J.B. Preistly’s Presentation of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls

Analyse J.B. Preistly’s Presentation of Inspector Goole in An

Inspector Calls

‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play written by J.B. Preistly in 1945 after

WW2. The play was set in 1912 just before WW1, this date was chosen to

show the contrasts of the two orders and to help J.B.Preistly’s

message of the play become clearer. In the world in1945, as I’ve

said, it was the end of WW2 and the Labour Party had been elected for

government for the first time. Preistly’s message of the play is that

he thinks that the old older was a bad idea because it had already got

the world in 2 world wars’ and that every body should respect and care

about each other .

The Inspector is an important character is important to the play

because he is like the spokes person of the play because he shows that

the ways of the old order are wrong and that the way of the new order

was the right way to go. He is also pointing out Preistly’s message by

saying that the old order views from Arthur Birling about how

everybody should look after themselves and not care about any other

problems in the world accept your own. The way that Preistly does this

is by contrasting Inspector Goole and Arthur Birling for example the

Inspector is cool, calm and collected, Arthur Birling has to always

have his wits about him and always try to be right.

My first impressions of the Inspector are that he is an important

character to the play and solving the mystery of who killed Daisy

Renton, but I didn’t think that he would have any thing to do with the

message. Did Preistly want the audience to think this? I think that he

did and that adds to the initial impact of the inspector’s character,

not knowing what he is all about. In the text Preistly describes the

inspector as a big character in his late 40’s makes him seem a

convincing inspector; this could help to trick the audience in the

later scenes. The Inspectors entrance is important because it is the

middle of Birling’s big speech about only looking after yourself and

later in the play he contradicts that speech and shows Birling that he

is in the wrong and that Eric And Sheila are right for being in the

new order. When he enters the room with the lines “ I’d like some

information if you don’t mind, Mr. Birling” it makes the audience feel

that Birling, who is so convinced the old order is correct and he is