Briefly describe the Inspector’s role in the play
- Ideas of male power
- Priestley’s mouthpiece.
- His final speech
- His moralistic language throughout
graphic details about the death of Eva Smith - His investigation focuses on the hidden links between everyone.
- The connection represents how everyone in society is connected, reinforcing the idea that ‘we are all members of one body;
‘Show him in here. Give us some more light’ (to Edna).
No attempt at politeness: short, blunt, monosyllabic.
Imperative verbs ‘show’ and ‘give’- Birling expects his orders to be followed instantly.
Displays class dynamics of the play.
Harsh condescending manner of speech represents how Birling feels about her (and maybe how the wealthy think about the working class)
act 3: ‘Edna’s go. I’ll ask her to wait up’ -she has to work longer than officially.
Offhand comment shows how Birling views it as insignificant, but it affects Edna much more- Mr B doesn’t care about the working class (might represent how upper class don’t care about working class).
Shows struggles of working class having to obey their middle/upper class employers, even if it’s unfair.
It’s in act 3, similar attitude as in act 1 – shows how Mr B hasn’t changed in views towards working class- he still doesn’t care.
‘I don’t play golf’
- Shows his vague character.
- We don’t know what he does, only what he doesn’t do.
- Ambiguity of him makes him seem less like a character, more like a moral force in the play.
- We don’t learn much about him as a person at all.
- Lack of character detail makes us focus on his moral message.
- Makes the message seem less like a message from a character, more like an overall moral lesson (it’s a morality play).
‘no work, no money coming in, and living in lodgings, with no relatives to help her, few friends, lonely, half-starved’ - inspector
- listing, expecting a reaction of sympathy from the characters but also from the audience
‘we often do on the young ones. they’re more impressionable’ - inspector
- as priestley’s mouthpiece, socialist ideas shine through here and represent change + hope for the future
‘to be alone, to be quiet, to remember all that had happened between you’ - inspector
- tricolon, a lot more negative than the previous two emphasising the harsh reality of eva’s death by bringing them back to the presents, also evokes guilt in gerald
‘each of you helped to kill her. remember that. never forget it. [he looks from one to the other of them carefully]’ - inspector
- inspector reminds that eric + the rest of the family that everyone had a role to play in eva’s suicide.
- the stage directions are very intense and powerful and link back to when the inspector was first introduced with his scrutinising gaze
‘one eva smith has gone- but there are millions and millions and millions of eva smiths and john smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering, and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. we don’t live alone. we are members of one body. we are responsible for each other. and i tell you that time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. goodnight’ - inspector
- repetition + polysyndeton of ‘millions and millions and millions’, used to emphasise that eva represents all people in society which is reinforced with her own name (‘eva’ = in biblical terms is the first woman + ‘smith’ = common british surname),
- listing + long sentences which conveys the inspector’s anger + frustration, structure is like a rant, tricolon of ‘what we think and say and do’ has a powerful effect, repetition of the collective pronoun ‘we’ to emphasise how everyone in society is responsible for each other, metaphorical image of ‘body’ (if one part is ill or doesn’t function, the other parts suffer much like society), tricolon of ‘fire and blood and anguish’ is dramatic irony as it links to war + conflict, also is a natural consequence of a capitalist society which promotes socialism instead + the tricolon possibly alludes to hell
- Allusion to WW2, where men did not learn their lesson
- Warning for the audience- change your ways, or face dire consequences
- Or: allusion to hell. Idea of morality and consequences. Responsibility will be forced on you if you don’t change
- The Birlings commit moral crimes, aren’t punished in their society. If they don’t change, turmoil awaits (WW1, hell)
- Violent imagery reminds audience of WW1/2. They want to avoid that again -> makes them want to avoid punishment by learning their lesson
- Intertwined is intimate, connotes a very close connection that is hard to separate. Emphasises how we cannot defy/ignore the connection we all have to each other ‘millions’ is a large number. May be thought of as hyperbole at first, but is probably the truth since there were more than millions of working-class people at that time
- Represents how people underestimate the situation
- A warning for the audience
“It doesn’t much matter now, of course - but was he really a police inspector?” - about inspector, end of act3
- This is an interesting part of the play.
- Priestley plays around subtly with the idea of the supernatural.
- We are never told explicitly that inspector Goole is a ghost or some sort of paranormal being.
- He is however mysterious. Sheila knows that the inspector knows everything that has happened but she doesn’t think he is a police inspector.
- This adds to the element of mystery and enigma around inspector Goole.
- It also suggests that despite all of our best efforts that there are other things beyond the normal reality of cause and effect that will catch up with us, that may expose our crimes, and if we take this even further possibly punish us.
- Goole represents these forces that lie outside the normal material world of cause and effect.
- Thus we need to be careful to be weary of these elements and of course of our actions.
“no, thank you […] im on duty” - inspector, act 1
- immediate moral move from the inspector as alcohol has connotations of immorality
“Need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.” - inspector, act 1
- physical appearance of the inspector
“You’ve had children. You must have known what she was feeling. And you slammed the door in her face.” - inspector act 1
- Inspector trying to appeal to the maternal side of mrs Birling which doesn’t exist.
“we are members of one body” “We are responsible for each other.” - inspector, act 3
- Responsibility/ socialism allusion to genesis
- Everyone is linked
- Contrasts Mr + Mrs Birling’s beliefs
- Theme of social tresponsibility
- Simple sentence shows how the idea is simple yet effective (short sentence has a big impact)
“a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and -“ - Mr Birling, act 1
- interruption of doorbell knock represents inspector coming to interrupt capitalism
“you used the power you had (…)to punish the girl” - inspector, act 1
- inspector blames the power she had rather than sheila as a person, its her influence that makes her do bad things
‘speaks carefully, weightily’ - inspector, act 1
- The use of the adjective “weightily” evidences the impact of the Inspector’s moral message.
- Also, speaking “carefully” directly contrasts Mr Birling, whose speech is diluted with dashes and hesitations.
“Each of you helped to kill her, remember that. Never forget it.” - inspector, act 3
- responsibility - short sentence has emphasis and leaves lasting message. ‘never’ represents how the inspector wants this change to last.
“There are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths” - inspector, act 3
- The name ‘Smith’ has its roots in the working class, originating from ‘blacksmith’, and arguably Priestley does this to demonstrate that her class is a fundamental part of her identity and origins, something that she can’t escape.
- Priestley uses the common name ‘John Smith’ to symbolise the universality of the suffering of the working classes, largely forgotten and neglected by the wealthy
“died in misery and agony - hating life” - inspector, act 2
- After Sheila’s confession, the Inspector reminds her that Eva died terribly.
- The graphic adjectives “misery and agony” encourage the audience to empathise with Eva, visualising the pain and suffering she endured at the hands of the Birlings.
- Priestley intensifies Sheila’s guilt as her enjoyment of life is at the expense of others
“Just used her for the end of a stupid drunken evening, as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person.” - inspector act 3
- eric using eva objectifying her
