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Schule > Englisch > J.B. Priestly > Summary: " An Inspector Calls" by John B. Priestley

Summary of the book “An Inspector Calls”

First the play took place in a house in an industrial city, which is called “Brumley” in 1912. The Birling family sat in the dining room and celebrated Sheila’s engagement to Gerald Croft.
Later in the evening an inspector arrived the Birling’s house. He told about a girl who committed suicide, because she swallowed disinfectant, her name was Eva Smith.
Mr. Birling was the first family member who was involved in the death of Eva Smith. The inspector found out that he fired Eva from his factory. After that Mr. Birling said that he had to do that, because she was a ringleader of a group which wanted to get higher wages and he gave normal wages for this time, so he cannot understand why they went on strike, so he fired her.
The next situation, which had work to do with the suicide of Eva Smith, is Sheila’s purchase of clothes in the shop “Milwards”. This was the new work from Eva; there she was hired after she was fired in Birling’s factory. But there she didn’t work long, because Sheila Birling is a well-known customer of the shop, and on one day she had a bad temper and then she wanted to buy clothes for herself. But in her clothes Eva looked prettier than Sheila. And so Sheila talked to the manager and told him that Eva was very impertinent and so Eva was repeatedly fired.
In the next time the life was not really good for Eva, but one day she was in a bar and met a young good-looking man, his name was Gerald. He talked to her and later they went to a hotel to talk again und to drink few drinks. Gerald didn’t really feel in love with her, but they had a little affair. He support Eva e.g. he gave her money and organized her a place where she could live for a time. But this affair ends too and Eva Smith was already alone.
Then she met the son of the Birling family Eric in the same bar. They also had an affair each other, but this time she got a baby from him. But Eva didn’t have enough money and Eric Wanted to help her and so he stole money from his father to support Eva.
Eva didn’t want this money and searched help in a committee, which helps pregnant women who are lonely. But Mrs. Birling who worked in the committee didn’t believe her and so Eva got no help. And this was reason why Eva saw no exit and decided to commit suicide.
This very sad story the inspector cleared up and showed all that all family members are involved in the death. But Inspector Goole wasn’t a real inspector. Because Mr. Birling called at the police-office and asked after the name “Goole”, but nobody knew him and no girl committed suicide in the last days. Nethertheless Goole was like a man who made a prophecy, because at the very end of the play there was a call from the police-office that “A young girl committed suicide, because she swallowed disinfectant and a police officer will visit you in the next minutes!”
Words: 540

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