An Inspector Calls (2015) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Mr. Birling fired Eva Smith after she led a strike at his factory demanding equal pay for the workers. Birling viewed this as a prudent business decision, claiming he couldn't tolerate dissent among his employees. However, the inspector highlights how this dismissal left Eva without income, setting in motion the chain of events that led to her suicide.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the dinner, Mr. Birling boasts about handling workers firmly and dismisses union activities as unnecessary.

• eva smith
• birling factory
• strike
• dismissal
• unions

Sheila noticed Eva Smith helping customers at Milwards department store and asked her to assist trying on a dress. After trying it on, Sheila became humiliated believing Eva had mocked her reaction. In a fit of vanity and insecurity, Sheila insisted the manager fire Eva, which he did. Sheila later realizes her rash decision contributed to Eva's downward spiral.

Foreshadowing: Before the inspector arrives, Sheila is shown enjoying her privileged position and appears sensitive to perceived slights.

• sheila birling
• milwards
• dress
• fired
• department store

Gerald admits he met a woman named Daisy Renton at the Palace Bar during the summer before the engagement. Moved by her distress, he gave her money and arranged for her to stay in a flat belonging to a friend. They had a brief relationship for a few months before he ended it, never knowing she was actually Eva Smith under a different name.

Foreshadowing: Gerald initially appears to be a trustworthy fiancé, but his secret summer affair hints at hidden depths.

• gerald croft
• daisy renton
• palace bar
• affair
• flat

Mrs. Birling chaired a charitable committee that Eva Smith approached for help. Eva falsely claimed to be Mrs. Birling's namesake to receive assistance. Mrs. Birling refused to help, branding Eva as irresponsible and blaming her situation on a "drunken young man." This denial left Eva without support during her pregnancy.

Foreshadowing: Mrs. Birling earlier speaks about her charitable work with pride, presenting herself as a benevolent figure.

• mrs birling
• charity
• eva smith
• denial
• pregnancy

Eric confesses he had a relationship with Eva Smith that resulted in pregnancy. After a night of drinking, he raped a woman he knew as Alice Grey (another of Eva's aliases). When Eva became pregnant, Eric stole £50 from his father's office to support her, but she rejected the stolen money.

Foreshadowing: Eric appears uncomfortable and drinks heavily throughout the evening, hinting at underlying guilt.

• eric birling
• pregnancy
• rape
• alice grey
• stolen money

Eric Birling is revealed to be the father of Eva Smith's unborn child. When confronted by the inspector, Eric breaks down and admits to the relationship. The baby was conceived during his encounter with Eva, who was using the alias Alice Grey at the time.

Foreshadowing: Mrs. Birling's insistence on blaming a "drunken young man" during the charity hearing directly points to Eric.

• baby
• father
• eric
• eva smith
• child

The film leaves Inspector Goole's identity ambiguous. After he leaves, Mr. Birling contacts the chief constable, who confirms there is no inspector by that name on the force. The local infirmary also reports no recent suicides. This leads the family to believe the inspector was a hoax, though the final phone call about another dead young woman suggests something supernatural or unexplained may have occurred.

Foreshadowing: The inspector arrives unexpectedly and speaks with unusual certainty about details he seemingly shouldn't know.

• inspector goole
• hoax
• police
• fraud
• identity

After the family concludes the inspector was a hoax, they receive a phone call confirming that a young woman has died in the infirmary and police are on their way to question the family. This mysterious call suggests the inspector's warnings were genuine or that events will repeat. The ending leaves the family's guilt unresolved while hinting at inevitable consequences.

Foreshadowing: The inspector warns that actions have consequences and that "we are responsible for each other."

• ending
• phone call
• death
• police
• infirmary

Eva Smith used at least three different names throughout the story: Eva Smith (her real name), Daisy Renton (a name she used when meeting Gerald), and Alice Grey (an alias she used when seeking help from Mrs. Birling's charity). These aliases reflect her desperate attempts to survive by any means necessary, changing her identity to access different forms of help.

Foreshadowing: The inspector methodically reveals each identity, building the picture of a woman driven to extremes.

• eva smith
• daisy renton
• alice grey
• alias
• pseudonym

The play delivers a powerful message about collective social responsibility, that individual actions, especially by the privileged elite, directly affect vulnerable people. Each family member's seemingly small decisions (firing a worker, denying charity, a moment's vanity) combined to push Eva Smith to suicide. The inspector emphasizes that we are all responsible for each other in society.

Foreshadowing: Mr. Birling's opening speech about self-reliance and looking after oneself sets up the inspector's counter-message about interconnection.

• responsibility
• social
• moral
• message
• collective