An Inspector Calls - Indepth Analysis
How is the inspector's demeanour? ✔️✔️He arrives at a critical time - to interrupt Mr Birling and his
selfish views: 'a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and - We hear
the sharp ring of a front doorbell.' The Inspector's role is to show that this is not the case.
He is described in the stage directions as giving 'an impression of massiveness, solidity and
purposefulness'. He takes charge immediately and remains in control throughout. He remains solid as
each of them breaks down and nothing distracts him from his purpose.
He is clearly there to challenge and investigate. He has a habit of 'looking hard' at the person he is
interrogating before starting to speak. This unnerves the characters.
He directs the investigation carefully, dealing with 'one line of enquiry at a time'. Therefore, he is
controlling the structure of the play.
He is a teacher - to teach each character (and the audience) of the importance of social responsibility.
He uses aggressive, shocking emotive language to make the characters feel guilty for the part they
played in Eva Smith's death: 'she died in misery and agony'
How does Priestley use the Inspector to voice his message on Social Responsibility? ✔️✔️Indeed, it
may be said that An Inspector Calls is a play more centred on themes and ideas than one driven by plot.
Hence, Priestley uses a number of devices throughout the text to convey his ideas about social
responsibility - juxtaposition being perhaps one of the more significant strategies employed by Priestley
to highlight his ideas about the community and social responsibility. Thus, when Mr Birling - a
stereotypical construct of Aristocratic English society - presents his monologue about the „unsinkable
Titanic‟ and the „scaremongers making a fuss about nothing‟, the audience are immediately made
aware of his ignorance and self-inflated, pompous attitude, thus casting doubt over his capitalist ideas
about „mind[ing] his own business‟. This, then, is in direct contrast to the Inspector‟s message on
socialism, further highlighted by the clever timing of the doorbell which is designed not only to unnerve
the audience and the characters, but to create a conflict between Mr Birling and the Inspector.
This conflict between the Inspector and Arthur Birling serves as a powerful dichotomy of ideas -
between capitalism and socialism - and is thus amply exploited by Priestley to highlight both the way
things were in British society during the Pre-World War 1 era, and the immense need for change. This
juxtaposition and power play, thus, add strength to the ideas presented by Priestley. The use of the
Inspector as author surrogate gives further credence to the socialist ideal and is enforced through
Priestley‟s clever crafting of characters; Birling who is set up as a sanctimonious, arrogant, yet ignorant
fool is juxtaposed by the Inspector - a modest, yet informed individual who represents the common
people; Mrs Birling who is clearly disliked by Priestley himself, is portrayed as an egotistical, uncaring
and self-important
,how Priestley uses the inspector to get the message of social responsibility? further ✔️✔️The contrast
between the characters of Mr and Mrs Birling to that of Sheila and Eric also help to highlight the gradual
change affecting pre-World War 1 society which led to a demand for better working conditions for the
working classes, and a smudging of those lines which, until then, so uncompromisingly defined the social
classes. Accordingly, the younger generation - represented by the characters of Eric and Sheila - portray
societal shifts towards greater equality and, subsequently, become author surrogates to some extent,
joining forces with the Inspector to give further weight to Priestley‟s socialist ideal. The conflict between
the Inspector and Mr Birling are sustained not only by the use of dramatic irony to create a negative
impression of Birling and a lack credibility which impacts on the audience‟ perception of his values, but
through his shaping of the Inspector‟s character who, despite his muted and inferior appearance, is
revealed to be the most authoritative voice in the play; the almost transcendent, god-like voice given to
the Inspector by Priestley, which carries forward this vital message about society, individuals and the
need for human understanding and compassion, though ignored by the two older members of the
family, finds root in the hearts of the younger members- the generation who will, in time, be responsible
for shaping a new society, and thus, those who matter most.
This authority stems not only from his role of Inspector, but through his persistent use of Socratic
questioning which is merciless and unforgiving towards the other characters despite their social
superiority. Moreover, Priestley‟s perpetual use of the word „authority‟ to describe the Inspector‟s
manner, tone and register, along with his frequent referral to the Inspector‟s „cutting in‟ of other‟s
speech, immediately gives hi
'The Inspector need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and
purposefulness.' 'cutting through, massively' ✔️✔️The Inspector assumes control, which is a
disturbing shift for Birling and he immediately tries to regain it. The Inspector interrupts Birling 'cutting
through, massively'. The omniscient Inspector is used by Priestley to further convey his views on
collective / social responsibility. The Inspector is used very effectively to highlight the corruption and the
selfish attitudes of the Edwardian society. Compare this description to Mr Birling at the beginning. Not
physically large but has authority and presence. The adjectives, massiveness and "solidity" almost feels
he is that solid, impenetrable object which will metaphorically sink this family. Notice again, he like Mr
Birling is also in his fifties. We, the audience, are being invited to compare these men. The three
adjectives are significant as they are used to describe the presence of the inspector and demonstrate his
disruption to the natural hierarchy of the house. Each adjective, in a sense elevates the inspector above
Mr Birling. Structure of the language is important, the words appear long visually and also verbally,
heightening the idea that the Inspector is a huge power which with only words will bring down a family.
'Cutting through massively' ✔️✔️The directions describe the way the Inspector talks to members of
the family and is repeated constantly throughout the play to show his power. The inspector is like the
sharp sword of justice, cutting through the lies of the family. Whenever Priestley describes the
Inspector, he uses the semantic field of size: showing the sheer importance of this man, and his power.
