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Mind Map by Giuliano Guselli, updated more than 1 year ago
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An Inspector Calls -
Inspector Goole
- Priestley's use of The
Inspector
- Priestley shows his importance from the start: creating "an impression of
massiveness, solidity and purposefulness" as he is there with a purpose.
- Priestley uses the Inspector as his mouthpiece to convey his Socialist and strong anti-capitalist,
anti-bourgeoisie views. He is a mysterious figure for social justice who claims to represent the police.
Further to this, the Inspector is also there to persuade the audience that the pursuit of power and riches is
destructive.
- The precise nature of his character is left ambiguous by Priestley, and is interpreted in various ways.
- The Inspector also transfers Priestley’s views and he shows the difference in social classes at the time. A gap which he wants
to diminish. He illustrates the reason for this in the play, via the Inspector, where he outlines the ways each of the Birlings
have influenced someone from a completely different background and social class. This is the way Priestley viewed pre-war
Britain.
- In his infamous final speech, he shows how the future of frightening with images of "fire and blood and anguish", which is widely considered as
Priestley is reminding the audience of the two World Wars and Great Depression that had all taken place within 30 years before the play being
written.
- Priestley gives the Inspector the role of being the conscience of the play, stating "there are millions
and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us" and "we are all one body. The message
Priestley is trying to convey is clear, "We are all responsible for each other" (a key pillar of
Socialism).
- Priestley creates a cyclical structure in the play as an Inspector calls at both the beginning and the end of
play.
- Priestley shows his importance from the start: creating "an impression of
massiveness, solidity and purposefulness" as he is there with a purpose.
- The Birlings & Eva Smith/Daisy
Renton
- He works very systematically; he likes to deal with "One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise there's a muddle". His method is to confront a suspect with a piece of
information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila puts it, "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves".
- He isn't impressed or intimidated by Birling's talk of "honours" and important
friends, speaking in short, matter-of-fact sentences: "quite so" and "(dryly) I don't
play golf".
- Reminds audience and characters Eva Smith's terrible, slow, painful death: "Burnt her insides out" as
she killed herself. He also calls her a "nasty mess", using sarcasm to highlight the Birling's lack of
concern.
- He says how "it's better to ask for the Earth than to take it", a mark that
shows how greedy the Birlings are, he is later branded a "Socialist crank" by
Mr Birling.
- Taking each character individually he, through his questions, gets them to confess their links with the "dead girl". With
Gerald we see how it makes him feel guilty that she loved him and Eric and Sheila accept their responsibility: "I am
ashamed".
- Towards the end of the play the audience is unsure if there was a
policeman as Gerald decides it was "a hoax": "we've been had".
- He works very systematically; he likes to deal with "One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise there's a muddle". His method is to confront a suspect with a piece of
information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila puts it, "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves".
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