. Gerald and Eric both commit fornication, but Eric compounds his sin with drunkenness, theft and getting Eva (now known as Daisy Renton) pregnant. Mrs Birling adds hypocrisy to her lack of Christian charity when

Who Was Most To Blame For The Death Of Eva Smith? Essay

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Inspector Goole- An Inspector Calls Coursework

An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B. Priestley. The play was first staged in 1946 and is set in 1912, before the Second World War. The play is a typical detective genre where there is a connection between each character, a chain of events and a twist at the end. The play is about an inspector who appears at the Birling household to interrogate each character and shows that there is a connection. The Inspector at first seems like an ordinary inspector but it becomes apparent to each character that inspector Goole is not actually a real inspector. We can suggest that the inspector may be of the supernatural from his name ‘Goole’ this sounds like ‘Ghoul’, which adds to the supernatural effect. Also spector, which is inside of the word ‘inspector’, means ghost this helps suggest that the inspector is supernatural.  We can suggest that the inspector is one of the conscience as the inspector reveals each of the wrong each character has done. We can also suggest that the Inspector is there to show Priestley’s views on society at this period of time. The name of the book ‘An inspector Calls’ can suggest that the inspector is not the ordinary. This is done as the title is 'an' which is not specific. If Priestley wanted to show the inspector was the ordinary he would have used ‘the’ as this is specific.

The play is set in the house of the Birling family who are a family of a high status, which is shown by the props in the setting. They have gathered in celebration to celebrate the engagement between both Shelia, who is Mr Birling’s daughter and Gerald who is from the Croft family who are of an even higher status than the Birling’s. Mr Birling is a major character in this play as he has the strongest personality. Birling is a character that believes in Capatalism where each man is for himself. He also believes that the Germans are not going to want a war, which is dramatically ironic as the audience will know he is wrong as it was staged in 1946 after the war. This shows that the influence on the audience to side with the inspector and therefore Priestley is due the period of time it was staged in.  Priestley does not agree with Birling’s views and shows this through his constant interruption of Birling’s conversations. In this play, Priestley shows how important the youths are and how much wiser they are than the older people. Priestley shows this through Sheila and Eric. Both Sheila and Eric are children of Mr and Mrs Birling. Both Mr and Mrs Birling have similar ways of thinking and do not listen to what either Sheila or Eric are saying they constantly put them down and will not be persuaded to change their ways. When Mrs Birling is having a conversation with the Inspector she tries to warn her mother not to say something she may regret and is told

‘You’re behaving like an hysterical

 Child tonight’

In the beginning of the play you can instantly see that the Birling family are of a high status through the setting and

‘You ought to like this Port, Gerald’

Port was an expensive alcohol and so this shows that this family are not working class. This also shows how inferior Birling feels to Gerald as he tries to show Gerald that what his family can afford so can the Birling’s.

This is a preview of the whole essay

As the night progresses all the women leave the scene and the patriarchal society is shown. Gerald, Eric and Mr Birling are the only people in this scene. Birling speaks to Gerald with respect and treats his own son with none. Birling once again goes into a conversation telling each of them how good Capitalism is and how each man should look after himself and dismisses anything which Eric has to say about the matter. This conversation is again interrupted by the doorbell which signalling the arrival of the inspector. As the Inspector comes into the scene Edna is told to brighten up the room and this creates a setting of interrogation and exposure of the characters. The Inspector is in a dark suit and creates an intimidating impression. This causes none of the characters or even the audience to question the Inspector, as this would be the typical image of an inspector.

At first none of the characters knew why the inspector had chosen to come and interrogate the Birling household, but then it all becomes apparent. Birling is first to be interrogated and comes across as arrogant when he says

‘I was an alderman for years and

Lord Mayor for two years, I know the

Brumley police office pretty well’

This is said by Birling in an attempt to intimidate the Inspector. However he fails to. The Inspector goes on to tell Birling of the reason for the interrogation and uses emotive language to get some emotions from Birling

‘She was in great agony’

But this fails and instead a shocked involuntary response from Eric is shown. The inspector uses this language a lot during the play to constantly remind the audience of the girl’s death. This evokes sympathy from the audience.  Birling gets very impatient with the Inspector and when he learns of his involvement in the Eva Smith’s suicide he says

‘I can’t accept any responsibility’

This shows that Birling has no remorse. Birling is not used to being answered back by anyone and so is shocked when the inspector does so, he then tries to intimidate the inspector the only way he knows how to. He shows his connection to the chief constable

‘Perhaps I ought to warn you that

 He is an old friend’

This is a desperate attempt to intimidate the inspector, but the inspector does not feel intimidated by this.

