An Inspector Calls

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An Inspector Calls

Coursework Essay

In the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley, the inspector is presented as the main character. The plot revolves around the inspector arriving at the household of a prosperous and apparently respectable factory owner of the early 20th century; determined to find out the reason behind the suicide of a girl named Eva Smith. During the course of the play Priestley gives the inspector many roles and purposes to act upon.

The inspector’s main purpose in the play is to find out who is responsible for the death of Eva Smith. He constantly questions the characters into confession and makes it look part of his job by saying ‘it’s my duty to ask questions’.  The inspector voices the issue of responsibility towards each and every person mutually with the determination to dig out the upper and lower class division. The inspector mentions to Mr Birling ‘Public men…have responsibilities as well as privileges’ after he tries to play himself up as a man of great importance.

Along with this purpose the inspector also promotes the social views of Priestley that all people are responsible for each other. After Sheila returns from her somewhat traumatic departure after seeing the photo of Eva Smith she tells the inspector ‘So I’m really responsible’ at this the inspector replies ‘No, not entirely…But your partly to blame…’ This is the inspector dividing the responsibility quite deliberately. Also when Sheila refuses to go after the inspector starts to ask Gerald his part with Eva Smith the inspector says very calmly ‘…she’ll feel she’s entirely to blame, she’ll be alone with her responsibility…’ Here the inspector is trying to spread the responsibility with all the characters. And again at the end of the inspectors act he tells us ‘You’ll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I’ve gone.’

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Another purpose of the inspector is to remind the characters and audience constantly of what has happened so far in the play. Throughout the course of the play the inspector repeats the events that have unfolded in short summarised sentences such as after Mrs Birling enters and the inspector starts to enquire Gerald, ‘At the end of January, last year, this girl Eva Smith had to leave Milwards, because Miss Birling compelled them to discharge her…’. Also he helps the other characters to reveal what had happened like when Eric says he took money from ‘the office’ the inspector ...

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