Analyse the role and function of Inspector Goole in "An Inspector Telephone calls. "
The play is defined out in a chronological order which makes it easy and simple to check out. It catches the audience's attentions, and it feels more realistic as though it's occurring in real life. It also helps to build dramatic anxiety by giving the audience a bit of information at a time.
Inspector Goole plays the main role in the play and is very cunning and clever in the ways that he questions the family and their reports rhetorically. His manner around them is very cool, calm & accumulated, and it often he seems to merge into the background. He's a very inexplicable character, as the rest of the personas have a meaning, and the play is a morality play, he could symbolise a ghoul as he arises when least expected and appears out of nowhere, almost like a ghost.
When he gets into the area of the Birling's house, the level guidelines says the lamps changes to be brighter and harder. This reflects the interrogation which is about to commence.
He conducts his enquiry very systematically as he discounts with one individual at the same time. By getting all the information from the think, he confronts them with a piece of information which can make them discuss, or confess. Sheila explained this technique as "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves. " For example, on little bit of information he used was the image of Eva Smith. He was very strategic with just how he positioned himself and the photography, as it enabled him to show a single person, yet no person else saw it.
The inspector is also very authoritive. He handles each member of the family very firmly and several times we see him "massively taking charge as disputes erupt between them. " This implies that the inspector is in charge of what everyone says and can get anything out of these just by persuading them correctly.
He seems to know and understand an extraordinary amount. He is aware the history of Eva Smith and the Birlings' participation in it, even though she perished only hours earlier. Sheila says Gerald, "Obviously he recognizes. "
He knows they are going to uncover their secrets soon enough, so he says, "I'm longing to do my duty". He says this just before Eric comes home, as if he expected him to appear at that very point in time.
The inspector, in his final speech, appears to want to instruct the Birlings that he what they performed to Eva Smith/Daisy Renton was incorrect, and all the heroes were affected and learned a lesson. He is used, throughout the play, as a narrative device, as he is the one which asks all the characters questions that the audience desires to ask themselves.
The complete play and people all symbolise something. The Birling family symbolise the seven fatal sins. All the characters represent at least one of the dangerous sins, some representing more than one. Mr Birling represents greed because he sacked one of is own employees, Eva Smith, to save a few shillings. He also signifies pride because he didn't want his name and business being tarnished because of one young lady. Mrs Birling represents wrath as she actually is irritated at Eva Smith for using her name, in what she believes is a spiteful way. She could also represent delight as she is pleased with her name and will not want other people using her name without good reason. Sheila symbolizes envy as she is furious at Eva Smith for laughing at her, and she represents wrath for the same reason. Eric symbolizes gluttony as he has become an alcoholic; he's drinking much too much. He also signifies sloth as he does not work your money can buy he provides to Eva Smith, and instead resorts to stealing it from his father's business. Gerald symbolizes lust as he fancies Eva Smith, and even though he's in a romantic relationship with Sheila, he still embarks on a sexual relationship with another woman, being Eva Smith.
Weighing up every one of the information of the inspector, he's a very strange and omnipotent identity, therefore he is able to enter the brains of the Birlings, and change their ideas. Priestley used dramatic tension, therefore the inspector draws in the audience by pausing, speaking short, short sentences and saying things the audience and other heroes could have never expected. The inspector takes on the role of God, as he has learned everything and desires the other heroes to confess their sins to him, without him requesting them. His message is the fact that you can't conceal your secrets as they will soon be disclosed.
