Various Conflicts and Character Development in the Play 'An Inspector Calls'

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Various Conflicts and Character Development in the Play
Conflicts are typical in any social setting with divergent social classes or generational gaps, with the former denoting difference in economic capabilities between various groups in a society. The difference in social classes usually instigates conflicts between the rich and the poor. In An Inspector Calls, I find conflict between social classes more captivating because of its limited exploitation regarding the subject area. The playwright John Boynton Priestley paints the conflict through the discord between the rich and the poor. The rich are represented by the Birlings (Mr. Arthur Birling, Mrs. Sybil Birling, and their children, Sheila and Eric) and Gerald Croft (Sheila`s fiancé), while the poor are Edna (the Birling`s maid) and Eva Smith/Daisy Renton, the play`s victim.
The various characters in the play ranging from Mr. Birling, the affluent upper-middle-class factory owner, Edna, the Birlings maid, to Eva Smith, alias Daisy Renton, mirror the diverse social clusters in An Inspector Calls. Priestley depicts Mr. Birling`s scornful attitude towards Edna right from the play`s opening. He retorts at Edna, “giving us the port, Edna? That`s right.” (1). The sneering statement towards Edna paints his attitude towards his employees. He does not respect them but instead treats them as mere servants. At this point, there is a clear depiction of social class differences.
Noteworthy, the play`s cast does not star notable lower-class characters, save for Edna, who represents the disparity between the rich and the poor. The playwright further highlights the scenario when Edna exits the room instead of staying after serving Mrs. Birling with a drink. Mrs. Birling casually reminds her that they will only need her to bring coffee later. Hence, she asserts that she will alert her by ringing from the drawing-room (14). We see the wealthy and upper-class Birlings and Gerald Croft on the stage, with the lower class conspicuously invisible from the first Act. However, through Smith`s character narration from her childhood, we hear about the play`s lower class and learn how the upper class (the Birlings and the Gerald Crofts) exploit and mistreat the poor.
Social classes and social duty reverberate throughout the play, and thus, social classes conflict greatly impacts the play`s outcome. When Inspector Goole visits the Birlings in the opening scenes, he urges them to accept responsibility and be accountable for their actions against others in society. More so, for the poor and the vulnerable like Eva smith, who commonly face atrocities and abuses because of their lower socia...