The Inspector as a Dramatic Device in An Inspector Calls Essay

How does priestly use the inspector as a dramatic device?

An Inspector Calls written and created by J.B Priestly, the play is based on trust and responsibility, taking responsibility for your own actions. That actions people take can be wrong and lead to bad things happening. The play is written and set just before World War 1 in an upper class family.

At the beginning of the play Mr Birling is having a celebration engagement party for his daughter Sheila who is to be married to Gerald. To Mr Birling, This engagement means the joining together of two rival companies.

To the audience they all seem to be having a good time, they are all listening to speeches by their father and Gerald. They all seem content and excited about the future, not at all unsure. We also get this feeling later on when Mr Birling talks about the war and how its a load of nonsense, Nonsense nobody wants war. The tension begins to rise when you realise that Geralds parents are not present at dinner, which is strange seeing as it is his engagement party. The thing that we never find out during this story is why they are not present. Even though everything is going well.

During the dinner a police inspector knocks on the door, he is questioning the family about the death of a girl called eva smith. The family are stunned at what the insoector is saying they thought they had no part in her death. The inspectoer starts to question the family one by one. The first person he questions is Gerald.

Gerald then explains about his relationship with Eva Smith (now Daisy). After he told the inspector and the family about what happened he turned to Sheila, she gave him back his ring, which Gerald was not surprised about. Then Gerald, thinking it was best to go says, This wretched business it not over. This is one of the most important exits in the play.

It is Sheila that is most affected by what is happening and all the way through the familys questioning she trys to warn them that what happened is wrong and they need to learn from it.

Sheila then enters the room, sorry to interrupt but mother sent me in to ask why you didnt come along to the drawing room? Sheila is then informed on what has happened, about a young girl named Eva Smith, committed suicide, that she was fired from her fathers firm. Sheilas in shock she could not understand what would poses girl to end her life. The inspector then tells Mr Birling and Sheila that Eva was lucky enough to get a job at Milwards.

Then in walks the inspector Edna (servant) introduces him as inspector Goole. The inspector is not a big man but he creates at once a sense of massiveness, solidarity and purposefulness. He is man possibly in his lat fiftys, dressed in a plain dark suit of the period.

Mr Birling explains to the inspector that he knew this young girl from his work place, and that one day she along with the other working staff asked for a pay rise, She had far too much to say that girl, so I fired her.

The ending begins with Gerald Returning to the house with vital information on the inspector, who by now had left. Gerald explains to them that he had been speaking to a policeman friend of his, and asked them for information on an Inspector Goole. They replied that they had no knowledge of him. At this point Mr Birling then confirms these accusations by ringing the infirmary. They then realise the name of the inspector, Goole. That this name can also be spelled Goole, (which is a type of ghost). Then they are visited by a real inspector, they feel that inspector Goole had been sent to warn them of what was about to happen.