Detailed Act-wise Summary

Act 1: The Birling Family’s Dinner Party

Summary:
- The play begins with the Birling family celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft.
- Arthur Birling, Sheila’s father and a prosperous businessman, is giving a speech about the future, promoting the idea of individualism and capitalism.
- Birling dismisses the possibility of war and believes that people should look after themselves and not rely on others.
- The family is interrupted by the arrival of Inspector Goole, who informs them about the death of Eva Smith, a young woman who had died by suicide.
- The inspector starts questioning the family about their involvement with Eva Smith, and it’s revealed that Arthur Birling had sacked her from his factory after she went on strike for better wages.
- The inspector’s questioning introduces the idea of social responsibility, as each family member begins to reveal their connection to Eva Smith.

🧠 Memory Check (Act 1)

Q1: What is the theme of Arthur Birling’s speech in Act 1?
➔ A1: The importance of individualism and capitalism.

Q2: How does the Inspector disrupt the family’s celebration?
➔ A2: By revealing the news of Eva Smith’s suicide and starting an investigation into the family’s involvement.

Q3: What was Arthur Birling’s role in Eva Smith’s downfall?
➔ A3: He fired Eva Smith for leading a strike for better wages.

Act 2: The Growing Tensions

Summary:
- The inspector continues his questioning, and the family’s guilt starts to come to light.
- Sheila Birling admits that she had Eva Smith dismissed from her job at a store after becoming jealous of her beauty and the way she was treated by her fiancé, Gerald Croft.
- Gerald Croft admits that he had an affair with Eva Smith, whom he knew as Daisy Renton, and helped her when she was in need. However, he eventually broke off the relationship, leaving her emotionally and financially stranded.
- Mrs. Sybil Birling, Arthur’s wife, refuses to take responsibility. She reveals that she was the chairwoman of a charity and had refused to help Eva Smith, who had come to the charity for assistance. Mrs. Birling was prejudiced against Eva because she was pregnant and did not believe she deserved help.
- The tension between the characters increases, and the inspector’s questioning shows the moral failings of the family, especially their lack of empathy for the girl they all wronged.

🧠 Memory Check (Act 2)

Q1: What did Sheila Birling do to Eva Smith?
➔ A1: She had Eva Smith dismissed from her job out of jealousy.

Q2: What was Gerald Croft’s involvement with Eva Smith?
➔ A2: He had an affair with her and helped her temporarily, but eventually ended the relationship, leaving her in a vulnerable position.

Q3: How did Mrs. Birling react when she found out about Eva Smith’s situation?
➔ A3: She refused to help Eva, thinking she was undeserving because Eva was pregnant and came from a lower social class.

Act 3: The Inspector’s Final Revelation

Summary:
- Eric Birling, the couple’s son, is revealed to have also played a role in Eva Smith’s downfall. He confesses that he had a relationship with her and that he got her pregnant. He stole money from his father’s business to support her but could not help her in the long run.
- The inspector continues to criticize the Birlings for their lack of social responsibility and warns them that they will face consequences for their actions, even if they are not immediately apparent.
- The inspector leaves, and the family begins to question whether he was really a police inspector. They discover that there is no record of him in the police station, and the possibility arises that he may not have been real at all.
- The final twist occurs when the family learns that Eva Smith was not really the woman they had all been responsible for. Instead, she had been a symbol for the collective consequences of their actions. The inspector’s role was to make the family reflect on their behavior.
- The play ends with the family trying to dismiss the evening’s events as a hoax. However, a real police inspector calls about the suicide of a young woman, and the family realizes that the consequences of their actions are far from over.

🧠 Memory Check (Act 3)

Q1: What was Eric Birling’s involvement with Eva Smith?
➔ A1: He had an affair with her, got her pregnant, and stole money from his father’s business to support her.

Q2: What is the inspector’s final message to the Birlings?
➔ A2: He warns them about the consequences of their actions and the importance of social responsibility.

Q3: What twist occurs at the end of Act 3?
➔ A3: The family discovers that the inspector may not have been real, but a symbol of their collective guilt. A real police inspector then calls about a young woman’s suicide.

Themes and Key Messages

Social Responsibility:
- The play critiques the selfish attitudes of the upper class and promotes the idea of social responsibility.
- The Birlings’ individual actions contribute to the downfall of Eva Smith, showing how personal decisions can have far-reaching effects on others.
Class and Inequality:
- Priestley uses the characters to highlight the class divide, especially how the rich exploit the poor.
- Mrs. Birling’s prejudice against Eva Smith because of her pregnancy reflects the social hierarchy and classism.
The Role of Women:
- The play explores the treatment of women in society, especially the vulnerability of women like Eva Smith, who is exploited by men (Gerald and Eric) and dismissed by women (Mrs. Birling).
- Sheila’s character evolves, and by the end of the play, she understands the consequences of her privileged position.
The Generational Divide:
- The younger characters, especially Sheila and Eric, show more potential for growth and change than their parents, symbolizing the hope for a better, more socially aware generation.

Final Recap Table

Act	Key Events
1	The Birling family celebrates, and the inspector arrives to investigate Eva Smith’s death.
2	The family members’ roles in Eva Smith’s downfall are revealed, and tensions rise.
3	Eric and Gerald confess their roles, and the inspector delivers his final message about social responsibility. The family learns that the inspector may not have been real, and the real consequences are about to unfold.