An Inspector Calls

In 1945, J.B. Priestley created a masterpiece of a play, “An Inspector Calls”. Set in 1912, around the time of the suffragettes and the titanic, a middle-class family are blamed for the suicide of a girl named Eva Smith. In some strange way they are all connected. J.B. Priestley made the middle-class out to be stupid and greedy. He wanted to show how a rich family, living in the fictitious town of Brumley, lived on the brink of the First World War and how greed can control there life. He thought everyone should be equal.

Arthur Birling, Sheila Birling, Sybil Birling, Eric Birling and Gerald Croft are who Inspector Goole questions. Arthur was the first to be questioned. He is wealthy and can be classed as greedy. He sacked Eva Smith from her job at his factory ‘Birling and Company’ for leading a protest to have a raise in their wages. He believes he is not to blame as he says, “I only did what any employer might have done”. J.B. Priestley makes him out to look greedy and stupid. He did work hard to get to where he is though, so you can feel sorry for him at times. He started off Eva’s downfall.

Sheila Birling is Arthur’s daughter and can be quite self-centred. She got Eva sacked from her job at Millwards, a posh shop, after seeing Eva smiling at her funnily when she was trying on a dress. Sheila was jealous because when Eva held it up to show her, it looked better on Eva. In anger, Sheila went to the manager and got Eva sacked. Sheila feels she is to blame: “…And I know I am to blame – and I’m desperately sorry – but I can’t believe – I won’t believe – It’s simply my fault in the end she – she committed suicide. That would be too horrible”. J.B. Priestley makes Sheila out to be the one who learns most from the experience as she is young and is not rich and powerful yet.

Gerald is the son of the owner of ‘Crofts Limited’ and engaged to Sheila. During the summer months, he had an affair with Eva Smith; only she had changed her name to Daisy Renton by that time. He is disgusted in himself even though he had made Daisy very happy. When they broke up she was expecting it: “She didn’t blame me at all. I wish to god she had now. Perhaps I’d feel better about it”. J.B. Priestley also makes Gerald learn a lot, as he is very similar to Sheila. J.B. Priestley shows how middle-class people can betray each other but I don’t think Gerald is solely to blame.

Mrs Birling, Arthur’s wife, is very full of herself and is a proud woman. She refused to give Eva help when she went to her at the ‘Brumley Women’s Charity Organization’ where women in distress can appeal for help in various forms. She is certain she is not to blame for Eva’s suicide: “I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all”. Eva was pregnant at the time so Sybil shifted the blame onto the father of the child: “Go and look for the father of the child – It’s his responsibility”. J.B. Priestley makes her look stupid, as the father is blatantly her own son Eric. She is very ignorant and dismisses the whole thing.

Eric is young, fun loving and can be quite wild at times. He met Eva one night and kept seeing her after that, even though he didn’t love her. He was the one who got Eva pregnant. He doesn’t believe he is the only one to blame though: “…And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her – and that’s what matters”. You feel sorry for Eric, as he is only young. J.B. Priestley makes him out to be the son who goes wild though his mother and father don’t know. I can imagine him being very spoilt as well.

The Inspector seems to have a low opinion of the middle-class, it is almost as if he is J.B. Priestley. He wants to humiliate them by grinding out the truth, uncovering their secrets and making a mockery of them. He must really dislike them, as, in his eyes, they are greedy and power hungry.

I feel they are all to blame for Eva’s suicide. They all played a big part in her decision. Arthur started it all off and Sybil delivered the killer blow. It was intriguing to try and pick out who was to blame. The younger generation seem to take it very seriously whereas the older generation are proud and dismiss the accusations.

The message in this play is that the middle-class citizens should take more care for the people around that are not as well off as they are. Eva’s character represented a poor peasant who could only rely on her job and her health. The play showed how she was pushed to one side by the middle-class who only care about wealth.

This play is still very popular today because it is very interesting and a play that keeps you guessing. A lot of people like mysteries and it is such a fantastic piece of work. To think about the time it was written it is very impressing. The wars have changed everything though, and that kind of life style is very rare nowadays.

If I had to blame someone, I’d blame the Middle-Class as I think J.B. Priestley is trying to make them represent politicians who send innocent people to war.