AQA GCSE Grade 9 Essay: The Portrayal of Inspector Goole in "An Inspector Calls" by Priestley
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Course
English
Institution
GCSE
An Outstanding Analysis of Inspector Goole in “An Inspector Calls” - AQA GCSE Grade 9 Essay
Uncover the portrayal of Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley’s renowned play, “An Inspector Calls,” through this exceptional AQA GCSE Grade 9 essay. Gain valuable insights into the character’s r...
An inspector calls is an allegory written by priestley, in which the inspector is used as a proxy to
express his socialist views.
The inspector is used as a moral teacher throughout the play in order to teach the birlings about
the damaging effect of denying their social responsibility. The lexical field of size “massiveness”
implies that his words carry deeper meaning which resonates with the audience as displayed
through Eric and sheila. He correctly points out that in a society with these iniquitous views was
a danger to which eva smith was left vulnerable.
In his final speech, inspector Goole acts as a direct mouthpiece for Priestley and highlights his
views of social responsibility. He speaks of how there are “millions and millions of eva smiths
and john smiths left with us” who if we continue to live under capitalist rule, will fall victim to the
hierarchy. Priestley's trying to convey to the audience the effect that the birlings and gerald
(representing the entire upper and middle class) had on eva smith (represents the working
class) because of their lack of accepting responsibility for their actions. Perhaps he is also trying
to clarify his political message of socialism in which the social purpose is to increase the value
of everyone's happiness which is “intertwined with our lives” opposing the capitalist view.
The society in 1912 was mostly christian and practicing, the inspector says “we are members of
one body” which is spoken in church: Jesus preached social responsibility. Perhaps Priestley's
purpose for using christian teachings was to get through to the majority of the population of
england from the post war and modern audience. Although he could also be trying to imply that
his moral beliefs as a socialist are similar to christian beliefs as if to say that “we’re one in the
same”and that you can't be a true christian without agreeing to socialist ideology. Either way the
use of the teaching is a powerful device as it speaks to the believers directly, it's something they
can’t argue with. Priestly used this to his advantage, supporting his attack with what he knew
wouldn't be questioned. His political message can be seen through the entire play, represented
through the character of the inspector. Many readers are frustrated at how much of the moral
lesson is portrayed, believing it detracts from the drama and becomes entirely political.
However, others realise that the primary purpose isn’t entertainment but rather a lesson. For
them the inspector is a continuous reminder of social responsibility.
The inspector also clarifies that if the family do not learn their lesson they will be taught it in “fire
blood and anguish” which quite clearly has connotations of the war. The word “fire” creates the
image of roaring orange flames which destroy all that cross their path, the use of “blood”
conveys war and the battlefield and “anguish” connotes endless pain and suffering. Priestly is
trying to convey to the audience that if they continue to follow this narrow minded capitalist rule,
there will be a punishment that we’ll have to face. This could be well understood by both
audiences, they all knew of the wars; however in one way it’s more specific to the post war
readers as they had just experienced being taught in “fire blood and anguish” it helps to explain
what had initially led to the war. Though there is also the fact that this could be a representation
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