In this scene Priestly shows how important the youth are and how important it is to listen to them. Eric disagrees with what his father did to Eva Smith and feels that he should not have done this

‘Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages’

This shows that Eric cannot be for capitalism and Priestley uses him to be the voice of him and the audience.

 When Sheila is brought into the interrogation the inspector uses descriptive language to emphasise what happened to the young woman

‘Several hours in agony’

The inspector says this to trigger an emotion from Sheila and once again Priestly shows that the youth are wiser and more considerate than their elders as Sheila says

‘Oh- how horrible’

This shows that Sheila felt shocked at the death of this woman Sheila also displays that she has a conscience as she says

‘I can’t help thinking about this

Girl’

Showing that she has a different attitude than her father. Gerald is also displayed to be a younger version of Mr Birling as he has similar views he says

‘It is what happened to her after she

Left Mr Birling’s works that is important’

This shows us that Gerald must have similar views to Birling and this could potentially be one of the reasons why Birling respects Gerald so much. Once Sheila learns of her connection to the young girl she feels remorseful she says

‘I’ll never, never do it again to anybody’

Again Priestley is showing that the youth are wiser. The inspector is pleased by this response.

Gerald also finds he has a connection to the young woman but knows her by another name, Daisy Renton. He complies and is hesitant to discuss what happened in front of Sheila.

Mrs Birling comes across to be like her husband. She begins her interrogation feeling very confident and like her husband, tries to intimidate the inspector. Mrs Birling has no feelings towards the young woman and when she learns of her own involvement to the girl’s death she takes no responsibility and says

‘You’re quite wrong to suppose I shall

Regret what I did’

This shows that she is not remorseful and Priestley through the inspector shows us how stubborn and callous the older people are. Mrs Birling makes matters worst despite being warned by Sheila. Mrs Birling accuses the man who had made her pregnant and says

‘If the young girl’s death is due to anybody

Then it is due to him’

Mrs Birling says this as she feels that there is no connection between the young woman and herself but soon realises that there is. Mrs Birling would not have made this statement if she had known that her son, Eric, was responsible for the pregnancy. Sheila realises that the person responsible could be her brother, Eric and so therefore is constantly telling her mother to stop what she is saying.

When both Mr and Mrs Birling learn of Eric involvement they are in shock. They both refuse to believe that Eric is an alcoholic Mrs Birling says

‘You’re not the type you don’t get drunk’

This displays Mrs Birling’s blissful ignorance towards Eric’s drinking problem and again Priestley shows his feelings towards older people in his play.

Eric already expected to be interrogated once he learned of the woman’s name. Eric was remorseful over what had happened and felt angry towards his mother for not helping the woman.

The inspector makes a speech after the interrogation and this speech seems like a response to what Birling was saying at the beginning of the play. This speech is also the view of Priestley. He uses emotive language in this speech and there is a repetition of the word ‘millions’. He uses this to emphasise the point. He says

‘All entwined with our lives and what

We think say and do. We don’t live

Alone’

This is Priestley’s view. It tells us that everybody has a connection with each other as shown and that we should be responsible for each other. The use of exaggeration and the pronoun ‘we’ creates an effect that we are all connected. In Birling’s speech in the beginning he mentions each man looking after himself so this can be taken as a response.

The inspector also says

‘If men will not learn that lesson

They will be taught in fire, blood

And anguish’

This is a reference to world war two and shows that being like Mr Birling and believing in capitalism will only result in war. Birling mentions this in his speech in the beginning and says that another war happening will not happen. Which both the audience and the inspector can see is incorrect. The inspector’s reference to the war can suggest he is from the future warning them of the dangers of people not being responsible for each other.

