The Function of Inspector Goole in the Play An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
In this essay I am going to discuss the function of Inspector Goole in
the play and how J. B Priestley used the Inspector to bring out his
messages regarding social responsibility.
'An Inspector Calls was written in 1945, just after the Second World
War. It is set on a spring evening in 1912, part of the Edwardian era.
The play was written by John Boynton Priestley who was a socialite'.
Throughout the end of the play the question is left in the mind of the
audience, 'Who is the Inspector'. Some suggestions state the whole
play was a dream. Some say that that the Inspector was a ghost who
represented the minds of people who believe in socialism. This is
because of the name 'Goole' is a pun with 'Ghoul' meaning ghost.
Others think that the Inspector is a time traveller. Some say that
Inspector Goole is Eva Smith. People think that Eva Smith disguised
herself as a man to the Birling family. If they accepted
responsibility she will live, if they did not accept responsibility
then she would kill herself. I think this is not the case because if
the Inspector was Eva Smith she would want revenge on the Birling
family for making her life such a misery. Other people also say that
the Inspector was a hoax to try and make the Birling family see that
everything they do and say will affect the lives of others.
I, however, think that Inspector Goole is an Angel which symbolises
socialism. I think the Angel has come down in a form of an Inspector
to warn people that if they do not change their capitalist minds and
accept responsibility for each other they we w...
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...l alive today. If we were all capitalists the
question would be left 'If only'. Examples are, 'If only I would have
called the police when I constantly heard loud cries at night next
door', 'if only I would found help when I saw that young lady bleeding
to death'.
If we all felt socially responsible for each other then the guilt
would not be left on us.
In the case of Sheila it is, if only I had known, I would not have
gotten Eva Smith fired.
This is what I believe J. B Priestley was trying to portray in An
Inspector calls. We all know what happened on that tragic, September
11th 2001. It happened all the way in New York; however it has
affected us here in London, for the reason that we might suffer in
war.
'If men will no learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire
and blood and anguish'
one page 11) this indicates that he is a selfish man and cares for his
There would be more of an effect on the audience at the time, as it
it will create. He makes a toast to the couple and to the fact that
she needed more money. So she said to him give me 25/6 because of that
A Comparison of Characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
Each character, in some capacity, is learning something new about themselves. Whether it be new views, new feelings, newfound confidence, or a new realization of past events, each character involved in the play realizes something view-altering by the end of the play. Bonny is realizing that she is growing up and discovering how to deal with boys, and to lie to her parents; Elsie realizes that she doesn’t need her father for everything, and eventually overcomes her fear of driving on her own; Grace is discovering that she must let her children think for themselves at times, and that she must let Charlie choose what he wants to do; and Charlie, of course, is discovering that there are more ways to think than the status quo that society presents. Each character obviously goes through very different struggles throughout the play, but in the end, they all result in realizing something about themselves they didn’t at the beginning of the
"And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don't need to know any
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Priestley’s Main Aim in An Inspector Calls JB Priestly wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ to enhance the message that ‘we don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. This is something Priestly felt strongly about and he succeeded in representing his views through the character of the Inspector in the play itself. He wanted to communicate the message that our actions, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, always affect others.
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following the end of World War II. It is set in 1912, two weeks before
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