An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley Essay -- Papers

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley In Priestley's play An Inspector Calls, the two main characters, Arthur Birling and the Inspector, both show certain features of real people but, in particular the Inspector seems to be representative of political and social issues that were relevant in 1912. What seems like a simple detective thriller, with an inspector asking questions and the other characters answering them in order to find the person responsible for the suicide of Eva Smith (alias Daisy Renton), gradually develops into a complex investigation of political stances, of capitalism and socialism. To answer this question fully, we have to consider many different aspects of Mr Birling and the Inspector's characters. We need to look at the views they express, but we also need to look at their interaction with other characters before we can fully decide whether they have a rounded personality and can thus be considered to be real people or whether they merely represent social and political concepts. We also need to consider the time the play was set in, the events, the setting and the ritual associated with it. In An Inspector Calls many different issues are brought up about social attitudes and political views, but the most important has to be responsibility. In this particular context, Birling and the Inspector clearly have to be seen as representatives of two opposing definitions of responsibility. While Birling sees it as "a man has to make his own way, has to look after himself and his family", thus excluding responsibility for anybody else, the Inspector represents the idea of social responsibility in a society where t... ...a Smith to commit suicide. The Inspector never forgives nor punishes but just tries to warn the Birlings of their doings so that they can say the right things to the real Inspector, and to know what they have all done. I believe that Priestley has meant to not go into detail on the Inspectors feelings and beliefs, as this almost adds a sought of mystery around the Inspectors character, it mainly gets you thinking towards the end, is the Inspector real or are the Birlings just hallucinating, or could the Inspector be a ghost or a Goole which his last name could represent (Inspector Goole). But the question was can the Inspector represent a real person, to a certain extent yes, but not as fully as Mr Birlings character can, so in my opinion he is not a very good representative of real people in the era of the play.