When the inspector has gone each character realises that the inspector was not the usual type, as he knew too much about the case. Sheila feels that whether the inspector was real or not does not make a difference, whereas Mr and Mrs Birling feel that it does, as it would mean that their names would be cleared. Quickly Mr and Mrs Birling forget about what has happened and are more concerned about having a good name. Sheila and Eric take responsibility of what happened to this young woman and it does have an impact on them. Priestley shows that the youth are impressionable and so therefore the inspectors impact has remained on them, whereas the elders are not impressionable and so Mr and Mrs Birling quickly forgot what had previously happened.

When the inspector’s identity is checked the Birling’s and Gerald learn that there is no such inspector on the force and that no such woman had been sent to the infirmary. When they learn of this Mr and Mrs Birling are very pleased and encourage Sheila and Eric to celebrate with them but both are disgusted by their parents. At the end of this scene the Birling’s gets a phone call finding out that a girl had just been sent to the infirmary matching their description. This can also help us to suggest that the inspector was from the past coming to warn them.

In conclusion the play conveys a strong political message, which promotes socialism. The inspector was the voice of Priestley and he showed his socialist views through him. Priestley did not agree with Capitalism as he was a socialite and felt that each person should be responsible for one another as we each have a connection. He showed this through this play. Sheila and Eric can be considered to be the view of the audience who would not agree with what Birling is saying, as they know the consequences of this mentality. The fact that the play was set in 1912 and staged in 1946 shows us that both Sheila and Eric must be the views of the audience as the audience would have been through the war and therefore side with the Inspector who is the voice of Priestley as the audience would know the consequences of people being capitalist. Birling is very ignorant and unimpressionable. He refused to listen to what either Sheila or Eric had to say and refer to them as being foolish. Priestley would use the inspector and devices to deliberately interrupt any conversation, which Birling would have on Capitalism, which showed his view. The inspector’s first appearance, which interrupted Birling’s conversation, was the first sign of what the inspector could be of. This showed that the inspector could have come as a warning to the Birling family. The inspector showed several times that he knew more than what an ordinary inspector would know. The inspector could have also have been an inspector of the conscience as each character had a connection to the woman’s death due to something wrong they had done. Although not each character learnt from this. Priestley feels that the youth are very impressionable and so the inspector could be of the supernatural that has come to change the impression on the youth so that they can be responsible for each other. Priestley intended to show people the importance of the youth, as they are very influential he also intended to show how important it is for people to care for one another and not to selfish. This play is relevant for this period of time as the message, which Priestley has shown on everybody caring for one another and how important the youth are can be used for any period of time, as it is the basic ways of maintaining society. The inspector’s omniscience is also created by the mystery, which the inspector created by knowing of the future, his ghostly presence and his advice given at his ending speech.  

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An Inspector Calls, Analysis of Inspector Goole Essay Example

• Pages: 9 (2421 words)
• Published: October 12, 2017
• Type: Literature Analysis

J. B Priestly started to write in 1911; his plays usually exposed a hidden message or moral. One of the two, this was used to get his message across.

He had an immense amount of courage, as he was not at all afraid to speak his mind; he enjoyed and got a thrill from political arguments and debates on capitalists and socialists. This could be due to Priestly being brought up with his father and friends who would debate a lot on capitalism and socialism, never the less Priestly grew up to be a socialist.The story An Inspector calls" was set in 1912; it mirrors the affects a typical capitalist family can cause, it also shows just how unfair and unjust their views are. This projected with the Birling family and the death of Eva Smith. In addition it illustrates how a soc

ialist minority can help the economy, and how very different socialist views are. I am writing an essay on the role of the Inspector, in An Inspector Calls.

I will look at how he appears on stage, how he affects the other characters and how he is used to influence the audience and put across Priestly's view.Inspector Goole is an inspector; he's brought out to be a socialist. He's also a major character in this morality play, as he's the character who reveals how each of the characters participated with the death of Eva Smith. Before the inspector enters the Birlings house the atmosphere is joyful, soft and romantic.

