J.B. Priestley

            In the play, 'An Inspector Calls', the characters Mr. Arthur Birling and Inspector Goole have contrasting views on the idea of community and being responsible for how an individual's actions affect other people. Birling does not believe in community at all and feels that it should be each man for himself, but Inspector Goole argues that we must think about how our actions will affect others, and Birling's attitude will come to no good. This contrast between the two views is the basis of the play, and it is used to keep the audience interested, and makes them think about their own views. Throughout the play both characters try to change each others views, and attempt to justify their own.
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             Priestley makes use of the detective thriller genre in the play, from the start it appears to the audience to be a straight forward detective thriller, but as the involvement of each character is progressively established, the structure quickly changes to that of a 'whodunit'. 'An Inspector Calls' is a well made play with both the characters and audience progressing from ignorance to knowledge as they learn more about what has happened to Eva Smith. The Inspector starts by interrogating the main man of the family, Arthur Birling, and then goes on to follow the story of each person one at a time: Mr. Birling, Sheila, Gerald, Mrs. Birling and then Eric. This is almost the order of how and when the events leading up to Eva's death happened, apart from Eric at the end who is left till last. This keeps the audience in suspense until the end of the play, as he has the biggest revelation and is the guiltiest. The audience's interest is maintained throughout the play by the desire to find out who was ultimately responsible for driving Eva to suicide, as they realize that each character is implicated somehow and each character is guiltier than the last. This is helped by the clever cliff hangers that are left during the play.