How does Priestley convey his message in An Inspector Calls?
Being a co-founder of the Socialist Commonwealth Party, Priestley felt that his political views on socialism were very important and these views are displayed prominently throughout An Inspector Calls. Priestley uses characters to represent the different generations and also uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece to distribute his views; several critics describe the Inspector as Priestley’s alter ego.
The Inspector conveys Priestley’s most important message, that a change in society’s attitude is required. Through Sheila’s words, “of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t already know yet” we can see that the Inspector is believed to be an omniscient presence. He speaks as if he is divine by referring to the people as men and during his last speech he says, “If men will not learn that lesson, they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” These words are influenced by Priestley’s own experiences fighting in the First World War. Portraying the Inspector as a God-like being suggests that this is an attempt to make the characters remorseful.
Another message put across in An Inspector Calls is that society should be responsible for vulnerable people and it is important to look out for members of the community. Eva Smith is portrayed as a vulnerable person and although she is physically absent from the play, she is psychologically dominant and the audience feel sympathetic towards her. As a way to relate to different types of people, Priestley shows that various people take advantage of Eva Smith. The fact that a number of characters take advantage of her allows the audience to find certain aspects of these characters in themselves. The plot of An Inspector Calls revolves around how several high class people fail to help Eva and Priestley draws from the parable of The Good Samaritan as it depicts how a Jewish man is injured and two high class people do not help him, but the unlikely candidate the Samaritan does, is a reference to the feud between Jews and Samaritans at the time. Priestley uses the reference to the parable to try and reproduce the effective methods that Jesus used to tell society that they are responsible for vulnerable people, despite their differences.
Priestley felt very strongly about equality and this is clearly highlighted in An Inspector Calls by the Inspector. In reply to Gerald’s comment claiming he is a respectable citizen and not a criminal the Inspector comments, “Sometimes there isn’t much of a difference”. This clearly shows that the Inspector can see beyond the social divide and it is possible that Priestley is encouraging his audience to do likewise. Critics claim that Priestley’s references to equality are an attempt to distribute his political views on socialism. This is shown when the Inspector says, “We are all members of one body,” which could also refer to community and responsibility.
Priestley cleverly links the play with the seven deadly sins. As the majority of his audience was Christian at the time and the seven deadly sins were part of Christian teachings, they would find it easy to relate to the seven deadly sins. Each character is linked with one of the sins. Mr Birling’s sin is greed; he wouldn’t pay his workers fair wages. Sheila’s sin is envy; she was jealous of Eva Smith and got her fired. Gerald’s sin is lust; he had an affair with Eva. Eric’s sin is gluttony, seeing as if he was not drunk, he wouldn’t have raped Eva. Mrs Birling’s sin is pride; if she hadn’t been so proud and felt so outraged when Eva used her name, she wouldn’t have contributed to her death. The strong correlation towards the seven deadly sins clearly helps the Christian audience at the time to understand that each of the characters did things that could happen in everyday life and that these things are wrong. I feel that this message is still valid today as many of us commit several of the seven deadly sins and should be looking at the seven virtues instead.
During the play Mr Birling and Mrs Birling represent the older generation in the audience who are reluctant to change their attitudes. For instance, after the Inspector has left, Mr and Mrs Birling are more concerned about “a public scandal”, than Eva Smith. Also Mrs Birling felt she had not done anything wrong and that she had done “no more than her duty”. This suggests that Priestley is saying the direction that society is currently heading towards, will not be changed by the older members of society. Sheila and Eric are used to appeal to the younger generation. Their remorse is highlighted by Sheila saying “I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it.” Even after they discover the Inspector’s deceit, Sheila and Eric feel terrible and try to force their parents to show more remorse also. This can be seen as Sheila says, “(passionately) you’re pretending as if everything’s just as it was before.” She clearly thinks things have changed and wants her parents to realise this too.
Many critics have established a link between the manner that Priestley portrays his characters with a parable from the Bible. It is suggested that Priestley uses the Parable of the Sower as a method of conveying his message. There is a clear similarity between the characters and the seeds. Mr and Mrs Birling represent the seed that fell on rocky ground; they have not learnt anything. Gerald is the seed that landed amongst the thorns and is choked by them; he feels some remorse but then tries to think his way out of the problem. Finally, Sheila and Eric are the seed that fell on good soil, as they feel plenty of remorse. During the 1940’s religion played a big part in society; the audience would have been familiar with this Biblical reference.