The engagement of Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft are being celebrated. Birling and Eric were smoking cigars and drinking port. The lighting is pink,

representing the romantic event. This pink lighting has a sudden change, towards the inspector's entrance.The lighting changes from pink to a plain bright light.

This conveying the atmosphere's change from romance, to the harsh unpleasant reality. The inspector is described as a short man in his fifties, wearing a hat and in a dark suit. He is a strong person, who brings himself across as someone who is in total control. The audience see him as a very intellectual person. The writer makes his entry dramatic by using the phrase "Sharp ring of the front door bell".

The word "sharp" relates to a knife and getting to the point.Therefore, Priestly already builds tension even before the inspector has entered, making the scene look more significant. When the inspector asks the other characters questions, he looks them directly in the eye. The inspector doesn't allow anyone to interrupt him, and manipulates the whole situation. Irony takes place here as roles are practically being switched.

Instead of the capitalist telling the inspector what to do, the inspector is telling them (the capitalists) what to do. Inspector calls is dramatically linked to the titanic, it was written in the same time as that of when the titanic sank.The titanic was based upon an upper-class trip around the Atlantic Ocean, inspector calls was also about an upper-class family who were celebrating and enjoying themselves in an engagement party. Both of these things were related because they were linked as to be unbreakable and also impossible to sink and split up.

But both the expectations of the titanic and the happiness of the rich capitalist family came crashing down. As

the inspector Goole enters the home he immediately created an impression of being superior this instantly has an impact on the audience, giving them a taster of how confident he is.As he begins to inspect he brings attention to Mr Birling, the employer of Eva Smith. The inspector now takes the role of Mr Birling's conscience "I think you know Eva smith don't you Mr Birling", Mr Birling then replies by saying, "Yes I do, she was one of my employees and then I discharged her". Its here the guilt within him starts to reveal itself slightly.

As both him and the audience know this could be associated with her death, as it was her job, her only source of income allowing her survival to prolong. It's when the inspectors asks Mr Birling why he discharged Eva.The guilt within him here reveals itself, as the answer was; she went on strike for a raise in her income. At this point he knows for sure the discharge was associated with the catastrophic death of Eva Smith.

Sporadically the inspector speaks harshly to the characters as he is determined to find out how Eva died. When speaking to the other characters especially the one he is talking to, he knows if he or she is partly responsible for Eva's death. This giving an essence to the characters of how serious this is. The inspector is often harsh for example "yes but you cant it's to late she's dead".At one point he says "If you're easy with me I'm easy with you". This meaning you can answer his questions easily and things will go fine, or if not

there will be consequences.

This can be proven, as Sheila answered all her questions easily and everything went fine for her. The inspector's tone towards the family shows that he's good at what he does and his final results show that he gets the job done. The next victim for the inspector is Sheila, Mr Birling's daughter. Her entrance to the scene immediately grabs the inspector's attention.

His vague knowledge of knowing she's involved inspires him to know precisely what happened.Its here the inspector symbolizes her conscience; Sheila unlike her father was willing to answer the questions and tell the truth. When the inspector begins to mention milwards, a place Sheila travels too often she starts think what milwards has got to do with this. The inspector then gives Sheila clues to how she was connected to death of Eva. Sheila than realises and admits to her tragic outrageous actions "I went to the manager at milwards and I told him that if they didn't get rid of that girl, I'd never go near that place again and ill ask mother to close there account with them", the girl being Eva Smith.

This gives the audience an essence of what Sheila can really be like, how jealous and antagonistic she can be. The inspectors knowledge is often more then what we would expect "and anyhow I new already". Like with Sheila, he already new vaguely she had something to do with the death. Other than this, before the inspectors depart his knowledge about the death of Eva is immense. By the end of the play he knows in detail how each character contributed to the death

of Eva Smith.

Gerald, the next victim to be inspected, is engaged to Sheila and is said to be more or less exactly like her father, a greedy, ruthless and ambitious businessman.For example when the inspector talks about Eva Smith being sacked from Mr Birling's factory, Gerald agrees with what Mr Birling did. Birling says "If you don't come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking for the earth". Gerald instantly agrees with him "I should say so". He is then brought in to the conversation when the Inspector declares "she changed her name to Daisy Renton".

