The Role of the Inspector in An Inspector Calls Essay examples -- An I

The Role of the Inspector in An Inspector CallsAn Inspector Calls is a play with m some(prenominal) social and political messages. J. B. Priestley believed a great deal in socialism and he used several of his plays to try and influence people to be Socialist as well. It was written in a time when Britain was rule by a Labour government and socialist policies were seen as the way forward. It was a popular way of thinking at that time so Priestleys draw for the play was probably to teach the unconvinced. The Inspector in J. B. Priestleys An Inspector Calls is one of the most thought-provoking and rich characters that modern day literature has yet produced. It is this mysterious element that contributes greatly to making him a very interesting character and one that may be perceived in many ways. The audience does not find a great deal out about the Inspector and nothing is explicitly told to us we are given hints and clues from the way he acts and what he says and are forced to pie ce these together to form our own ideas about his identity and his intentions. In this way, Priestley has asked his audience to act as a judge and to collapse personal conclusions about him. The role of the Inspector is one of many levels. In terms of how he is used in the basic structure of the play, he is in that respect to move the play along in that he encourages the characters to tell their stories. If there was not the revelation that he was not a real Police Inspector, he would only be considered as a narrator and not play a big part in the play. Because it transpired that he was an impostor of sorts, further questions are asked by the audience and different insights have become likely and it is clear that the Inspector is in the play for many reasons. T... ...e unpunished. One must conclude that the Inspectors principal(prenominal) purpose is to teach. In the context of the play, he told the characters what had happened to a particular girl because they had each been gui lty of selfishness. In regards to the whole of society, he voiced Priestleys opinions that we cannot make any progress if we do not work together. In my opinion, those watching or reading the play today would not gain as much from the tommyrot in regards to the moral teachings because most have now accepted the advantages of Socialism over Capitalism and so do not have as much to learn on the arguments of this issue as the audiences of 1947. In regards to the question of what the Inspector actually was, I personally feel that there is not enough say given for even a strong, fact-supported theory to be produced to answer the question, let alone an infallible answer.