Characters (An Inspector Calls)

This section explores the key Characters in the play An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley. An Inspector Calls, is a thought-provoking play set in 1912, exploring social responsibility, class, and the impact of individual actions on others. Below are detailed notes on the key characters in the play, examining their roles, personalities, and the themes they represent.

Arthur Birling

Role: The patriarch of the Birling family, a prosperous businessman.

Personality: Arthur Birling is portrayed as arrogant, self-assured, and somewhat pompous. He is obsessed with his social status and believes in individualism and capitalism.

Arthur Birling’s Significance:

Capitalist ideals: He represents the capitalist class and is strongly opposed to socialist ideas. His views clash with Priestley's message of social responsibility.

Dramatic irony: Birling makes several claims that the audience knows are false, such as his confident assertion that war will not happen and that the Titanic is "unsinkable." This undermines his authority and credibility.

Responsibility: Birling refuses to accept responsibility for his role in Eva Smith’s demise. He fired her from his factory for demanding better wages, seeing her as easily replaceable.

Sybil Birling

Role: Arthur’s wife and a prominent member of the local charity organisation.

Personality: Sybil is cold, snobbish, and stubborn. She maintains a sense of superiority over others, especially those of lower social classes.

Sybil Birling’s Significance:

Social class and prejudice: Sybil’s treatment of Eva Smith (referred to as "Mrs Birling" by Eva) reflects her disdain for the working class. She denies Eva charity help out of pride and prejudice, believing Eva’s suffering is self-inflicted.

Responsibility: Sybil refuses to acknowledge her role in Eva’s tragic death. She instead blames the father of Eva’s child, unaware it is her own son, Eric.

Hypocrisy: She upholds a moral double standard, judging others harshly while excusing her own actions.

Sheila Birling

Role: The Birlings' daughter, engaged to Gerald Croft.

Personality: At the beginning of the play, Sheila is naive and materialistic. However, she undergoes significant change, becoming more sensitive and aware of social issues.

Sheila Birling’s Significance:

Moral awakening: Sheila represents the younger generation's potential to change. After learning about her role in Eva Smith's life, she accepts responsibility and feels genuine remorse for her actions.

Insightful: Sheila begins to question the behaviour of her family and Gerald, becoming more self-aware and critical of their attitudes.

Social responsibility: By the end of the play, she fully embraces Priestley’s message of collective responsibility, arguing that they all share the blame for Eva’s death.

Eric Birling

Role: Arthur and Sybil's son, a troubled young man who has a strained relationship with his family.

Personality: Eric is awkward and insecure, and it is revealed that he has a drinking problem.

Eric Birling’s Significance:

Moral reckoning: Like Sheila, Eric undergoes a transformation by the end of the play. He admits his responsibility for getting Eva pregnant and stealing money to support her, showing that he, too, feels guilt and shame.

Class privilege: Eric’s behaviour reflects the reckless entitlement of the upper class. His actions towards Eva Smith are careless and exploitative.

Social responsibility: Eric realises the gravity of his actions and joins Sheila in accepting the Inspector’s message about taking responsibility for others.

Gerald Croft

Role: Sheila’s fiancé, from a wealthy and prestigious family.

Personality: Gerald is charming and confident but also evasive and self-serving when it suits him.

Gerald Croft’s Significance:

Middle ground: Gerald occupies a middle ground between the older and younger generations. While he initially appears to accept some responsibility for his relationship with Eva, he later tries to distance himself from the blame.

Hypocrisy and denial: Gerald is initially portrayed as the perfect match for Sheila, but his affair with Eva shows his hypocrisy. However, by the end of the play, he is keen to prove that the Inspector may not have been real, suggesting that he wants to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.

Attitudes towards women: Gerald’s treatment of Eva reveals his view of women, especially those of lower social standing, as disposable objects for his pleasure.

Inspector Goole

Role: A mysterious and authoritative figure who arrives at the Birling household to investigate Eva Smith’s death.

Personality: The Inspector is calm, methodical, and direct. He is a compelling and commanding presence who forces the characters to confront their actions.

Inspector Goole’s Significance:

Moral voice: The Inspector represents Priestley’s socialist views and serves as the moral conscience of the play. He emphasises the importance of social responsibility and collective welfare, opposing the individualistic attitudes of the Birlings.

Symbolism: His name, "Goole," suggests a ghostly figure or moral spirit. The Inspector may not be a real police officer but rather a symbolic figure who represents the voice of conscience or social justice.

Prophetic tone: The Inspector warns the Birlings and, by extension, the audience that if they do not learn the lesson of responsibility, they will face "fire and blood and anguish" – an allusion to war and social upheaval.

Eva Smith/Daisy Renton

Role: The unseen working-class woman whose tragic story drives the plot of the play.

Personality: Though she never appears on stage, Eva is depicted as a victim of the social inequalities and injustices of the time. She is described as having dignity, despite her suffering.

Eva Smith’s Significance:

Symbol of the working class: Eva Smith represents the exploited and oppressed working class, particularly women. She is a composite of many people, and her story illustrates the harsh realities faced by those at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

Victim of society: Her suffering is a direct result of the selfish actions of the Birlings and Gerald, highlighting how the upper classes exploit the vulnerable.

Moral lesson: Eva’s fate serves as the catalyst for the moral reckoning of the other characters and embodies Priestley’s message that everyone is interconnected and responsible for each other’s wellbeing.

In An Inspector Calls, each character is a representation of different social attitudes and values. The older generation (Arthur and Sybil Birling) are entrenched in their views of self-interest and capitalist privilege, while the younger generation (Sheila and Eric) show the capacity for change and acceptance of social responsibility. Gerald Croft serves as a bridge between these two perspectives, wavering in his moral stance. Inspector Goole, as the voice of social conscience, delivers the central message of the play: that everyone is part of a collective society, and individual actions have profound consequences on others.