The inspector had now caught him out and was determined to catch Gerald out in his lies which were soon to be exposed. As soon as the Inspector said the name Daisy Renton, Gerald's reaction showed he was aware of that name.He was startled "What", then going on to say "Do you mind if I give myself a drink, Sheila? ", to escape the intensity of the inspector. This immediately gave the Inspector a chance to put Gerald through the test, as his guilty conscience finds him out. As soon as he left Sheila the Fiance of Gerald got curious and was eager to know, how he knew Eva Smith or in other words Daisy Renton. The look on Gerald's face when the inspector mentions the name of daisy Renton gave away his secret to Sheila.

All of this was due to the inspector's dramatic intervention.The inspector makes each of the characters think about what they've done and related it to the brutal death of Eva Smith. This makes the characters feel responsible for

this tragic event, and so they are left with a guilty conscience. Each character that is inspected, is intimidated and left full of guilt and sorrow. This gives the audience the ability to know more about the character, and what they can be like.

Like with Sheila no one really new how jealous and antagonistic she could be, until the inspector manipulated there conversation and got her to tell him everything.The inspector gradually brings his questioning to his next convict, Mrs Birling. She's a traditional woman who respects her husband. Her actions show how parallel she is to Mr Birling, and how critical and self centred. The inspectors interrogating shows how she discredits Eva "Girls of that class" this is the sought of capitalists view priestly is trying to bring out.

Mrs Birling was a member of the Brumbleys woman's charity organisation; this Organisation was to protect destitute women who were in need and desperate for money. However Mrs Birling was responsible for rejecting Eva smith's plea for money when she was destitute. I didn't like her manner she'd impertantly made use of our name", this shows how critical and unjust she is. As she only rejects Eva because she made use of her family name, however the play entails why Eva Smith used that name. This also shows us that she didn't have a good relationship with Eva Smith and this was a part of the killing of Eva Smith also this shows that's Mrs Birling is a upper social class lady in which she doesn't support the idea of charity to those she detests and dislikes.

Personally I believe Mrs Birling is most

to blame for the death of Eva Smith because it was in her hands to help her.But never due to her stubborn self-centred attitude. Her participation in Eva's death was the most appalling as it was her job and obligation to help people in Eva's situation, and so I believe she is most to blame. Eric is the next convict; he is also the last and the youngest, the baby of the family. The inspector asks Mrs Birling about the drinking problems with Eric, Mrs Birling replies "Pretty Hard" this showing us that he is a heavy drinker.

Also in Act 3 when the inspector pressures him about Eva Smiths murder he blames it on his mother and then asks for a drink.I believe Eric is treated like an innocent character, but the inspection clearly shows how he isn't. The inspector shows this by exploiting Mr and Mrs Birlings to be shocked after hearing the revelation of Eric, the so could baby of the family. Who was an extremely heavy drinker and had got Eva Smith pregnant. This disgusted them, even more due to social class difference this reflects the social discrimination going on.

The inspector manipulates the feelings of the audience. The inspector encourages the audience to pity Eva, by discussing in great detail the struggles in her life that influenced her suicide.I believe this is done to encourage the audience to look out for the "Eva's in the world". The inspector is disgusted with the Birlings, but shows some pity toward Sheila and Eric.

This is mainly due to their change of attitude to themselves and their actions. The inspector makes a moral

judgement on the family. A good example would be "But each of you helped to kill her. Never forget that".

This shows that the, inspector really wants to punish the other characters and really rub it in (them all having a part in the death of Eva Smith).To me the inspector is seen as a punisher and is not letting each character's participation in the death go. The supernatural presence of the inspector had a definite effect on the characters his dramatic entrance showed us that he is big in his mind and knows how to get around anything. He works very systematically; he likes to deal with one person and one line of enquiry at a time His method is to confront a suspect with a piece of information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila puts it, "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves.

As we find out he uses these techniques to infinite his knowledge of the death of Eva Smith. Priestly puts his views across through the inspector. Priestly was a socialist; a socialist is equality and fairness between everyone. A socialist person is equal to everyone.

