The inspector is an embodiment of a collective conscience" Gareth Lloyd Evans In the play An Inspector Calls ; J.B.Priestly gives the protagonist inspector Goole a number of roles to play.

It is my belief that the playwright J.B.Priestly gives the inspector a multifunctional role. In my opinion one of the different roles is almost the role of a mirror. The inspector reflects the moral conscience of the characters and also reveals their role in the demise of Eva Smith (AKA Daisy Renton). An example of where the inspector acts the role of a mirror is at the beginning of act two where the inspector plays a passive role. As he is still in the room instead of him asking the questions Sheila does and when the inspector wants to start asking the questions he massively cuts in. In the play the inspector is described as creating impression of massiveness solidity and purposefulness . This is another function that Priestly has given the inspector to play.

In my view J.B.Priestly uses the inspector to interrogate Arthur Birling first because he is the catalyst that sets off the chain of events that ultimately causes the suicide of Eva Smith, also known as daisy Renton. Arthur Birling was the first to have encountered Eva Smith. Eva Smith had worked in a factory owned by the Birling family. Arthur Birling had said she was a good worker but because she had asked for a raise in payment and going on strike Arthur Birling disagreed and fired her from the job. In so doing Eva Smith had become a victim of the Birling's capitalistic thinking. He says: "well its my duty to keep labour costs down and if I agreed to this demand for a new rate we'd have added about 12 percent to our labour costs. This indicates people think because by its very nature seeks to keep power in the hands of an elite few this makes it easy to exploit the working classes in this case a young woman names Eva Smith. The retrenchment of Eva Smith had caused her not to have money or have job so she was forced to rebuild her life.

The next person to be interrogated on the inspector list was Sheila Birling. Sheila's actions result in Eva Smith becoming a victim for a second time. In a fit of jealous rage Sheila gets Eva Smith sacked from millwards. Once again a member of the Birling family was responsible for shattering the young women's life. I believe that Priestly is showing the consciences of Sheila's actions against Eva Smith. Yet again Eva Smith has become a victim in the capitalist society.

Like Arthur Birling Gerald is a capitalistic thinking person. This can be seen clearly when Gerald backs up Arthur Birling's decision to sack Eva Smith("I should say so!"). during the beginning of act two the inspector tactically manages to adopt a passive role in the conversation between Gerald and Sheila so that the audience of the play may benefit the most from the characters innermost thoughts and feelings. Gerald's encounter with Eva Smith (now known as Daisy Renton) is morally wrong because firstly he is engaged to Sheila and is set to marry her soon and secondly he exploits Daisy Renton's venerability. Whilst Gerald is having an affair with Daisy Renton he deceiving Sheila by telling her that he was to busy at the works and that he could not come to see her in the summer. Gerald's friend Charlie Brunswick had gone off to Canada for six months and had left him the key to a nice little set of rooms he had in Morgan Terrace. Gerald claimed he had felt sorry for Daisy Renton so he let her stay at Morgan Terrace but after having an affair with her during the summer he let her go.

Eva Smith becomes a victim yet again when she encounters Eric Birling. While Eric had been drinking at the palace bar he had met Eva Smith. Eric and Eva had a casual sexual relationship which ended up in Eva Smith being pregnant. Eric had been giving her money to support her but when she found out that the money he was giving her was stolen she told him she did not want his money and that she didn't want to see him any more. This show the audience an the characters in the play that Eva Smith had a good moral character.

Alone and out of desperation Eva Smith goes to Arthur Birling's wife Sible Birling to seek help from her charity for women in trouble. Mrs.Birling does not give the help Eva Smith needed because of calling herself Mrs Birling. This annoyed Sible Birling. When Eva Smith did not receive the help she needed from Sible Birling This lead to Eva Smith AKA Daisy Renton committing Suicide, killing herself and her unborn baby.