A socialist called J. B Priestley Essay

‘An Inspector Calls’ was written by a socialist called J. B Priestley. The play was set in1912 but was written in 1945. The play is a mixture of detective/thriller and a moral mystery play. Priestley was a very strong socialist who believed that community and society were very important: ‘We are responsible for each other’. He wanted people to live equally in a welfare state together. If we don’t we will realise this in ‘fire, blood and anguish’. He made us believe this quote because two world wars had already happened by the time he had written the play. The play was set in 1912 in and Edwardian era many things were happening around this time, The sinking of the Titanic, many strikes, the suffragettes and the build up to World War 1. Priestley uses a lot of dramatic irony most of which comes from Birling’s lines when he says that ‘war is impossible’ we know that he is wrong because war has already happened. In Stephen Daldry’s National Theatre Production the set symbolises the two different aspects of the play: The Edwardian townhouse in Brumley and 1945 in the background. A scene was shown from the Blitz (when Germany kept bombing England continuously). There are sirens going off and there are people dressed in 1940’s clothes and there is the Birling’s Townhouse in the background. When they show 1912 and 1945 it gives a better perspective on the irony for a modern audience. Priestley makes people understand what the world was like before we came. Priestley puts his aim across through the characters especially the inspector because his words and speeches are very dramatic and leaves the other characters thinking about what he said because his lines have a very big impact on them. He also makes the audience feel involved because he makes it relate to something that could happen in real life. His lines also builds up tension between the characters within the family he turns them against one another by making them all believe that each and every one of them are involved with Eva Smith’s death and that they all knew who Eva Smith was. For instance when Sheila finds out the Gerald was having an affair with Eva Smith behind her back because he lies to Sheila and tells her he was working she decides that she doesn’t want to get married to him any more ‘But just in case you forget – or decide not to come back Gerald, I think you’d better take this with you’ Sheila decides to give the ring back to Gerald. The inspectors closing speech makes the characters speechless abut what he has said. Sheila, Gerald and Eric are the only ones who are affected about what the inspector has said. Mr and Mrs Birling are worried about their status and about what people would think of them if they found out what had happened they don’t learn anything at the end of the play even though Sheila tries to explain to them ‘I tell you whoever that inspector was. It was anything but a joke. You knew it then. You began to learn something then. And now you’ve stopped. You’re ready to go on in the same old way’. Mr and Mrs Birling just think that Sheila is being silly.