An Inspector Calls Notes, Study notes of English

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AN INSPECTOR CALLS

PLOT SUMMARY:

ACT 1 -

★ Set in April 1912, Brumley, England. The Birling family and Gerald Croft are celebrating Sheila Birling’s engagement to Gerald with a dinner. ★ Mr Arthur Birling (Sheila’s father) is pleased as he sees the marriage as a business opportunity to make ties with Crofts Limited, run by Gerald’s father. He hopes the marriage will eliminate competitive rivalry by creating business links for ‘lower costs and higher prices’. He gives a speech that the 1945 audience will know is incorrect, showing he is untrustworthy. ★ After dinner when the women leave the room, Birling gives a speech to his son, Eric, and Gerald on the importance of every man looking after himself if he wants to get on in life. ★ The doorbell rings unexpectedly, interrupting Mr Birling’s speech, but no one was expecting a visitor. The maid, Edna, announces that an inspector has arrived. ★ Inspector Goole says he is investigating the death of a young woman who committed suicide, Eva Smith. She had died in the infirmary two hours ago after drinking disinfectant. The family does not understand how they could be involved, but the inspector has Eva’s photo, a letter, and her diary yet he only shows the photo to one at a time. ★ The Inspector shows Birling a photo of Eva and he initially denies recognising her, but later remembers he had fired her in 1910 for organising a strike over workers’ pay. Birling feels justified for his actions- he doesn’t believe he committed any wrongdoing, though Goole states her being kicked out could have led to a chain of events. ★ The Inspector explains Eva Smith had no family and was out of work for two weeks. ★ Inspector Gooles also interrogates Sheila, who admits she had Eva sacked due to the manner in which she served her in an upmarket department store, Milwards, as Eva smirked to another shop assistant about the dress Sheila tried. Sheila regrets her actions and feels hugely guilty/ responsible for Eva’s death. ★ Inspector reveals Eva Smith changed her name to Daisy Renton. Gerald acts guilty and Sheila notices his worry, confronting him when Goole leaves the room. Gerald reveals to Sheila he had an affair with Daisy Renton during the summer and that’s why he didn’t see Sheila.

ACT 2 - ★ Gerald explains to the Inspector he had an affair with Eva, but hasn’t seen her since he ended their relationship in Autumn 1911. He admits he had picked up Daisy in a bar, and had looked after her money and accommodation. While Gerald was fond of Daisy, she loved him more and was devastated when he ended the relationship. ★ Sheila gives her engagement ring back to Gerlad. ★ Inspector tells, after affair with Gerald, Daisy went to live by the sea- when she kept the diary he had found. ★ Attention turns to Mrs Birling who is revealed to be a prominent member of the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation. She had kept quiet about the fact that just two weeks earlier, Daisy approached the charity in search of help but called herself Mrs Birling when introducing herself to charity. Mrs Birling didn’t like this and sent her away. ★ Inspector continues to question Mrs Birling, revealing Eva was pregnant and Mrs Birling claims the father should be made an example of. ★ Sheila knows what happened by this point and begs her mother to stop talking. ★ Act 2 ends with Eric entering the scene.

ACT 3 - ★ Eric admits he got Daisy pregnant- he is very ashamed of his actions and honest about his involvement with Daisy. He tells the Inspector he drinks heavily and that, one night, he met Daisy, who he walked home and pressured to let into her lodgings. They slept together then and another evening, and she got

★ Capitalism View (authorial intention): “Well, it’s my duty to keep labour costs down, and if I’d agreed to this demand for a new rate we’d have added about twelve per cent to our labour costs.” , “If you don’t come down hard on these people they’d soon be asking for the earth.” ★ (Context) “I didn’t suppose you did.” ★ Patronising: “Nothing to do with you, Sheila. Run along.”

ACT 2-

★ Patronising (to Mrs Birling): “What’s the matter with that child?” ★ “And I do not propose to give you much more rope.” ★ “A young unmarried girl is being dragged into this-” ★ (Angrily to Inspector): “Look here, I’m not going to have this, Inspector. You’ll apologise at once.” ★ “I’m a public man.” ★ “Is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from you, Inspector?” ★ (Dubiously): “I must say, Sybil, that when this comes out at the inquest, it isn’t going to do us much good. The press might easily take it up-” ★ “Be quiet Sheila.”