Birlings view is very different to priestly i. e: the rich stay rich or get richer, the poor stay poor or get poorer. By priestly creating characters like the Birlings and making them look bad, he is saying everyone should be equal and should share the wealth of the country.The message is directed at the reader to inform them about both socialist and capitalist people in today's society.

The word ghoul has two meanings, one is a person with

interests the other is demon that eats corpses. I believe the inspector is a ghoul (the first definition). This is mainly because he is an unknown character and no one seems to know him, also he just at the end he just disappears. The play can be watched in two ways, one way would be to entertain. The other is to inform people about both capitalism and socialism.

The play was also created for people to understand the consequences that may occur with a capitalist attitude. This play made me understand more about a capitalist's livelihood, the play also showed me how selfish and prejudge able they are. It also informed me how very different the attitudes of a capitalist and socialists are. But furthermore to look out for the Eva's in the world. The play's aim to enlighten society, of how negative a capitalist view can be was successful. What's more it was both enjoyable and knowledgeable.

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Inspector Goole

Inspector Goole in Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls’ is arguably the most important character. An agent of change and a voice and a voice of personal and social conscience he delivers the main message of the play in his parting speech challenging the Birlings, and the audience, to “Remember” that there are “millions and millions” of people like Eva Smith, all “linked” in some way. Clearly at this stage his examination of the Birlings behaviour and the investigation of the suicide of Eva Smith proves he is the voice of morality.

Goole states “we don’t live alone” and are “responsible for each other”. This message is in direct contrast to the one delivered by Arthur Birling at the start of the play where he claims a man has to “look after himself and his own” I believe it is no coincidence that Inspector Goole joins the play at this point and sets the tone for the conflict the two are going to have throughout the entirety of the play.

The way that Inspector Goole conducts his “investigation” of sorts not only exposes Eva Smiths tragic “chain of Events” which leads to her eventual suicide but also enables the audience to understand each individual characters role in Eva’s death for Sheila getting her fired from her last steady job and Arthur Birling caring to much about “lower costs and higher prices” than his workers welfare.

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Goole is very clear when informing the Birlings and Gerald Croft of the way he like to “go to Work”! He states he will use “one line of inquiry” at a time. He feels to do otherwise would result in a “muddle”. Certainly his way of investigation highlights his polar opposite opinion to Arthur Birling whereas he believes in a “butterfly effect” where each character has individually contributed to the downward spiral of Eva Smith’s life. Goole exposes the guilt of each character.

The Birlings seem, at the beginning of the play to be a respectable “up market” family even Gerald Croft comments that they appear a “nice well behaved” family, but Goole shows this too all be a fake disguise when he reveals through his research methods that they are actually a family which thinks they are “socially” superior and one that is totally centred around power this statement is proved when Arthur Birling says “ ex Lord Mayor” and “ I was on the bench” and this so fought over power is abused many times in the book by the haracters for example when Gerald Croft uses his monetary advantage to abuse Eva for sex and when Sheila uses her father’s name to get Eva fired from her job at Millwoods. The Inspector quickly creates a conflict between the age generations with the elders staying “stuck in their ways” and not taking any kind of responsibility for their role in Eva Smith’s death, whereas the younger generation know they have to “share the guilt” respectively as they are all to blame for Eva’s death.

When Priestly wrote this play I believe he invented the character Inspector Goole to spread his message of “responsibility” through his dialogue this point is proved on many occasions when the inspector speaks to the Birlings about how they must “take responsibility” for their actions” and “share the guilt”. He also has a massive speech just before he leaves the Birlings house to round off everything he has tried to get them to learn. Which even though they later find out he was not actually an Inspector teaches the younger generation at lesson about “responsibility” and the effect their actions had on others.

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An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls: An Analysis of Inspector Goole

The Inspector introduces himself as Inspector Goole, a police officer who has come to scrutinize about a young woman called Eva Smith/Daisy Renton. Half way through act one when the Inspector arrives, J.B Priestley describes him as a man of “massiveness, solidity and purposefulness” this shows that he is an imposing figure who will control the play and be the centre of the it too.

