The Inspector's Role As A Dramatic Device in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

The Inspector's Role As A Dramatic Device in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

'An Inspector Calls' begins with the Birlings and Gerald Croft

celebrating when they are interrupted by a call from an Inspector. The

Inspector tells them about a girl who has committed suicide earlier on

that evening. In turn, he questions the Birlings and Gerald for

playing a part in her death. After the Inspector leaves the Birlings

find out he was not a real Inspector and receive a phone call about a

young girl who has just died.

The Inspector's identity is never found out in the play. I think

Priestly has left his identity open because it is not his identity

that matter but his views, which is what Priestly was trying to get

across to the audience of that time. Priestley also never revealed the

identity of the Inspector because it was his role as a dramatic device

which was most important.

The Inspectors role as a dramatic device consisted of three things: to

create moments of dramatic tension, to present Priestley's central

views and to move the story forward.

Tension can be created from physical appearance, mystery and suspense.

The Inspector uses all three of these to create tension. When he first

enters the Birling's dining room, he creates tension from his physical

appearance because he is described to create an 'impression of

massiveness' and have a habit of 'looking hard at the person he is

addressing before actually speaking'. This description of the

Inspector creates tension because his appearance seems very formal

compared to the one of the dining room which was very smug and joyous,

therefore there is tension because he has chan...

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...t his identity.

I think Priestley calling the Inspector 'Goole' makes the Inspector

sound like he is extraordinary because it makes his sound like a ghoul

and it also makes the Inspector seem superior because he is not of

this world. He may have also called him 'Goole' to create dramatic

irony because the characters do not realise the strangeness of his

name until the end of the play.

I think Priestley has left his identity open because it has a larger

impact on the audience because then there is an air of mystery of who

this man was and it leaves the audience to decide for themselves who

he was. I think if Priestley revealed the identity of the Inspector,

the Inspector would not seem so important because he seems like a

higher being and therefore his views are more respected then those of

a 'normal inspector'.