An Inspector Calls Essay - Sam Ducker 1006
An Inspector Calls is a play set in 1912, several years before the start of World War 1. At this time people were optimistic for a new world, thinking war was never going to happen again and that this was a time of technology and propulsive progression. Today we know that this was not true at all, with the titanic sinking that year and two world wars to follow soon. J.B Priestly shows the attitude at the time throughout 'An Inspector Calls'. It is set in the fictional North Midlands city of Brumley. Brumley supposedly comes from a pun on the city Birmingham.
The Birling family is holding a party to celebrate the engagement of the marriage of Mr. Birling’s daughter Sheila Birling to her new-found fiancé Gerald Croft. Everything is going well until an Inspector knocks at the door. His name is Inspector Goole. He is supposedly new to the force and tells them that a young woman has suffered a horrible death on the way to the local infirmary. He describes her death as suicide by drinking disinfectant. Privately, Inspector Goole suspects the Birling family to be involved somehow in events preceding this which may have contributed to the girl taking her own life. He questions each person at the party one by one.
I am going to discuss how each family member changes their attitude and personality. How they are at the start of the play, then how they are as the play happens and then how they are at the end, and whether this was their real personality all along or if it has been brought out and then after that have they changed following the story of Eva Smiths death.In concluding my essay I will decide which character I think has changed the most at the end of the play.
First I will discuss Sheila at the start of the play Sheila seems very pleased with life and unaware of the problems of the outer world also she seems shallow and superficial at the start of the play she is described as "a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited". Later on in the play Mr. Birling is being questioned about Eva Smith and her role in the factory, Mr. Birling is saying how she was asking for far too much money and she could be easily replaced with any other girl. Sheila comes out with a controversial point of view "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people." Although probably never before she has shown compassion like this for the working class she is already showing a change.
Later on in the play Sheila is caught up as the culprit for getting Eva Smith fired from the high end ladies shop Milton's by using her influence and power, she did this because of a 'dirty look' she was given by Eva. At that time when she was getting Eva fired she was acting really stuck up and childish. Now after the inspector has lectured and questioned her about it she is full of guilt she blames herself as "really responsible." Again Sheila is showing a change that she is starting to become less selfish and more considerate, compassionate and have a sense of guilt a conscious as such.
When Gerald is questioned Sheila instantly realises that Gerald knew Daisy Renton (Eva Smith). She is either just very perceptive or can read Gerald like a book, I think its the first as later on in the play she is the first to realise Eric's part in this tragic tale. She is also the first to notice something strange about the inspector and made he isn't really who he says he is "I don't understand about you." She is the first to consider whether the inspector is real or not.
Gerald is questioned about the affair and instead of getting angry Sheila is inquisitive about the incident this shows maturity in her that she wants to hear Gerald's side of the story before flipping out. She also says that she respects him being honest.
At the end of the play she and Eric are acting the mature one's reflecting on the situation properly. While her parents are trying to shove it under the rug as if it never happened she is angry at this "pretend that nothing much has happened." She thinks its incredible how they haven't learnt anything from tonight's events. She is acting how her parents should act. At the end of the play Sheila is more wiser than at the start she now looks at all the family in a new light (to a lesser extent Eric) but bigger than the change she sees in the others is a change in herself a change showing she is aware of others around her and the responsibilities she has in life.