An Inspector Calls by Priestley - Book Report/Review Example

An Inspector Calls An Inspector Calls was written by J.B. Priestely in 1945 and remains today one of the most prominent works of 20th century theatre. Even though Priestley was a British playwright the play was originally performed in Russia in two Moscow venues in 1945 as a proper theatre couldn’t be acquired in the Britain. A year later it was first performed in the United Kingdom to great critical acclaim. The play’s first Broadway appearance occurred in 1947 and later the play even gained acceptance in Iran, being performed there in 1948. The seminal monologue of the play is delivered in the third act by Inspector Goole. The speech occurs after the inspector has gotten the Birling family members to confess to their roles in contributing to the suicide of Eva Smith. Eric, the last to be exposed, has just admitted to fathering a child with Eva and then trying to give her stolen money, which she refused, to support the baby. Before the inspector delivers the speech, the family members are engaging in a process of denial and accusation, each indicting the other for the ultimate responsibility of Eva’s suicide. The monologue represents the two primary thematic concerns of the play: individuals need to change and the way society is organized must change. Consider these thematic concerns it should be no surprise Priestley held staunch socialist principals. Indeed, in 1942 in response to the combining of the two main political parties during World War II, Priestley and politician Richard Acland formed the socialist Common Wealth Party. Priestley was born in 1894 and died in 1984, living his entire life in England. He served in the First World War, after which he entered Trinity Hall, Cambridge University. While he has a novelist, playwright, and political essayist, he first gained major critical acclaim for his 1929 novel the Good Companions, which detailed the on-goings of a traveling music group. However, An Inspector Calls is Priestley’s best known play and it has been adapted into a number of theatrical and television versions since its 1946 publication (www.jbpriestly.co.uk). It’s important to consider the cultural context of the time; as such a somber play might not have been appropriate during 1945 Britain, as the country was affected by a post-war malaise. It’s also worth considering that the play’s dark themes are much more in line with the largely pessimistic tone of Russian literature, where the play originally debuted. However, if one considers England’s post-war political trends, it’s clear that the play is assuredly a product of post-war social milieu. The political tone of society has shifted starkly to the left, as returning soldiers sought out unemployment and were no longer content with the conservative government. This resulted in the war-time hero Winston Churchill suddenly opposed by the growing favor of the Labor Party, which Priestley’s Common Wealth Party greatly supported (Britannia.com). England subsequently implemented a number of social programs, which later garnered the country the ‘Welfare State’ term (Britannia.com). Consider the social context of the play in post-war British society, Inspector Goole’s final monologue stands for more than the underlining message of the play, but also represents a definitive statement on the historical social politics of England. While contemporary audiences might object to its overt socialist agenda, when one considers the plight of countless lives that had been adversely affected by the war, the importance of such a sympathetic approach to humanity is clearer. While the speech is technically a monologue directed at the family, its tone seems to reflect a soliloquized plea to the audience to heed its message, “there are 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.” It seems as if Priestley himself has taken the place of Inspector Goole and used the occasion to remind society that everyone is, “intertwined with our lives…We are members of one body.” The speech also seems to function on a macro-scale as a comment on the social factors that contributed to the world wars. While the play is set in 1912, it was published immediately after the second war, and the speech seems to be saying that if its message isn’t recognized then man, “will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish;” that is, more wars will arise unless people start caring more about each other. The audience’s actual perception of Goole changes throughout the play. When he is first introduced he refuses to drink and appears very much the part of the police inspector steadfastly committed to his duty. As the play progresses and Goole begins to question Gerald and the family the viewer comes to recognizes the inspector’s shrewdness. Without specifically accusing the family members of anything, his direct mode of questioning is effective in getting them to admit to the things they believe they have done wrong to Eva. It’s also clear early on that Goole isn’t a normal inspector as his questions oftentimes have a moral tone, “I’ve thought that it would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we tried to put ourselves in the place of these young women.” After Goole exists and the family confirms that he was a fake, he retrospectively takes on a ghost like quality, symbolized in the name Goole or Ghoul. It seems that Arthur Birling and Inspector Goole function as each other’s foils. Birling represents the traditional conservative approach, whereas Goole is much in line with Priestley’s socialist values. In the first act when chastised for firing Eva because she requested a raise, Birling responds, “Rubbish!” However, Goole criticizes Birling for exploiting Eva, stating without her, “the factories and warehouses wouldn’t know where to look for cheap labor.” In the second act the two have a similar exchange, in which Birling becomes upset at the questioning and states, “I really must object –“ and Goole responds, “It was you who turned the girl out in the first place.” These exchanges represent the competing values and beliefs inherent in post-war British society. Perhaps because she can relate most closely with Eva, the person Goole has the most effect on is Sheila. At the beginning of the play she objects to being indicted in Eva’s death, “You talk as if we’re responsible –“ However, as the play advances and she hears the confessions of the others she is consistently empathizes with Eva, even criticizing her mother, “Mother, I think it was cruel and vile.” At the end of the play, after Goole exits, she seems to be the only one who has been changed by his message, and she admonishes her family, “You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped. You’re ready to go on in the same old way.” After Goole’s departure and the family learns he wasn’t an actual inspector they all go back to their old ways, seemingly denying responsibility for their actions. This is an effective literary device used by Priestley, as the phone rings and they discover that the nightmare they thought they escaped is actually true. This device is even more effective than when Goole was still present, as it shows the danger of continuing to not care about each other is very real and unless society learns its lesson it will continue down the path of destruction. While stage directions throughout the play greatly influence the themes and action, a few specific directions are worth noting. One of the most prominent stage directions is the description of the house. Priestley writes, “It is substantial and old-fashioned but not cozy and homelike.” Inherent in this description seems to be an indictment of the Birling’s as traditional, and not accepting of more warm and contemporary values. Later, as Goole is about to give his speech, Priestley’s directions are for him to step to the center. This changes Goole’s speech from merely directed at the family to encompass the entire audience, and subsequently society. While the play is definitely a product of the post-war move towards a more socialized agenda, its underlining message is still extremely relevant for today’s audiences. The themes of social and individual change and their necessity for achieving a more balanced world are abundantly evident. One only must consider the globalized effects of global warming, or similar environmental degradation caused by people that is inflected on the lot of humanity. Today the Labor Party and its socialist ideals still persist, as is seen by the party member Tony Blair’s time as Prime Minister. While the country has successfully avoided war, neglecting Goole’s message can still be said to have deleterious consequences. References Biography http://www.jbpriestley.co.uk/JBP/Biography.html History of England: The 20th Century http://www.britannia.com/history/nar20hist5.html Read More