Summary
Highlights
The Inspector's most crucial quote emphasizes that Eva Smith symbolizes the exploited working classes. He uses biblical imagery stating, "we are all of one body," linking Christianity with socialism. This contradicts Mr. Birling's individualistic view and serves as an anti-war message, arguing that capitalism leads to conflict, symbolized by "Fire and Blood and anguish."
The Inspector graphically describes Eva's death to shock the Birling family, particularly Sheila, who becomes his strongest advocate. This imagery highlights the severity of the Birlings' and Gerald's actions and the immense suffering Eva endured due to their exploitation.
This quote criticizes the rapacious nature of capitalist society, suggesting its insatiable hunger will consume the planet. It connects to contemporary environmental concerns, highlighting how the upper classes prioritize profit over everything, even potentially sacrificing their own children in war.
The Inspector directly accuses the ruling classes of being morally, and in some cases literally, criminal. He exposes Mr. Birling's unjust sacking of Eva, Sheila's jealousy leading to Eva's dismissal, Gerald's exploitative relationship, Eric's theft and assault, and Mrs. Birling's refusal of charity, all demonstrating their corrupt nature.
Priestley deliberately chooses a female victim, Eva, and implicates powerful female characters like Sheila and Mrs. Birling to explore the role of women before they had the vote. The quote emphasizes the financial desperation of working-class women, highlighting their vulnerability and leading Eva to prostitution. The play aims to empower female audiences in 1945, who now had the vote, to prevent such exploitation.
The Inspector uses blunt and impactful short sentences to emphasize the irreversible consequences of their actions. This brutal honesty is necessary to cut through the Birlings' class prejudice and make them confront the gravity of their mistakes.
Sheila recognizes the Inspector's supernatural nature, realizing he appeared after Mr. Birling declared a man must only look after himself. His arrival is not just to investigate Eva's death but to challenge this individualistic viewpoint, echoing Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' in teaching a lesson in social responsibility.
The Inspector compels the Birlings to accept blame, linking to a Christian message about choosing good over evil. He presents them with a choice to continue their irresponsible lives or learn from their mistakes, paralleling Adam and Eve's failure in the Garden of Eden. Priestley implies that socialism offers redemption and a return to innocence.
The Inspector's repeated plea to 'remember' can be interpreted both as a forceful message and a prediction that the Birlings will choose to forget. This ties into the play's anti-war theme, suggesting that society's failure to learn from past mistakes (like the first death of Eva Smith/WWI) leads to future catastrophes (the second death/WWII).
This warning reinforces the anti-war and feminist themes. In death, Eva gains a symbolic power, akin to suffragettes, highlighting women's struggle for recognition. Priestley targets his message at the 1945 female audience, who now had voting power and increased economic independence, urging them to vote for a fairer, socialist society and challenging capitalist exploitation that disempowered women.