An Inspector Calls

CONTEXT: An Inspector Calls

• JB Priestley was born in Yorkshire in 1894. He knew early on that he wanted to become a writer, but decided against going to university as he thought he would get a better feel for the world around him away from academia.
• Much of his writing was ground-breaking and controversial. He included new ideas about possible parallel universes and strong political messages.
• During the Second World War he broadcast a massively popular weekly radio programme which was attacked by the Conservatives as being too left-wing. The programme was eventually cancelled by the BBC for being too critical of the Government.He continued to write into the 1970s, and died in 1984.
• During the 1930's Priestley became very concerned about the consequences of social inequality in Britain, and in 1942 Priestley and others set up a new political party, the Common Wealth Party, which argued for public ownership of land, greater democracy, and a new 'morality' in politics.
• An Inspector Calls is set in 1912
• An Inspector Calls was written in 1945.
• Priestley deliberately set his play in 1912 because the date represented an era when all was very different from the time he was writing. In 1912, rigid class and gender boundaries seemed to ensure that nothing would change. Yet by 1945, most of those class and gender divisions had been breached. Priestley wanted to make the most of these changes. Through this play, he encourages people to seize the opportunity the end of the war had given them to build a better, more caring society.

Society in 1912 compared to 1945

• Society in 1912
• The First World War would start in two years. Birling's optimistic view that there would not be a war is completely wrong.
• There were strong distinctions between the upper and lower classes.
• Women were subservient to men. All a well off women could do was get married; a poor woman was seen as cheap labour.
• The ruling classes saw no need to change the status quo.
• Society in 1945
• The Second World War ended in Europe on 8 May 1945. People were recovering from nearly six years of warfare, danger and uncertainty.
• Class distinctions had been greatly reduced as a result of two world wars.
• As a result of the wars, women had earned a more valued place in society
• There was a great desire for social change. Immediately after The Second World War, Clement Attlee's Labour Party won a landslide victory over Winston Churchill and the Conservatives.

THE PLOT: Act 1a

• 
• The Birling family are holding a dinner party to celebrate the engagement of Sheila to Gerald Croft, the son and heir of Mr Birling's rival in business.
• Although there are a few signs that not everything is perfect (Mr Birling is a bit too anxious to impress Gerald, Eric seems rather nervous and Sheila playfully rebukes Gerald for not having come near her the previous summer) there is a happy, light-hearted atmosphere.
• When the ladies leave the men to their port, Mr Birling has a 'man to man' chat with Gerald and Eric, advising them that a man needs to look after himself and his own family and not worry about the wider community.
• As he is telling them this, the door bell rings. Inspector Goole enters, an impressive, serious man whom none of them has heard of.

THE PLOT: Act 1b

• 
• Inspector Goole announces that he has come to investigate the suicide of a young working-class girl who died that afternoon.
• Her name was Eva Smith.
• After seeing a photograph of her, Birling admits that she used to be one of his employees: he discharged her when she became one of the ring-leaders of a strike asking for slightly higher wages.
• Birling justifies sacking her by saying he paid his workers the usual rates; he cannot see that he has any responsibility for what happened to her afterwards.

THE PLOT: Act 1c

• 
• When Sheila enters, the Inspector reveals that he would also like to question her about Eva Smith's death.
• He tells Sheila that Eva's next job was at a big shop called Milwards, but that she was sacked after a customer complained about her.
• When she too is shown a photograph of the girl, Sheila is very affected. She admits that it was her fault that Eva was sacked: when Sheila had gone in to try on a dress that didn't suit her, she had caught Eva smirking to another shop assistant - in her anger, Sheila had told the manager that if Eva wasn't fired, Mrs Birling would close their account.
• Sheila is hugely guilty and feels responsible for Eva's death.
• When the Inspector then states that Eva, in despair, changed her name to Daisy Renton, Gerald Croft's involuntary reaction reveals that he knew her too.
• When the act ends, the audience is poised to find out what part Gerald had to play in her death.

THE PLOT: Act 2a

• 
• After some tense words between Sheila and Gerald, an attempt by Mrs Birling to usher the Inspector away and the revelation that Eric Birling is a hardened drinker, Gerald admits that he too had known Daisy Renton.
• He had met her at the local Variety Theatre - known to be the haunt of prostitutes - and had 'rescued' her from the unwelcome attentions of Alderman Meggarty, a local dignitary.
• When he found out that Daisy was almost penniless, Gerald let her stay in the flat of a friend of his and she became his mistress.
• He ended the affair when he had to go away on business, giving her some money to see her through for a few months.

THE PLOT: Act 2b

• Sheila is glad to have heard this confession from her fiancé, although Mrs Birling is scandalised.
• Once Gerald has left to go for a walk and get over the news of Daisy's death, Inspector Goole shows a photograph to Mrs Birling. She grudgingly admits that she had seen the girl two weeks previously, when the girl - now pregnant - had come to ask for financial assistance from the Brumley Women's Charity Organisation.
• Mrs Birling was the chairwoman and persuaded the committee to turn down the girl's appeal on the grounds that she had the impudence to call herself Mrs Birling and because she believed that the father of the child should bear the responsibility.
• She says the girl refused to let the father of the child support her because she believed money he had given her previously to be stolen, yet Mrs Birling is proud of refusing the girl aid.
• She claims that she did her duty and sees no reason at all why she should take any blame for the girl's death.
• 

THE PLOT: Act 2c

• Right at the end of the scene, as Mrs Birling denounces the father of the child and claims he needs to be made an example of, Sheila (and the audience) realise that Eric is involved. When Eric comes into the room, the act ends.
• 

THE PLOT: Act 3a

• There is a bitter meeting between Eric and his parents, which the Inspector interrupts so that he can question Eric.
• Eric tells the story of his own involvement with the girl. He had met her in the same theatre bar as Gerald, had got drunk and had accompanied her back to her lodgings.
• He almost turned violent when she didn't let him in, so she relented and they made love.
• When he met her two weeks later they slept together again and soon afterwards she discovered that she was pregnant.
• She did not want to marry Eric because she knew he didn't love her, but she did accept gifts of money from him until she realised it was stolen.
• Eric admits that he had taken about £50 from Mr Birling's office - at which Mr and Mrs Birling are furious
• 

THE PLOT: Act 3b

• All the Birlings now know they played a part in the girl's death.
• Mr and Mrs Birling are concerned about covering up their involvement, whereas Sheila and Eric are more aware of the personal tragedy and feel guilty.
• The Inspector leaves, after delivering a strong message about how we all should be responsible for each other.
• 

THE PLOT: Act 3c

• After he has left, and the family has begun to consider the consequences of what has been revealed, they gradually begin to wonder about the Inspector.
• Was he real? When Gerald returns from his walk he explains that he also had suspicions about the Inspector and had found out that there is no Inspector Goole on the force, which Birling confirms with a phone call.
• They gradually realise that perhaps the Inspector conned them - he could have showed each person a different photograph - and when they telephone the infirmary, they realise that there hasn't been a suicide case for months.
• Birling is delighted, assuming they are now all off the hook, while Sheila and Eric maintain that nothing has changed - each of them still committed the acts that the Inspector had accused them of, even if they did turn out to be against five different girls.
• 

THE PLOT: Act 3d

• Then the telephone rings.
• Mr Birling answers it, and after hanging up tells the family that it was the police on the line: an inspector is on his way to ask questions about the suicide of a young girl...
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