The Inspector in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestly

The Inspector in An Inspector Calls

Examine the function and symbolism of the Inspector in the play – An

Inspector Calls, and explain how Priestly makes him dramatically

effective

Throughout the play ‘An Inspector Calls’, by J.B Priestley, the

audience sees the role of a mysterious investigator who interrogates a

powerful and upper-middle class family: The Birling's. Priestley uses

the role of the Inspector to expose the characters in the play, and to

put his own views across about the Birling’s and their conservative

beliefs. The play was written in 1946 and set in the spring of 1912.

This means that the audience would have known the future events (the

two world wars). Therefore they are in a position to judge the

characters beliefs.

At the start of the play, Priestley describes the Dining room, in

which all of the acts in the play take place. He writes, ‘the dining

room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous

manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period. The general

effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and

homelike’. This tells the audience that the Birling’s are wealthy as

they live in a presumably large and expensive house. It also shows

that the setting of the play is very formal by saying that the effect

of the room is not cosy and homelike. The description of the furniture

acts as a metaphor for the family, being ‘solid’ and not loving and

affectionate. Priestley writes that before the Inspector enters the

lighting, ‘should be pink and intimate’, and that once the Inspector

does enter the light should be brighter and harder. Priestly has

written this to try and show that no one can hide secrets under the

spotlight, and to try and portray ...

... middle of paper ...

...e reality. They

stand there guiltily as the play draws to a close.

Throughout the play ‘An Inspector Calls’, JB Priestley uses the role

of the inspector to try and show how the rich can abuse their position

and how community should be respected so that all people can be

treated equally. The inspector plays the role of a Freudian analyst,

in the sense that he gets people to reveal their inner motivations

that are hidden even to themselves. The inspector shows how everyone

should live, and we should all respect and value one another. It is

not important that he was not a real inspector; he was an example set

for everyone to follow. Through the inspector we have been shown

Priestley's beliefs on honesty, equality and being just. The inspector

has shown that everyone lives in one big community, so we should treat

one another with the respect they deserve.