Priestley uses Mr Birling to show that the upper class frown upon the people beneath them in the community. The Inspector arrives just after Mr Birling has begun to speak to Eric and Gerald about “community and all that nonsense”. This emphasises that change is needed in society and the fact the older generation are reluctant to change and maybe only younger people are capable of changing their ways. Critics claim that this message cannot affect the public of today’s society as this play was set in times when the country was not a welfare state. In today’s society all poor members of society can claim benefits as long as they meet the criteria to do so. This ensures that most vulnerable people are in the care of the state. Others feel that today’s society can still learn from Priestley’s message as some can feel that “community and all that nonsense” should be taken care of by the government. Priestley will have taken this into consideration and it is clear that he still wants the society to care for the community and ensure that there is no social division created by the people when the government take care of the poorer, more vulnerable people.
Throughout the play Priestley makes it clear that for every action there is a consequence. This is best shown through the characters’ interactions with Eva Smith. Sheila complains and as a result Eva loses her job. Gerald exploits Eva by having an affair with her. Mrs Birling denied Eva help when she needed it most. As a consequence of all these characters’ actions, Eva Smith commits suicide. The characters did not anticipate their actions could lead to such a tragic event. Eva’s death grips the audience from the start and emphasises Priestley’s message that actions have consequences. The audience feels sympathetic towards Eva as she was driven to suicide. The Inspector’s last speech is used to highlight the message that there are millions of Eva and John Smiths “all intertwined with our lives and what we think, say and do.” and we are all responsible for each other.
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 for a post war audience and is set in 1912. Priestley uses the post war vulnerability of the audience as an opportunity to cast his view. Unlike the film interpretation of An Inspector Calls, the original stage production is static. This means that the audience can concentrate on Priestley’s message more intently as they have a greater focus on what is happening and what the Inspector is trying to say to the audience instead of being distracted by different sets and flashbacks.
Several critics of the play claim that Priestley bullies the audience and his methods are didactic; it is almost as effective as government propaganda. Critics call the play ‘Heavy handed’ due to its lack of subtlety. The best example of this is during the Inspectors leaving speech the vicious words, “if men will not learn their lesson they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” This clearly shows Priestley’s views and also supports the theory that the Inspector is an alter ego of Priestley as these words could be relating to Priestley’s experiences in the war. Despite this the lack of subtlety in this closing speech from the Inspector really emphasises that change in society’s attitude is required
Overall, Priestley has a clear message that he is trying to convey. His most successful method is by voicing his opinions through his characters, particularly through the Inspector who is used as a mouthpiece. He also uses Sheila and Eric to convey his message to the younger generation showing that he has hope for them. Through these various methods I believe that Priestley has successfully communicated his message that we should look out for our community, take responsibility and strive for equality. He conveys that people’s actions affect everyone and it is important to try and make these changes happen.
The Inspector conveys Priestley’s most important message, that a change in society’s attitude is required. Through Sheila’s words, “of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t already know yet” we can see that the Inspector is believed to be an omniscient presence. He speaks as if he is divine by referring to the people as men and during his last speech he says, “If men will not learn that lesson, they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” These words are influenced by Priestley’s own experiences fighting in the First World War. Portraying the Inspector as a God-like being suggests that this is an attempt to make the characters remorseful.
Another message put across in An Inspector Calls is that society should be responsible for vulnerable people and it is important to look out for members of the community. Eva Smith is portrayed as a vulnerable person and although she is physically absent from the play, she is psychologically dominant and the audience feel sympathetic towards her. As a way to relate to different types of people, Priestley shows that various people take advantage of Eva Smith. The fact that a number of characters take advantage of her allows the audience to find certain aspects of these characters in themselves. The plot of An Inspector Calls revolves around how several high class people fail to help Eva and Priestley draws from the parable of The Good Samaritan as it depicts how a Jewish man is injured and two high class people do not help him, but the unlikely candidate the Samaritan does, is a reference to the feud between Jews and Samaritans at the time. Priestley uses the reference to the parable to try and reproduce the effective methods that Jesus used to tell society that they are responsible for vulnerable people, despite their differences.
Priestley felt very strongly about equality and this is clearly highlighted in An Inspector Calls by the Inspector. In reply to Gerald’s comment claiming he is a respectable citizen and not a criminal the Inspector comments, “Sometimes there isn’t much of a difference”. This clearly shows that the Inspector can see beyond the social divide and it is possible that Priestley is encouraging his audience to do likewise. Critics claim that Priestley’s references to equality are an attempt to distribute his political views on socialism. This is shown when the Inspector says, “We are all members of one body,” which could also refer to community and responsibility.
