John Priestley's An Inspector Calls

1923 Words8 Pages
Priestly uses the role of the inspector to create tension on and off the screen. What have the characters and audience members been forced to question about life though this mysterious man. Refer to numerous stage techniques. The play An Inspector Calls is a complex play using the inspector to create tension and question life and many things about the morals and ethics of society and the role of the upper class society. Playwright John Priestly has used various stage techniques to demonstrate a point and teach the audience about relationships, responsibility and social conscience and society and status and through these lessons he has altered the audience’s perception of life and made them question right and wrong in society today.…show more content…
So many times in society people often forget what they do will almost always affect someone else, and thought-out this play the audience comes to a realization that it is never morally right to forget about the others whose lives you influence, and you should always remember that actions have consequence. Every character in the play was connected to the death of Eva Smith in a negative way. Weather they had cheated, lied, or unrightfully turned her away the audience realizes that one thing that can be so small to one person can have a life changing effect on someone else’s. Priestly uses the inspector, this mysterious and somewhat otherworldly character to draw the truth out of people and make them realize what they have done. He lectures them on ethics and morals uses these speeches to not only influence the characters, but to also influence the audience’s perceptions on society. We see from the reactions of the characters in the play, a spectrum of different reactions that will often parallel to that of the attitudes in upper class societies of the time. These notions of a community being interconnected and the effect of responsibility are commonly reflected in powerful lessons taught by the inspector. These statements include “We do not live alone… We are responsible for each other”. Also in this play the idea of responsibility is often questioned. Typically the…show more content…
It is these questions that audience is left questioning about life after the inspector has left the stage. Social status is a highly sought after concept in this modern day world, a good job, wealth and family are transformed into the image of a perfect life. However many people forget that this achievement and position comes with responsibility and you should never forget that every one is human and no matter there wealth or race you have to treat them fairly with respect. This is a harsh reality the Biriling should have realized before they led a girl to her suicide. Each person in the family had abused their position in society and somehow used it to corrupt this young girls mind into making her feel worthless and depressed. The inspector taught the family yet another lesson on what they should do. When he said, “public men have responsibility as well as hit” this quote was the powerful statement that led many people to originally question how much being affluent affects you and what responsibility comes with. It was originally suggested in the stage directions say “the dining room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer”, and then continued with the arrogant attitudes of the parents in the Biriling family. Not until nearer the end of the play
Open Document