An Inspector Calls by J.B Priestley - Who is The Inspector?

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An Inspector Calls by J.B Priestley

Who is The Inspector?

In the play an Inspector calls, I am sure at is obvious to any one that the inspector is

not what he seems at all. At first you have no suspicions of the Inspector, but as the

play gradually moves on it slowly dawns on you that the Inspector might be an

impostor, with the end of the book confirming this. But who is the Inspector?

       When we first read the title “An Inspector Calls”, we define “inspector” as a

police inspector. The characters mirror this belief by doing such things as calling the

police station to check his identity. At no point in the play does the inspector ever

call himself an inspector. We are only given the impression that he is an inspector is

from the title. J.B. Priestley has given to the play. He has done this so that we have

an expectation of which the inspector will be like before he arrives. This adds more

mystery to the play as gradually he breaks down our image of the inspector

throughout the play to leave us baffled at the end as to who the inspector is.

       Why couldn’t J.B. Priestley have used the title” A Constable Calls” or” A

Sergeant Calls”? He uses “Inspector” as it also means someone who inspects as

well as a member of the police force. Quotes from Sheila and Eric show how

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Priestley has incorporated this into the story, “ he inspected us aright” and” he was

our inspector”. This suggests that the inspector is someone who has come to

inspect our lives and try to get us to change for the better. He does this with each

character in the book, but never forces change. It is like he is trying to educate us in

the correct ways to behave.

       The inspectors name is a pun for ghoul. This then leads us to believe that the

inspector does not exist, that he is ...

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