J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls as Detective Fiction

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J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls as Detective Fiction

The play ‘An Inspector Calls’ fits into the genre of detective fiction

because there are many key elements from a detective fiction present.

However there are also some factors missing which do not allow the

play to be called a detective fiction. It is a simple cover up to

disguise the play from the audience so they do not see the main genre

of the play which could be either a moral or political play. This is

realised at the point when the Inspector leaves without charging

anyone of a crime.

An Inspector Calls’ is about when an Inspector from the local

authority goes to the house of a upper middle class family called the

Birlings. The Inspector claims that a girl named Eva Smith has dies at

the infirmary after drinking some strong disinfectant. The Inspector

then accuses the whole family of murdering her indirectly or having a

part to play in her suicide. At the end of the play the family

discover that he is not an Inspector and Mr and Mrs Birling believe it

was a hoax and try moving on like nothing happened but the children

realise the point of the Inspector coming to their home. Which is that

he is trying to explain to them that everyone is responsible for

everyone else and that nobody should be neglected.

The audience is lead to believe that the play is detective fiction

through the interrogation of each character, particularly Mr Birling.

This is because he is the first person who the Inspector questions.

Mr Birling had Eva Smith sacked from her first job, which was at Mr

Birlings company. She was a good worker. The employees at the company

went on strike for more pay and Eva Smith was one of the ring leaders,

‘She'd had a lot to say- far too much- she had to go. Mr Birling

realises that he is going to be dragged into this suicide in one way

or another so his initial response in defence is to say that he does

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