ACT 3- ★ “I understand a lot of things now that I didn't understand before.” ★ “I’ve got to cover this up as soon as I can.” ★ (Wouldn’t pay Eva an extra few shillings, yet attempts to bribe Inspector Goole) - (unhappily): “Look, Inspector - I’d give thousands- yes, thousands-” ★ (to Eric) “You’re the one I blame for this.” ★ (Feels no guilt): “There’ll be a public scandal.” ★ “Telling me to shut up- and so on.” ★ (To Eric about Inspector): “You ought to have stood up to him.” ★ (After finding out Inspector was a fake):“This makes a difference, y’know. In fact, it makes all the difference.” ★ (Foolish): “We’ve been had, that’s all.” ★ “The famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke.” ★ Plot twist/ Cliffhanger: “That was the police. A girl has just died- on her way to the infirmary.” ★ S.D. Final Line: “As they stare guiltily and dumbfounded, the curtain falls.”

MRS BIRLING:

ACT 1-

★ “Arthur, you're not supposed to say such things.” ★ “Sheila! What an expression! Really, the things you girls pick up these days!” ★ “Now Sheila, don’t tease him. When you’re married you’ll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business.” ★ “Now Arthur, I don’t think you ought to talk business on an occasion like this.” ★ “I think Sheila and I had better go into the drawing room and leave you men-” ★ (Thinks her family is perfect- staggered): “It isn’t true. You know him, Gerald- and you’re a man- you must know it isn’t true.”

ACT 2- ★ (Classist Snob- thinks she is socially and morally superior): “I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand why a girl committed suicide. Girls of that class-” ★ “That- I consider- is a trifle impertinent, Inspector.” ★ “Please don’t contradict me like that.” ★ (Accuses Sheila of staying for): “Nothing but morbid curiosity.” ★ “I’m talking to the inspector now if you don’t mind.”

★ (Intimidation): “You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago and he’s still a magistrate.” ★ (Lying to cover her back): “Though naturally I don’t know anything about this girl.” ★ “Over excited…And she refuses to go.” ★ (Ignorant): “It would be much better if Sheila didn’t listen to this story at all.” ★ (Thinks upper class are perfect- staggered): Well, really! Alderman Meggarty! I must say, we are learning something tonight.” ★ “I don’t think we want any further details of this disgusting affair.” ★ “It’s disgusting to me.” ★ (Facade to make her look good - with dignity): “Yes. We’ve done a great deal of useful work in helping deserving cases.” ★ “I don’t understand you Inspector…And if I was, what business is it of yours?” ★ (Classist Snob because Eva used her name): “Yes I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence- quite deliberate- and naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case.” ★ “But I think she had only herself to blame.” ★ (Snobbish Attitude): “If you think you can bring any pressure to bear upon me, Inspector, you’re quite mistaken. Unlike the other three, I did nothing I’m ashamed of or that won’t bear investigation.” ★ “You have no power to make me change my mind.” ★ “I didn’t like her manner. She’d impertinently made use of our name, though she pretended afterwards it just happened to be the first she thought of. She had to admit, after I began questioning her, that she had no claim to the name, that she wasn’t married, and that the story she told me first - about a husband who’d deserted her- was quite false. It didn’t take me long to get the truth - or some of the truth- out of her.” ★ (Repeated again):“Simply a gross piece of impertinence.” ★ (Gets rid of blame on her): “I’ll tell you what I told her. Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.” ★ (Blames on her husband - ‘agitated now’): “Oh, stop it, both of you. And please remember before you start accusing me of anything again that it wasn’t I who had her turned out of her employment - which probably began it all.” ★ “All a lot of nonsense - I didn’t believe a word of it.” ★ (Classist Snob): “As if a girl of that sort would refuse money.” ★ “I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it all.” “I blame the young man who was the father of the child she was going to have. If, as she said, he didn’t belong to her class, and was some drunken young idler, then that’s all the more reason why he shouldn’t escape. He should be made an example of. If the girl’s death is due to anybody, then it’s due to him.” ★ (‘Severely’): “You’re behaving like an hysterical child tonight.” ★ “And if you’d take some steps to find this young man and then make sure he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility - instead of staying here asking quite unnecessary questions - then you really would be doing your duty.” ★ (Naive, ignorant): “I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it.” ★ (‘Understanding now’): “But surely…I mean…It’s ridiculous.”

