The Representation Of Guilt in "An Inspector Calls"

An Inspector Calls is a play written by an English dramatist J.B. Priestley in 1945 (Post WW2). The play is a three-act drama: it takes place on a single night in April 1912 (post WW1). Priestley’s views as a Socialist, he uses the play to punish people for the Pre-War ignorance. He’s looking at the lives of poor people – who suffered most in war (like Eva does in life). Now Priestley has survived he is fearless about what he thinks. Blaming the older generations for war and class.Priestley uses the staging to hide Eric for so long this is misleading. He places Birling at the top of the table, this indicates and shows Birling is dominate. The table moves with Inspector Goole to show he’s changing the family. Multiply eyes are drawn to the alcohol unit like the men are when stressed. This expresses like a numbing addiction – to make them feel less guilty about the whole situation. Effective lighting changes signifies how Inspector Goole calls and shows harsh reality.

Very early in the play Birling stated ‘Yes, Well, we needn’t go into all that.’ Be that as it demonstrates he’s being declarative, here stands as someone or something like a fact and even if it’s his opinion. ‘we needn’t go into all that’. Already stated Birling undoubtedly doesn’t want to talk about the whole Eva Smith situation, because he obviously feels really guilty about what he supposedly did to Eva (sacking her from his company Birling) for she took her own life to commit suicide by drinking large amount of disinfectant. Appropriately after Birling stated ‘Yes, Well, we needn’t go into all that’.

He then declared saying ‘I don’t see we need to tell the Inspector anything more.’ This proves that the Birling family and Gerald are being truly secretive about the Eva Smith situation because they defiantly know a lot more but they really don’t want to say anything else. Therefore, all of them are being secretive and feeling very guilty, but they don’t want to confront the Inspector about all of this.

Right before Birling declared saying ‘I don’t see we needn’t to tell the Inspector anything more.’ Eric sulkily said ‘Well, we don’t need to tell the Inspector all about that, do we?’ Well this definitely hints that again the Birling’s and Gerald are one hundred percent feeling guilty and they really can’t hide the feeling of guilt. Eric is being rhetorical because he’s saying ‘Well, we don’t need to tell the Inspector all about that do we?’ That is a rhetorical question because it needs an answer, as it is more of a challenge not just a normal question to answer. Much further forward in the play from when Eric sulkily said ‘Well, we don’t need to tell the Inspector anything more.’ Eric then blurted out ‘And that’s when it happened. And I didn’t even remember – that’s the hellish thing. Oh – my God! ¬– how stupid it all is!’ Here Eric has just given quite a lot of evidence about what happened between him and Eva Smith. He definitely feels sincerely guilty about this because he must have done something to kind of left or let her to risk her own life committing suicide. Eric using adjectives and modal verbs in what he said by adjectives he’s describing what kind of happened between him and Eva. Also, the modal verbs that suggest action them both, and he has a few hyphens in what he blurted out this suggests that he is upset and his pausing this means that he is thinking what happened.

A few moments before Eric sulkily said ‘And that’s when it happened. And I didn’t even remember – that’s the hellish thing. Oh my God! – how stupid it all is!’ Mrs Birling recalled ‘That’s the story she finally told, after I’d refused to believe her original story – that she was a married woman who’d been deserted by her husband. I didn’t see any reason to believe that one story should be any truer than the other. Therefore, you’re quite wrong to suppose I shall regret what I did.’ From this Mrs Birling is saying the original story that Eva Smith told her is fake. But Mrs Birling refused to believe her original story. Already stated from that Mrs Birling is doubtlessly feeling wholly guilty because what Eva Smith said. What Mrs Birling recalled ‘That’s the story she finally told, after I’d refused to believe her original story – that she was a married woman who’d been deserted by her husband. I didn’t see any reason to believe that one story should be any truer than the other. Therefore, you’re quite wrong to suppose I shall regret what I did.’ This statement includes a few Adjectives, Mrs Birling is describing what happened with when Eva Smith went to her for some assistance because she didn’t want to steal money. Along with Mrs Birling is illustrating Modal Verbs, she said ‘I didn’t see any reason to believe that one story should be any truer than the other.’ And should is Modal Verb this is suggesting action.

Straight after Mrs Birling recalled ‘That’s the story she finally told, after I’d refused to believe her original story – that she was a married woman who’d been deserted by her husband. I didn’t see any reason to believe that one story should be any truer than the other. Therefore, you’re quite wrong to suppose I shall regret what I did.’ She then relented by saying ‘I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all.’ From that Mrs Birling is apologising because she’s clearly feels guilty about saying Eva Smith should have come to a horrible end. In Distinction to this Mrs Birling is using Exclamatory. Genuinely when someone is being Exclamatory they are shocked and angry, guiltiness so Mrs Birling is definitely guilty.

Much further back in the play from when Mrs Birling relented by saying ‘I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all.’ Shelia announced as she came in, closing the door ‘You knew it was me all the time, didn’t you?’ From this Shelia has announced that everyone knew it was her all the time, so Shelia is definitely feeling guilty because she got Eva Smith sacked from her little job in a clothes shop. Where Shelia shops with Mrs Birling to get some new clothes. Now I gathered that Shelia is using Interrogatives which are questions that expect or demand answers. Just after Shelia announced as she came in closing the door ‘You knew it was me all the time, didn’t you?’ Shelia then told everyone that ‘I’ve told my father – he didn’t seem to think it amounted to much – but I felt rotten about it at the time and now I feel a lot worse. Did it make a difference to her? Therefore, what Shelia told everyone about her feeling rotten, she’s referring to when she told someone in the shop who worked there to get the shop manager so Shelia could talk to the shop manager about the small incident with Eva Smith. Because Eva “Sniggered” at Shelia when she was trying on a dress. And Shelia did not tolerate how she sniggered at her. But what Shelia told everyone after she said about her feeling rotten about it at the time, but she now feels a lot worse. Shelia is now without a doubt feeling guilty. All from what Shelia told everyone about her feeling rotten about it at the time and now she feels a lot worse now. She is using a variety of Adjectives, like describing words and feelings for what she did.

Summarise guilt shown in ‘An Inspector Calls’. While Eric was telling his story, he proclaims ‘Oh – my God!’ – how stupid it all is!’ this shows Eric regrets what he did and feels badly guilty. Also, he is shocked that his boorish actions had such harrowing consequences. But although he got a woman pregnant that’s Eva Smith, he has concerned enough to give her money by stealing from Mr Birling’s office, later in the play he wished he hadn’t and knew he couldn’t pay it back. Although he doesn’t show enough guilt Eric seems to almost be in disapproval because he keeps saying ‘This isn’t my fault’. Most of the Characters in An Inspector Calls don’t actually show much guilt at the start of the play but as the play evolves, the guilt shows even more and each character starts to admit their role in the Eva Smith/Daisy Renton suicide death. A quote to show all of this is one that Shelia announced – ‘You see; we all have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we’ll have to share out guilt?’ This shows that, whether they have expressed guilt or not, everyone has a role in Eva/Daisy’s death, and they should all have some sort guilt to show that they had again the role of Eva/Daisy’s death because she wouldn’t just risk her life for no reason. The audience are left feeling somewhat confused because the Birling family have said they are guilty for supposedly making Eva/Daisy Renton suicide death.