사회적 (무)책임에 대한 우화: J. B. 프리슬리의 『어느 수사관의 방문』에 극화된 젠더와 불평등

A Parable of Social Ir/responsibility: Gender and Inequality in J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls

This paper examines J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls (1945), in which the hierarchical setting of the Edwardian era is used to highlight issues of gender and inequality in mid-1940s Britain. The three-act play opens in 1912, when WWI was approaching and suffragettes were smashing windows. The playwright’s political spokesperson, the mysterious Inspector Goole, interrogates the patriarchal capitalist Arthur Birling and his family, exposing their contributions to the suicide of a poor young woman named Eva Smith. During this process, readers and audiences are invited to assume the role of a jury. The unfolding story of the off-stage Eva Smith (later Daisy Renton), an unvoiced, marginalized woman, becomes a parable of individual and social ir/responsibility, borrowing from the traditional ‘whodunnit’ and the modern ‘morality play’ genre. Of the five interrogated characters, only the daughter, Sheila, a representative of young hope, experiences a change of consciousness and demands that the others face the consequences of their in/actions. Through a theatrical use of modern British history, aided by symbolic lighting and stage sets and the symbolism of its spatiotemporal setting, the playwright’s beliefs in social reform and his vision of an equal and just society are expressed. The Inspector’s revelations offer a timely commentary on the social problems arising from individualistic materialism and capitalist patriarchy. In conclusion, An Inspector Calls, the prototype for the post-war state-of-the-nation play, with its mix of naturalism and symbolism, continues to create new resonance and contemporary relevance with each revival to this day.