An Inspector Calls: Plot Summary (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Plot Summary

One of the most vital and helpful things you can do in preparation for the exam is to ‘know’ the plot of An Inspector Calls thoroughly. Once you know the text well, you should be comfortable and familiar with key events that you can then link to larger ideas. Having an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the text will help you to gain confidence to find the most relevant references to support your response.

Overview

An Inspector Calls is a three-act play with one setting: the dining room of the Birling family. The play is set in 1912 in the fictional city of Brumley, in the north of England. Arthur and Sybil Birling, their two children, Sheila and Eric, and their visitor, Gerald Croft, have just finished a celebratory dinner following Sheila’s engagement to Gerald.

A police inspector arrives at the Birlings’ house and informs them that a young girl, Eva Smith, has committed suicide after having swallowed disinfectant. It is revealed that Eva used to work in Arthur Birling’s factory and had subsequently been dismissed for her participation in a pay strike. The Inspector further reveals that Sheila was also responsible for having Eva dismissed from her next job as an assistant in a dress shop, after making a complaint about Eva’s conduct towards her. When the Inspector reveals that Eva had changed her name to Daisy Renton, Gerald confesses to having had an affair with her. Sheila returns her engagement ring to him.

Sybil Birling is also forced to confess to having known Eva. Sybil had refused Eva’s application for aid from her charitable organisation after she discovered the girl was pregnant. Eva had refused to marry the father of the child, who is revealed to have been Eric. Eric admits to having got Eva pregnant and having stolen money from his father in order to help her. The Inspector rebukes the Birling family and Gerald for their involvement with Eva and how their actions have led to her death. The Inspector leaves. 

Gerald learns that the Inspector appears to have been a fraud, prompting Arthur to ring the Chief Constable who confirms their suspicion. Mr. and Mrs. Birling and Gerald rejoice on having avoided a public scandal regarding Eva, while Sheila and Eric are distraught over their poor behaviour toward the girl. Arthur rings the Infirmary and is informed there are no recent admission records of a girl who has died from suicide. As Gerald attempts to return the engagement ring to Sheila, the telephone rings. A police inspector is on his way to the house to make inquiries about a girl who has just died on her way to the Infirmary, having swallowed disinfectant.

The play ends.

Act-By-Act Plot Summary

Act I

• Act I begins in the Birlings’ dining room where the audience is introduced to the Birling family (Arthur, Sybil and their two children, Sheila and Eric) and Gerald Croft

• Arthur delivers a pompous speech but is interrupted by Inspector Goole who wishes to inquire about a girl who died in the Infirmary several hours ago, having swallowed disinfectant

• Arthur is instantly dismissive of the Inspector but when shown a photograph of the girl, he admits she was a former employee of his

• Arthur admits that the girl, Eva Smith, had been dismissed from his factory two years previously for her participation in a strike for higher pay

• The Inspector insinuates Eva’s dismissal from the factory may have resulted in her suicide

• Sheila confesses she was responsible for Eva losing her next job in a dress shop 

• The Inspector reveals Eva changed her name to Daisy Renton, which disconcerts Gerald

• The Inspector exits the dining room, leaving Sheila and Gerald alone

• Suspecting Gerald had an affair with Eva, Sheila confronts him and he confesses 

• The Inspector returns and the scene ends

Act II

• Gerald attempts to persuade Sheila to leave before he confesses to the Inspector about his affair

• The Inspector interrupts them and instructs Sheila to stay 

• Sybil enters the dining room and attacks the impertinence of the Inspector

• Eric’s heavy drinking is exposed by both Sheila and Gerald and Arthur returns to the room

• The Inspector interrogates Gerald and he admits to having had an affair with Eva/Daisy the previous summer and that he had kept her as his mistress for several months

• Gerald admits he was not in love with Eva but merely enjoyed the situation

• Despite having some respect for Gerald’s honesty about the affair, Sheila returns the engagement ring to him

• The Inspector allows Gerald to go out for a short walk

• Arthur leaves to look for Eric and the Inspector begins to question Sybil

• Upon his return, Arthur informs them that Eric has gone out, while the Inspector continues his questioning of Sybil

• Sybil confesses she met Eva/Daisy two weeks ago and refused her request for financial aid at a meeting of the Brumley Women’s Charity, of which she is the Chair

• Sybil admits to being incensed when the girl presented herself to Charity by the name ‘Mrs. Birling’, revealing she was pregnant but having refused to marry the father of the child

• Sybil chastises the unknown father of the child, insisting he must be made to publicly acknowledge his responsibility

• After her rant, Sybil finally realises that Eric is the father of the child 

• Eric enters the dining room and the scene ends

Act III

• Eric confesses to having met Eva in a bar last November when he was drunk

• He admits to having got her pregnant and to have stolen money from his father’s firm to help support her

• Eric learns that his mother had refused help to Eva and becomes furious

• The Inspector interrupts them and delivers a dramatic speech 

• The Inspector exits the stage and Sheila and Eric attack their parents’ lack of guilt

• Sheila begins to doubt whether the Inspector was a real police inspector

• Arthur rebukes Eric and Sheila for having confessed too much

• Gerald returns from his walk and reveals he has learned the Inspector may have been a fraud

• Arthur telephones the Chief Constable who confirms there is no Inspector Goole

• Arthur, Sybil and Gerald rejoice on having avoided a public scandal, while Shelia and Eric chastise them for their poor behaviour towards Eva 

• Gerald suggests that the photograph of Eva may have been of several different girls 

• Arthur rings the Infirmary to check whether a girl had been admitted and it is confirmed there has been no such admission 

• As Gerald attempts to return the ring to Sheila, the phone rings

• A police inspector is on his way to the house to make inquiries about a girl who has just died on her way to the Infirmary, having swallowed disinfectant.