What is the Function of the Inspector in the play An Inspector Calls?

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Sonu Vinay 10 R                                        An Inspector Calls                                 Mrs. Williams

What is the Function of the Inspector in the play An ‘Inspector Calls’?

John Boynton Priestley wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ during 1942, but decided to set it in 1912. Throughout this play, Priestley has conveyed many political and social messages. He was a socialist and his play was a medium through which he could convey his message to people and express thoughts. During this time, Britain was ruled by the Labour government and many people believed in the class system and many other things similar to this, so Priestley’s aim for the play was to influence the society about his views. J.B Priestley uses the Inspector in the play to convey his message.

Inspector Goole is described as creating “an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.” (pg 11). This description indicates to the reader that he is commanding and authoritive in nature.  He has many functions that we discover as the play progresses. Primarily, he is introduced to the play to interrogate the Birling Family and Gerald Croft, but Priestley cleverly uses him to move the plot forward and as a device for the writer to voice his opinion. Furthermore he controls movement on stage, encourages the characters and audience to learn from their mistakes and helps create moments of tension and mystery.

The Inspector’s purpose can be classified into two levels- a realistic level and a symbolic level. At a  realistic level,  the Inspector is able to convince the family that he is a real Inspector, hence they can all co-operate. The Inspector makes the characters confess their part in leading Eva to her death by portraying himself as intimidating and knowledgeable. He has an uncanny way of making the characters reveal what he already seems to know. For example, nearing the end of act 1 the Inspector enters at the precise moment, hinting that he knows what is to come. He states “Well?”, as if he is expecting something he already knows. Shiela  also realises this fact as she questions the Inspector, "You knew it was me all along didn't you?". Another function of the Inspector's role might be to allow characters to see how their behaviour affects others and to show the audience that we are all responsible for each other. He does this by acting as a conscience of the character so he can effectively question their actions and responsibility. This is shown in Act 1 when Sheila realises that her actions led to Eva’s death and she question the Inspector: (miserably) Sheila: So I’ really responsible?”.At this point, the story seems to have come to a full circle. As Sheila acknowledges her mistake, she might feel relieved that her guilt, like a heavy weight that has been lifted. The audience also are satisfied that the truth has finally come out and Sheila realises her error.

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Furthermore, the Inspector tries to teach the characters and the audience that all our lives are linked together in one way or another. This is mentioned in his last speech where he states that there is no higher or lower class, that we are all members of one family. The Inspector says  that we are “all intertwined with our lives and what we think and say and do…” In addition to this, the Inspector encourages not only the characters but also the audience to learn from their past mistakes and change in order to achieve a better future. When ...

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