A Review of An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley This play is written by J.B. Priestley in 1945 but is set in an earlier period before World War I. Priestley has wanted us to accept our responsibility for all our work, in this play and has preached a compassionate and broad type of socialism. The Inspector, an enigmatic figure, is used to portray this message. It is through the idea of the detective thriller, that Priestley conveys his moral message, which particularly had considerable dramatic impact on the audiences at that time. The purpose of Inspector’s visit in the play is the same as Priestley’s purpose for writing the play as they both want to reveal the truth and help to change the attitudes of people towards the society. In this play, Priestley uses the Inspector as a substitute of him self to put his socialist points across which adds drama in the play because we have to think about what he is trying to do. Priestly conveys his message through the character of the Inspector who although is not real but adds a great deal of tension and drama. The inspector in the play plays a role of a socialist as he is against capitalist views and so is Priestley. The play concerns the Birling’s who are celebrating their daughter’s engagement to Gerald Croft at the beginning of the play. The evening celebration was for Sheila, Mr Birling’s daughter, and Gerald’s engagement. During the night they talk about joyful memories and good times. Mr Birling, who is a successful factory owner, frequently comments about his status in society, even whilst Gerald and the reader know that his wife Sybil, who is said to be “rather cold”, is social... ... middle of paper ... ...matic impact because the audience feels, responds and takes sides with characters as they are being questioned and are involved throughout the play. However post war audiences would appreciate Priestley’s divination of a lesson, ‘they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish’. Overall, the message that priestly is trying to convey is that we all should take responsibility for our actions and consider the consequences that might have for other members of society. Priestley is also trying to say that we shouldn’t keep things secret because our conscience could unravel them. Though he is successful in changing the younger generation, but cannot change the older generation. The play ends with suspense, as the family have to face the consequences of not learning their mistakes, which priestly wants to ‘tell’ us.
Priestley mainly uses the characters in the play to present his views, especially Mr and Mrs Birling, to present his ideas about class and society. In the Birling family, Mrs Birling is the most upper class, and is always referring to the lower class female factory workers such as Eva Smith as ‘girls of that class’. She seems to think that working class people are not humans at all.
There would be more of an effect on the audience at the time, as it
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
This caused workers to become better organised and strikes were becoming more frequent as they demanded better conditions and higher pay. J.B. Priestley was writing the play for a middle class audience and was trying to speak up for the working class by showing how the Birlings and Gerald Croft were all involved in making a young working class girl's life a misery. Priestley wants to show us that we have a responsibility to others to act fairly and without prejudice and that we do not live in isolation. Our actions affect others.
Socialism is one of the greatest messages that Priestley conveys. This message is spoken through the inspector. The Inspector represents Priestley’s strong moral views. Through the play, the Inspector’s character is shown as if he is Priestley’s image, and also shows that he is no ordinary Inspector. His character is shown as if he is more concerned with morality than legality, other than that of an ordinary Policeman/Inspector.
the end of the Second World War. The play is set in 1912, just before
satisfied. He talks a lot and likes the sound of his own voice. He's a
The history of the time the play was written helps us to understand the views and the feelings expressed by Priestley in the play. The inspector transfers Priestley’s views and he shows the difference in social classes at the time. A gap which he wants to diminish. He illustrates the reason for this in the play, via the inspector, where he outlines the ways each of the Birlings have influenced someone from a completely different background and social class. This is the way Priestley viewed pre-war England.
in jeopardy than how he may have driven a young girl down a spiral to
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley The inspector wants to show and teach the Birlings that they are responsible for how they affect the lives of others (Eva Smith). The inspector tries to make the family clear that each uncaring behaviour can produce serious consequences. While the children Sheila and Erik notice and then admit their heartless acting, their parents just see their legal innocence and do not accept any moral guilt. J.B Priestley's main concerns about the class divide were how the middle class treated the working class. Priestley is trying to show that the upper classes are unaware that the easy lives they lead rest upon hard work of the lower classes.
Through his play Priestley endeavoured to convey a message to the audiences, that we could not go on being self obsessed and that we had to change our political views. He used the Birling family as an example of the Capitalist family that was common amongst the higher classes in 1912, who took no responsibility for other people and he showed this with the power of Socialism, represented by the inspector; the uneasy facade put on by the Birling family to cover up their real flaws and how they have treated those whom they considered to be lower class could not stand up to any scrutiny without shame for what had happened, showing that they know they have been wrong.
I have decided to stage a section of the play from where Eric says "He
... Eva Smiths all over the world and that we are all members of one body
... may mean that if a person does not learn from their mistakes the first
The Message of An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley An Inspector CallsA moral crime has been committed against a girl