Drama at the End of Act Two in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

Writers do portray characters in several way; some are portrayed as bold and courageous while others come out weak and gullible. This essay focuses on the play ‘An Inspector Calls’. This is a play written by J.B. Priestley. It gives an account of how an inspector known as Poole investigates the apparent murder of a young working class woman known as Eva Smith. When the Inspector Poole visits the Birling family, he slowly reveals how every member of that family might have taken part in the murder of Eva. The main issue under discussion is how Priestly strikingly portrays Birling in Act 1 of the play. The main argument is that the author portrays the Birling as a self-centered, selfish and hardheaded businessperson, who does not take care of social responsibility and thus is anti-socialist.

J.B. Priestley's Use of Dramatic Devices to Convey His Concerns and Ideas in An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls is a three-act drama, which takes place on a single night in 1912, and focuses on the Birling family, who live in a wealthy but not particulary homely house in Brumley. The story begins when the mysterious Inspector Goole calls unexpectedly on the prosperous Birling family. The idea of the play, and particularly the role of the inspector, is to try to bring the Birling family to understand that they have a moral responsibility for the death of Eva Smith, if not a legal one. In Act Three, the Inspector tells the Birling family: “The girl killed herself and died a horrible death. But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it.” But who was really the

In my opinion, the play, “An Inspector Calls”, is full of secrets and lies. Each character in the play believes that they do not have a relation with Eva smith’s death, however the deeper into the play that you read, you begin to see how the truth slowly unravels and that the death of the girl is part of a chain connection. Each character had an input in the reason for the girl’s suicide and they slowly become aware of it as they are each being interrogated by the inspector. This proves what society and status has turned society into.

This suggests that since Mrs. Birling is of a higher status, her opinions have never been challenged. When disagreed with, she haughtily replies, “I beg your pardon”, perhaps expecting the Inspector to rephrase his words or even change them altogether. However, when he simply repeats what he previously said, she proceeds to call him “impertinent” and proclaims that they have “reason for taking offence”. This leads the audience to develop a negative opinion towards Mrs. Birling, making the character less likable as the play

"I've done nothing wrong - and you know it!" Mrs Birling exclaims, refusing to take responsibility for her actions, which is just one of the reasons why the audience may not see Mrs Birling as a very likable character. This essay is going to explore how J.B. Priestley creates such a disagreeable character and why the audience feels this way about her.

In the play ‘An Inspector Calls’, written by J.B. Priestley, there are 6 main characters. Sheila Birling, daughter of Sybil and Arthur Birling, is a childish young lady who’s engaged to Gerald Croft, the son of the owner of a successful business. Eric Birling, the youngest out of the family, is a seemingly quiet and insecure man who is consistently ignored and thrown back by his father who in comparison is a highly selfish, egocentric businessman. He only considers himself, money and reputation. His stubborn wife, Sybil, regularly attempts to portray herself as an upper class woman.The Birlings are a very wealthy capitalist household, meaning that they believe in responsibility for themselves and no one else. On the other hand, Inspector Goole,

“An Inspector Calls” is set in the 1912 although it was written during 1945. It is based upon an apparent suicide of a girl called Eva Smith. The reasons for her death are revealed to the audience through a sequence of events that happened before she died. The people who contributed to her death are the members of the capitalist Birling family. The main reason for Inspector’s appearance in the play s to reveal the truth not only about the crime but also to make The Birlings feel collective responsibility for actions or inactions that led to Eva’s death.

has now been removed. To him, now that she is no longer a threat to

throughout the play; as a result of this and when the play is set, the

“An Inspector Calls” is a play written by J.B. Priestly in 1945. The play, which is set in 1912, illustrates the vast status difference in society at the time. Priestly wanted to show to the audience a more dramatic look at the relationship between the wealthy and the poor.

An Inspector Calls is a play which presents the role of responsibility through relationships in the characters Mr Birling and Sheila, where a natural role of responsibility comes through in Mr Birling’s parental role and where the development of Sheila forces the reader to empathise and ultimately understand the role of shared responsibility which Priestley cleverly crafts in the play. Mr Birling, being Sheila’s father, has a natural and innate conscience to care and look after Sheila. However, throughout the

" From the words “wasn’t satisfied” we can infer that she was uninterested in Eva's attempt at lying, which was for her son's benefit, and when Eva reluctantly told the truth, Mrs. Birling was already put off the idea of helping her. This proves once again how selfish Mrs. Birling is. Unless it amuses her, she will not be of assistance which goes against her supposed role. She uses her power to have Eva’s case “removed”, mocking the image of the organisation. However, instead of thinking about the long-term effects, she focuses on the present time.

An Inspector Calls, set in 1912, is a play with many social and political messages. J. B. Priestley believed a great deal in socialism and believed that many other people needed to be more caring about their community and the people in it. Priestley uses the character of the Inspector to convey his own thoughts, feelings and opinions about social issues. However, he also uses other characters, particularly Mr.Birling, to show the audience how cynical some people can be.

In An Inspector Calls, Preistley conveys Mrs Birling as the most unsympathetic character in the play. He does this by having the inspector say to Mrs Birling '[Eva] came to you for help at a time when no woman could have needed it more.’ We know that Mrs Birling turned her down and did not offer any help which shows the reader that she does not care about other peoples needs, even when they are clearly in distress.