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How Is The Inspector Presented In An Inspector Calls

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Explore the ways in which the role of the Inspector is presented in Inspector Calls. An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945, with themes of social responsibility, class division and gender roles. Within this play is the character of the Inspector, a mysterious man sent by the police to visit a prosperous industrial family in order to investigate a girl’s suicide. The Inspector is presented in various lights throughout the course of the play, retaining his enigmatic nature all the while. At first, the Inspector is presented as an outsider, challenging the authority the Birlings hold dear and breaking through their facades. Prior to his entry to the Birlings’ house, the lighting in the play was stated to be “pink and …show more content…

His words also highlight the contrast between himself and the Birlings. An example of this is in Act 2, where the Inspector remarks that “[Birling’s] daughter isn’t living on the moon, she’s here in Brumley too” in response to Mr. Birling’s protest that she has been “dragged” into the matter. The metaphor of “living on the moon” implies a distance and disconnect between the family members. A resident of the moon, which is a foreign body, could easily be perceived as different or even alien, possibly requiring additional care and not understanding the way of the world. They could also be seen as fictional, only existing when they are thought of and even then entertained simply as ideas, showing how insignificant Birling considers his daughter. Not only does he view her as some kind of foreign creature, but to him she also only exists when convenient, to be used for his own purposes. Additionally, by claiming that their daughter, Sheila, is being “dragged”, Mr. Birling is claiming that her involvement in the interrogation is unfounded while completely disregarding her own opinions. This shows a power imbalance, with Birling simply assuming his daughter’s thoughts and speaking in her place. However, the Inspector directly objects to that statement. By saying that she is “here too”, the Inspector counters Mr Birling’s claim. The phrase makes a simple point- at that point, Sheila is standing alongside the Birlings, not as a distant figure or foreign entity but as one of their own. Through this sentence, Mr. and Mrs. Birling are made to see Sheila as a part of their family and as a human rather than an outside being, while the Inspector has already done so from the

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