ACT 3-

★ (‘With a cry’): “Oh - Eric - how could you?” ★ (‘Very distressed now’): “No- Eric - please- I didn’t know- I didn’t understand-” ★ (Snob - ‘Triumphantly’): “Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I say I couldn’t imagine a real police inspector talking like that to us?” ★ “I felt it all the time. He never talked like one. He never even looked like one.” ★ “I wish I’d been here when the man first arrived. I’d have asked him a few questions before I allowed him to ask us any.”

★ (Who is crying quietly) “That’s the worst of it.” ★ “But that’s not what I’m talking about. I don’t care about that. The point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything.” ★ “I behaved badly too. I did and I’m ashamed of it. But now you’re beginning all over again to pretend that nothing has happened.” ★ “(flaring up) It’s you two who are being childish - trying not to face the facts.” ★ “(Bitterly): “I suppose we’re all nice people now.” ★ “(flaring up) Well, he inspected us alright. And don’t let’s start dodging and pretending now. Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide.” ★ “(Tensely) I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you talk.” ★ “I tell you - whoever that inspector was, it was nothing but a joke. You knew it then. You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped. You’re ready to go on in the same old way.”

GERALD:

ACT 1:

★ “(Smiling) Wouldn’t dream of it. In fact, I insist upon being one of the family now. I’ve been trying long enough, haven’t I? (as she does not reply, with more insistence.) Haven’t I? You know I have.” ★ “Hear, hear! And I think my father would agree to that.” ★ “(quietly) Thank you. And I drink to you - and hope I can make you as happy as you deserve to be.” ★ “(laughs) You seem to be a nice well-behaved family-” ★ “(lightly) Sure to be. Unless Eric’s been up to something (nodding confidently to Birling) and that would be awkward, wouldn’t it?” ★ “(showing annoyance) Any particular reason why I shouldn’t see this girl’s photograph, Inspector?” ★ “Getting a bit heavy-handed, aren’t you, Inspector?” ★ “Don’t say anything to the Inspector.”

ACT 2: ★ “(to Sheila) Thanks. You’re going to be a great help, I can see. You’ve said your piece, and you’re obviously going to hate this, so why on earth don’t you leave us to it?” ★ “I happened to look in, one night, after a long dull day, and as the show wasn’t very bright, I went down into the bar for a drink. It’s a favourite haunt of women of the town-” ★ “(distressed) Sorry- I- well, I’ve suddenly realised - taken it in properly- that she’s dead-” ★ “I made her go to Morgan Terrace because I was sorry for her, and didn’t like the idea of her going back to the palace bar. I didn’t ask for anything in return.” ★ “(hesitatingly) It’s hard to say. I didn’t feel about her as she felt about me.” ★ “No, it wasn’t. (He waits a moment, then in a low, troubled tone) She told me she’d been happier than she’d ever been before - but that she knew it couldn’t last- hadn’t expected it to last. She didn’t blame me at all. I wish to God she had now. Perhaps I’d feel better about it.” ★ “I hesitated on a parting gift of enough money - though it wasn’t so very much- to see her through to the end of the year.” ★ “In that case- as I’m rather mood- upset- by this business than I probably appear to be- and- well, I’d like to be alone for a while- I’d be glad if you’d let me go.”

ACT 3: ★ “Well, you were right. There isn’t any such inspector. We’ve been had.” ★ “I did keep a girl last summer. I’ve admitted it. And I’m sorry, Sheila.” ★ “Everything’s all right now, Sheila. (Holds up the ring.) What about this ring?”