The Inspector knows how to make an entrance and an exit too. Firstly he interrupts the Birling family gathering this shows that his timing is crucial. Priestley has the Inspector ring the bell just as Arthur says “a man has to mind his own business”. It’s as if Birling’s statement summons the Inspector to prove the exact opposite. The Inspector uses exits as a clever tactic. At the end of act one the Inspector Leaves Sheila and Gerald alone together this lets Sheila question Gerald and allows the time for mistrust to break them apart. The stage directions where “as Eric moves, the Inspector looks from Sheila to Gerald, then goes out with Eric.” This also makes it easier to get Gerald to confess when the Inspector returns. The Inspector says that if the Birlings don’t learn their lesson, they will be taught it in “Fire and Blood and Anguish”. After his last exit there’s a sudden silence because no one else is speaking. The audience, like the characters on stage, are left “starring, subdued and wondering”.

The Inspector arrives very unexpectedly which shows he’s a man of mystery that’s why in the last act Mr Birling says “Was it a hoax”. He is described as authoritative and imposing. He’s not a big man – but his presence fills the room.

Inspector Goole has come to the house to stir the consciences of the Birlings. He does this when he first mentions what happened to Daisy Renton is an example of emotive language “Two hours ago a young woman died in the infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course.” He says that she’s now lying “with a burnt-out inside on a slab”. This has been mentioned several times which is shocking for the audience and should also be for the Birlings. Sheila and Eric are the characters most affected by what the Inspector says unlike their parents.

His “Authority” strengthens his strong Ethical tone. He makes sure that everyone recognises that he’s in charge; he does this by showing he is not impressed with Mr Birling’s achievements but also by “massively” interrupting which means that he cuts into the dialogue “with authority”. His authority makes people take him more seriously and makes everything he says sound more important.

The Inspector happens to be more ruthless to some people than others for example Mr and Mrs Birling need firmer treatment. Firstly he answers his own questions for example when Sybil refuses to confess there was a committee meeting he says, “You know very well there was, Mrs Birling” this shows that it he doesn’t like their answers he will answer for them. Secondly in order to piece up a confession he asks question after question for example when Sybil won’t say she convinced the committee to reject Eva Smith’s application he asks “Was it or was it not your influence?” Lastly he says he’s found “a rough sort of a diary” which was written by Daisy/Eva.

The Inspector is the driving force of the play because he’s the one who asks the questions but he knows all the answers. The Inspector forces more information out of the family by bluntly saying what the other characters try to hide. For example when Gerald’s describing how he met Daisy Renton, the Inspector asks “and then you decided to keep her – as your mistress?” but it’s not a real question, it just makes Gerald admit the truth. Being blunt is one of the Inspectors tactics. He also tells new information which heightens the drama, such as when he drops it into the conversation “that girl was going to have a child”.

Priestly uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece. The Inspector doesn’t have a neutral position in the play because he’s on Eva/Daisy side, and he tells the Birling what he thinks of them. Priestley’s own views are reflected in the opinions of the Inspector. This is made clear during the last speech the Inspector said because the way he is speaking to the Birling family, Priestly could be saying the speech to the play’s audience.

Toward the end of the play, the audience aren’t sure who or what the Inspector is. His name sounds like the word “Ghoul” which means ghost. Or he could be religious or moral figure. The Inspector also has the attitude of a philosopher and social observer and has a good knowledge of Daisy Renton/Eva Smith. Also Mr and Mrs Birling together don’t think he has the authority to tell them off because he isn’t a police officer. The only people who realise the Inspectors moral judgement is just as important as his legal power is Sheila and Eric. But Sheila and Eric don’t know that he is not an Inspector and that he has no legal power until the end. The Inspector leaves the family with a message “We are responsible for each other” which shows that he is becoming to sound less like an Inspector. Also his final speech is said as though he is a Politician.

The Inspector summarises that Arthur Birling started it all by sacking Eva Smith. Sheila Birling turned her out of her second job. Gerald kept her as a mistress and made her happy for a while. Eric “used her” because he was drunk. And lastly Sybil Birling refused her a “pitiable little bit of organized charity”. Lastly the play has a strong message about looking after one another, and it was the Inspector’s job to deliver it.

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