,'We hear the sharp ring of the bell. Birling stops to listen.' ✔️✔️The inspector arrives just after Birling
has made his capitalist speech and the "sharp ring of the bell" interrupts his speech on "social
responsibility, it is almost as if the inspector was summoned by the words of avarice uttered out of
Birling's mouth. The ring of the bell is "sharp" meaning that it is almost cutting through Birling's words.
'dressed in a plain, darkish suit of the period' ✔️✔️The adjective "darkish" connotes an imagery of
something ominous and sinister. The fact that the Inspector is dressed in a "darkish suit of the period"
could purport that the Inspector is going to inaugurate some gloom and misery into the Birling family
and the post-war audience in the reality of some 'darker' aspects of the Edwardian society, such as the
growing division of the proletarians and bourgeois, and the deep-rooted patriarchal society where rich
Edwardian men, in particular, use and abuse women due to their authority and status. The otherwise
ignorant Birling family are seeing the world through 'rose-tinted glasses' and believe "everything is
alright". They are unaware of the vast turmoil that many working class individuals faced due to their
harrowing actions. Priestley's motive here was to dress the Inspector plainly was to divert any attention
on his outward appearance and to have the audience focus on on the intended basis of the Inspector,
his dialect and the messages, such as social responsibility that Priestly wanted the audience to procure.
Or Perhaps this "plain...suit" could represent the Inspector's outward simplicity and purity that Priestly
wanted the Inspector to emit. By having him dressed so simply, it gives him a neutral stance - the
audience are unable to identify him as an affluent or working class individual.
'has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person' ✔️✔️His sense of mystery is quite ominous
and means the audience and the characters are scared of him. This could show that he is intimidating
and that he is powerful before speaking as he has taken time to strategically analyse and judge the
person and what he is going to say beforehand. The stare suggests that he is able to read a person by
looking at them and that he can discern what they are thinking; a mind reader.
'The lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and
harder.' ✔️✔️The lighting presents the changing mood of the play - the pink light suggests that the
family see life through rose tinted glasses, they do not see the reality of the impending war, the
suffering of the working classes, etc. The harsher lighting suggests the light of truth which the inspector
brings with him. The light used in an interrogation. It also reveals the truth about the family; they begin
to see each other in a different light. This particular usage of lighting is called a dramatic device, as it
helps tension rise within the play. everything is in a good ambiance until the arrival of the inspector.
After the inspector arrives the lighting becomes harder and brighter changing the mood of the play
"One person and one line of inquiry at a time" ✔️✔️The effect on the reader of the Inspectors
systematic working is one of curiosity, it is not till the closure of the play that we realise that this is due
to the inspector enforcing the idea that he is a real policeman and his ideas are not 'a whole lot of
moonshine'. This allows the audience to reflect on the attributes they share similar with each individual
, character in question. The Inspector uses commanding language as he 'massively takes charge' to show
that he has the floor and will be maintain the authority. He uses instructive language, to, for a change,
deny them something. Shelia says the Inspector is giving the family 'rope so we'll hang ourselves', and
this is an important part in the overall structure of the play.
The Inspector uses Freytag's dramatic arc to evaluate 'one person' at any time and through this allows
the person to solely reflect on their actions alone. The inspectors method provides the overall dynamic
of the play.The idea of Freytag's dramatic arc ties in with the idea that each of the characters questioned
by the Inspector represent or uphold characteristics of the seven deadly sins. Birling perhaps represents
greed, Mrs Birling pride, Sheila envy and anger, both Gerald Croft and Eric represent lust, however Eric
also has traits of greed and laziness. The inspector is attempting to rid each character of their deadly sin,
and therefore the theme of the play revolves around sin and responsibilities. Priestley's intended
purpose for this is to use the inspector to narrate and take the audience through a journey of how the
family's harrow actions led to Eva's suicide.
'A chain of events' ✔️✔️In this fascinating excerpt, the Inspector outlines the nature of the moral
crime the Birlings and Gerald have committed against Eva. Each of them is responsible in part for her
death, and together they are entirely responsible (collective responsibility). This construction is itself a
metaphor for Priestley's insistence that we are all bound up together and responsible communally for
everyone's survival.
'...if men will not learn that lesson, when they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.'
'there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths' ✔️✔️The structure of the
passage is important, it is one of the Inspectors longest periods of dialogue and could be related to a
sermon. These are his final words and signify that he will have a resounding impact. The language used
by the inspector is riddled with collective pronouns such as 'we', 'us' and 'our' showing that through his
brusque language the Inspector is attempting to inflict moral responsibilities and also offers a final
warning for those who choose not to accept their responsibility in the part of Eva's death.
The Inspector's final lines, from a longer speech he makes shortly before his exit, are a blistering delivery
of Priestley's socialist message. Moreover, his promise of "fire and blood and anguish" also looks
forward to the First and Second World Wars, a resonance, which, to Priestley's 1946 audience, must
have been quite chilling. This can be read in two ways - a foreshadowing of the world wars in which men
were taught in fire, blood and anguish and a pessimistic prediction of world war 3 OR a religious
metaphor that men will be condemned to a hell on earth if they cannot live together.
This image would have clearly had a great impact on the first audiences who would have seen the
horrors of world war 1 and 2 first hand. The speech is composed of complex sentences, which are
referential (utterances that provide information) and short sentences that are expressive (utterances
that express the speaker's feelings). Priestley makes great use of these short sentence structures in
