Review Of An Inspector Calls

“An Inspector calls” takes place in 1912, where there are great social divisions and distinctions. Written by JB Priestley in 1945 this allows for hindsight which eventually leads to dramatic irony. There are many examples of this, all of which are said by Mr Birling,

“Just because the Kaiser makes a speech or two, you’ll hear some people saying that war is inevitable. Well I say to that - fiddlesticks” This play was first published after the second world war and so the audience will know just how wrong Mr Birling really is. Mr Birling also makes a statement about the ill-fated Titanic.

“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.” The audience should know the tale of the Titanic very well and this just demonstrates again how wrong Mr Birling can be. I think that the hindsight and the dramatic irony was used because it helps to better establish the time period of the play and it also shows that Mr Birling isn’t nearly as clever as he thinks he is.

Mr Birling as he put it is a “.....hard headed,practical business man.” and it seems he is not much more than that. He is not much of a father to Eric or Sheila ,although he does love them he is not very good at showing it. What he does now how to do however is run a business. Also he is very ignorant as I illustrated earlier, with his “predictions” which couldn’t have been more wrong. Mr Birling acted very authoritive with Inspector Goole and was completely taken aback when the Inspector didn’t treat him with the respect he thought he deserved. He is also ruthless, as it is proven when at least twice he offered the Inspector a bribe just to keep his mouth shut. When everything comes out about Eva Smith he is more worried about his reputation than the fact that he helped in leading a young girl to suicide. And when it turns out that there is no Inspector Goole he feels much better because he knows now nothing will come of it. I don’t think it would have mattered whether Eva had been a lie or not, Mr Birling would never learn anything.

Sheila Birling is much more considerate and distressed when she hears of Eva Smiths death. She believes she is partly responsible with the rest of her family and Fiance. I think Sheila was jealous of Eva Smith as when she was in Millwards ,a shop at where the Birlings were very good customers, she got Eva Smith sacked because she thought Eva was laughing at her expense.