An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls

In act one of ‘An inspector Calls’ how does J.B. Priestley use dramatic devices to convey his concerns and ideas to the members of the audience, as well as interest and involve them in the play?

‘An Inspector Calls’ is a thriller, written by J.B. Priestley in 1945 at the end of World War II but it was set in 1912 two years before World War I. Priestley was concerned about social conditions for working class people in Britain at the time he wrote the play and he wants his audience to realise that society has to care for the poor and unfortunate. He does this by making the Birling family represent well off middle class society and using Eva Smith to represent the poor and needy. At the end of World War II Priestley wanted to change poor people's lives for the better and chose to do this by writing ‘An Inspector Calls’, to improve public awareness especially among the middle classes.

Various dramatic devices are used to influence the audience, to show that Mr. and Mrs. Birling are not right in their views- that everybody does not have to look after each other. Dramatic irony is used to show that that they themselves are wrong too. Birling said “The Titanic, she sails next week … every luxury, and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.” This allows the audience to see that Mr. Birling is not right with what he says and it makes Birling sound arrogant and naïve. Mr. Birling also talks about the community and how you should only look after yourself. “Community and all that nonsense …a man has to look after himself and his own” This is the opposite of the message of the play and Priestly shows this by introducing the inspector.

As the inspector enters the lighting changes form a pink and intimate scene to a hard, harsh lighting after the inspector is arrives. This represents an interrogation with the intense white bright light and it makes the audience notice a change of mood in the play. The happy environment is quickly changed to a more questioning and suspicious setting, the contrast of the comfortable condition of the lighting before the inspector enters to after the inspector arrived at the Birling’s home shows a change in mood and story in the play.

In addition, the ring of the doorbell also helps portray this change. It surprises the Birlings because it is not a part of their scheduled lives so they are automatically disturbed by it. This affects the audience in the sense that they want to see what is about to happen and it creates suspense. It also introduces a new character- Inspector Goole. This affects the mood and personality of the other characters; Mr. Birling instantly tries to show the inspector that he is the alpha with a high up status, “I was an alderman for years- and Lord Mayor two years ago”, he tries to show the inspector his authority by name dropping. However the inspector is not interested and this surprises Mr. Birling. He has another go of showing power over his children, “Nothing to do with you Sheila, now run along.” Though the inspector counteracts him and challenges his role of the dominant male in the house, by saying “No wait a minute Miss Birling”.

As the Inspector is turning into the more dominant and respectable male in the house, this immediately makes Mr. Birling very angry. Sheila, one of the youngest characters instantly respect the inspector because they don’t show any resistance against him in questioning. Unlike Mr. and Mrs. Birling they take up the message he is trying to put across and try to respect it, not just dismiss it out of principal. However they still all feel intimidated with a higher-powered figure in their household. Mr. Birling knows that the inspector has a higher status but he won’t accept it.

Many of the characters exit at certain points in the play to make it more interesting. Just as the inspector is about to question Gerald, he leaves so Sheila can explain to Gerald that the inspector is a powerful figure and will just break down barriers if they are put in front of him. If Gerald started lying to him then he would just break down to the truth and put Gerald in a worse position. This lets the audience see how the inspector influences the characters, that the younger ones are admitting what they feel and that Mr. and Mrs. Birling just keep it locked inside them. Gerald is at the stage where he does not know which path to take, so this exit of the inspector allows Sheila to try and bring him to the level where he admits that he has done wrong. That he will listen to the message that Priestley is trying to show. This lets the plot generate into something more interesting because you can see how somebody is confused and does not know which path to take, this instantly becomes a point for the audience to watch so they can see what will happen to him, it creates suspense in the plot. At the end of this talk Sheila and Gerald have the inspector enters and says, “Well?” This shows that he purposefully left them so that they could learn from themselves the message he is trying to give. Also the absence of Mrs. Birling during the opening parts of the play allows her to come in later and still be in a confident mood, when everybody else is regretting what they have done. This makes the play less boring and keeps the audience tense at all times and keeps them watching with interest.

The end of act one is a small cliffhanger. It ends with the inspector entering after Sheila and Gerald have had the talk about how the inspector will just break down any walls they try to build up around themselves. This leaves the audience tense and on the ‘edge of their seats’ waiting to see what Gerald will say to the inspector. This is good because the audience is not kept bored when the act ends. They have things to think about, to contemplate and discuss. This is always better because the different audience members can show their different viewpoints to each other straight away, as soon as the act ends. This leaves everybody with anticipation to see what will happen further into the play, so they can see if they were right if their viewpoints towards the play were relevant. All in all it keeps the audience interested. The irony used at the end symbolises that most of at one is actually ironic in retrospect.

The irony used helps the audience decipher what kind of play it is. That it is a drama that requires thinking about. People only realise that most of act one is ironic if they actually think about what has been shown so far. They realise that Mr. Birling has been talking about how every man should look after himself and nobody else, then the inspector has come in and shown that he is wrong. The audience only realises this if they think about what the inspector is actually trying to tell the Birlings. This makes the audience think about the message more, that they can learn from it.

Language used is to break up the family. The younger two have more relaxed speech; they are not so posh as Mr. or Mrs. Birling. It breaks up the social class in the family again showing how one side of the family takes the message one way, also how the younger half take the message in the way Priestley wants them too. Devices are used so you become friendlier with Sheila and Gerald than you do with the two older adults. These devices are shown through many ways, including the language, where Mr. and Mrs. Birling would be too upper class for you to respect and listen too.

“Mrs. Birling I don’t suppose we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class…” “Sheila Mother don’t … for your own sake”

Through all of these devices Priestley’s message can be shown to the audience. The main way to show this is through the way in which the inspector influences the younger characters. You slowly come to respect the three younger characters a lot more that the older two characters. From the start you look at the Birlings as an upper class family who are just enjoying a good night together. As soon as the inspector enters they both spilt into two different sections. The younger ones who listen, and the older ones who don’t. Your opinion changes rapidly of Mrs. Birling as she is shown to be the most upper class person there, with a slight disgust at her attitudes towards other people who do not have the same social status as her. Mr. Birling is not as upper class, but as you see how his attitudes are towards treating lower class in the workplace you come to take a disliking to him also. With Sheila and Eric you become more respectful, as you transfer your respect you had for the older Birlings to them. They admit what they have done is wrong and are distraught by it. They instantly get a sympathy factor from the audience as Mr. and Mrs. Birling doesn’t. This involves the audience in what he is trying to say. They become more in touch with the emotions of Sheila and Eric, as they have not built a wall around them and what they feel. You can relate to them well. With Mr. and Mrs. Birling you cannot see through the wall around them and do not know what to think about them. You cannot relate as well as you would like, so you come to dislike them. These devices are all used to show what the playwright’s message is. That every one of us is in a link with every body else. Anything we do in life affects those around us, even if we don’t realise this. This message is put across well to the audience in the above methods. The several methods mean that the message will make sense to more people. Where in some areas somebody does not see a message, in the same area some people might. This lets the writer reach the majority of people watching the play. This can still be seen to today as a relevant message. As not everybody is perfect and still people continue to hurt one another, maybe without realizing it. Some people do things to others that they think is a joke, but to the other person it could be hell. Some people don’t realize that they are hurting the other. This ties in with the message that Priestley is trying to show, that you can hurt somebody without realising it. Even without fully knowing somebody you can hurt them, even if you don’t mean too.