Character study on Inspecter Calls by J.B Priestly :: essays research papers

AT THE END OF MOST PLAY, SOME CHARACTERS HAVE CHANGED AND SOME HAVE NOT. DISCUSS TWO CHARCTERS: ONE WHO CHANGES, AND ONE WHO DOESN’T IN THE PLAY CALLED â€Å"AN INSPECTOR CALLS† – BY J.B. PRIESTLY The play ‘An Inspector Calls† by J.B Priestly, is set on an April evening in 1912. The play concerns the Birling family and Gerald Croft quietly celebrating over Gerald and (Mr. Birling’s daughter) Sheila Birling’s engagement, when an Inspector arrives unexpectedly amidst their family celebration to enquire about a suicide of a young pregnant girl called, Eva Smith. Through questioning, the inspector uncovers that they all have some kind of an involvement to the young girl’s death. In the play, some characters are changed by the Inspector’s arrival and news. Some however, remain the same. One character who remains the same is Mrs Birling. In Act One, we are given a general impression of her; a well-mannered woman but one who knows her power of authority (being the wife of a well-off businessman and the chairwoman of Brumley Women’s Charitable Society). In Act Two, Mrs. Birling introduces herself in a polite and respectable manner to the inspector (quite unlike the character that she progresses into) but he finds it hard to get information out of Mrs. Birling, this can be shown with the these quotes (taken from just after the Inspector has shown Mrs. Birling a photograph of Eva); (Inspector) â€Å"You recognise her?† (Mrs Birling) â€Å"No. Why should I?† Later in the play, the truth comes out that Mrs Birling had met the girl in the photo. Sheila supported the Inspector when Mrs Birling wouldn’t give out any information about Eva and tried to persuade her mother to talk but Mrs Birling took her as being rude and insolent and showed that she doesn’t like being contradicted. When Mrs Birling does tell the Inspector about Eva coming to her committee for help, she showed no remorse for the young girl. She took Eva as being impertinent when Eva said that her name was ‘Mrs Birling’ and was prejudiced against her case. Therefore, she used her power and authority (as being the chairwoman) to influence the others on the committee to abandon her case. Mrs Birling tried to reason with the Inspector about her judgments of Eva and with a clear conscience; she said she was, â€Å" . . . perfectly justified in advising my committee not to allow her claim for assistance.