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How Important Is the Inspector in Joseph Priestley's "An Inspector Calls"?
Summary: Inspector Goole is clearly the most important character in Joseph Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls." Although the Inspector is somewhat characterless and open to individual interpretation, he serves the important purpose of bringing out the backgrounds of the other characters and linking those characters' involvements with the suicide of Eva Smith. The Inspector also serves as a catalyst to divide the Birling family between the older generation and the younger generation, and through him the reader learns about Priestley's own postwar socialist views regarding the human race.
In `An Inspector Calls', Inspector Goole is clearly the most important character as not only does he present the audience with Priestley's views on society, he breaks the news of a young girl committing suicide and he also provides the link between the different characters' involvements with the late Eva Smith. Throughout the play, it is the Inspector who has the power to focus all attention on any one of the other characters at any time.
Before the arrival of Inspector Goole, Mr Birling delivers a heavily opinionated speech which later the Inspector proves to be false and untrue. Mr Birling states that a `man has to make his own way' and therefore he must only `look after himself'. The Inspector's arrival interrupts Birling's speech, suggesting that the Inspector has his own views to add on this subject. As the Inspector enters he creates `at once, an impression...
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This section contains 1,152 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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