Priestley cleverly links the play with the seven deadly sins. As the majority of his audience was Christian at the time and the seven deadly sins were part of Christian teachings, they would find it easy to relate to the seven deadly sins. Each character is linked with one of the sins. Mr Birling’s sin is greed; he wouldn’t pay his workers fair wages. Sheila’s sin is envy; she was jealous of Eva Smith and got her fired. Gerald’s sin is lust; he had an affair with Eva. Eric’s sin is gluttony, seeing as if he was not drunk, he wouldn’t have raped Eva. Mrs Birling’s sin is pride; if she hadn’t been so proud and felt so outraged when Eva used her name, she wouldn’t have contributed to her death. The strong correlation towards the seven deadly sins clearly helps the Christian audience at the time to understand that each of the characters did things that could happen in everyday life and that these things are wrong. I feel that this message is still valid today as many of us commit several of the seven deadly sins and should be looking at the seven virtues instead.
During the play Mr Birling and Mrs Birling represent the older generation in the audience who are reluctant to change their attitudes. For instance, after the Inspector has left, Mr and Mrs Birling are more concerned about “a public scandal”, than Eva Smith. Also Mrs Birling felt she had not done anything wrong and that she had done “no more than her duty”. This suggests that Priestley is saying the direction that society is currently heading towards, will not be changed by the older members of society. Sheila and Eric are used to appeal to the younger generation. Their remorse is highlighted by Sheila saying “I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it.” Even after they discover the Inspector’s deceit, Sheila and Eric feel terrible and try to force their parents to show more remorse also. This can be seen as Sheila says, “(passionately) you’re pretending as if everything’s just as it was before.” She clearly thinks things have changed and wants her parents to realise this too.
Many critics have established a link between the manner that Priestley portrays his characters with a parable from the Bible. It is suggested that Priestley uses the Parable of the Sower as a method of conveying his message. There is a clear similarity between the characters and the seeds. Mr and Mrs Birling represent the seed that fell on rocky ground; they have not learnt anything. Gerald is the seed that landed amongst the thorns and is choked by them; he feels some remorse but then tries to think his way out of the problem. Finally, Sheila and Eric are the seed that fell on good soil, as they feel plenty of remorse. During the 1940’s religion played a big part in society; the audience would have been familiar with this Biblical reference.
Priestley uses Mr Birling to show that the upper class frown upon the people beneath them in the community. The Inspector arrives just after Mr Birling has begun to speak to Eric and Gerald about “community and all that nonsense”. This emphasises that change is needed in society and the fact the older generation are reluctant to change and maybe only younger people are capable of changing their ways. Critics claim that this message cannot affect the public of today’s society as this play was set in times when the country was not a welfare state. In today’s society all poor members of society can claim benefits as long as they meet the criteria to do so. This ensures that most vulnerable people are in the care of the state. Others feel that today’s society can still learn from Priestley’s message as some can feel that “community and all that nonsense” should be taken care of by the government. Priestley will have taken this into consideration and it is clear that he still wants the society to care for the community and ensure that there is no social division created by the people when the government take care of the poorer, more vulnerable people.
Throughout the play Priestley makes it clear that for every action there is a consequence. This is best shown through the characters’ interactions with Eva Smith. Sheila complains and as a result Eva loses her job. Gerald exploits Eva by having an affair with her. Mrs Birling denied Eva help when she needed it most. As a consequence of all these characters’ actions, Eva Smith commits suicide. The characters did not anticipate their actions could lead to such a tragic event. Eva’s death grips the audience from the start and emphasises Priestley’s message that actions have consequences. The audience feels sympathetic towards Eva as she was driven to suicide. The Inspector’s last speech is used to highlight the message that there are millions of Eva and John Smiths “all intertwined with our lives and what we think, say and do.” and we are all responsible for each other.
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 for a post war audience and is set in 1912. Priestley uses the post war vulnerability of the audience as an opportunity to cast his view. Unlike the film interpretation of An Inspector Calls, the original stage production is static. This means that the audience can concentrate on Priestley’s message more intently as they have a greater focus on what is happening and what the Inspector is trying to say to the audience instead of being distracted by different sets and flashbacks.
Several critics of the play claim that Priestley bullies the audience and his methods are didactic; it is almost as effective as government propaganda. Critics call the play ‘Heavy handed’ due to its lack of subtlety. The best example of this is during the Inspectors leaving speech the vicious words, “if men will not learn their lesson they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” This clearly shows Priestley’s views and also supports the theory that the Inspector is an alter ego of Priestley as these words could be relating to Priestley’s experiences in the war. Despite this the lack of subtlety in this closing speech from the Inspector really emphasises that change in society’s attitude is required
Overall, Priestley has a clear message that he is trying to convey. His most successful method is by voicing his opinions through his characters, particularly through the Inspector who is used as a mouthpiece. He also uses Sheila and Eric to convey his message to the younger generation showing that he has hope for them. Through these various methods I believe that Priestley has successfully communicated his message that we should look out for our community, take responsibility and strive for equality. He conveys that people’s actions affect everyone and it is important to try and make these changes happen.
This was originally written by Jade Dalton