Political commentator Essay

Inspector Goole is an ingenious character; manipulated by Priestley to display many functions within the play, as he is used as a political commentator, universal inquisitor and truth seeker. -Many people view Inspector Goole as a representative for political and moral value, but overall, he is just a mere dramatic device, used for the purpose of delivering Priestley’s opinion across to the audience, in the context of a domestic backdrop. The audience becomes first aquatinted with the character of Inspector Goole, when he enters the play at the beginning of Act One. -During this arrival, the Inspector interrupts Mr. Birling in midst of his pro-capitalist speech, thus disrupting the pretentious calm of middle-class luxury displayed before. -Mr. Birling, who represents the Capitalist opinion in full, speaks extremely arrogantly, as he believes that all knowledge and experience is held within his grasp:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’ve learnt in a good hard school of experience – that a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own – and – †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mr Birling, act one). -Through this, Mr Birling shows that he is a Capitalist, and is one who feels that he has to take many risks to keep hold of his aesthetic power in status and money. He uses the speech to reveal all of his secrets and predictions around living life to the full, and in mid-flight of this, is rudely interrupted by the doorbell ringing. This doorbell acts as a dramatic device and medium for Inspector Goole’s entrance. – It’s shrewd disturbance, possibly acting as a symbol for his disagreement in ethics, but also, the lack of respect for Mr Birling’s Capitalist beliefs. Mr Birling is immediately phased by this impertinence, as just the Inspector’s presence stops him from carrying on. The audience knows at this point that Birling isn’t the great ‘power figure’ that he made himself out to be and in fact, someone far greater has taken his dominating role for good. – The Inspector is now ‘number one’. At first, the other characters are completely unaware of the Inspector’s purpose within the play, as though they don’t realise there is something to hide from. However, this arrogance and disregard for others is soon transformed, as they become conscious of the brutal truth of what they have done. Sheila and Eric become vividly changed, whereas the somewhat stubborn Mr and Mrs Birling remain seemingly callous within their original Capitalist views: – but even with their supposed ‘unchanged opinions’, the effect of Inspector Goole steel haunts them, as all the characters will never be the same. The overall impression that surrounds Inspector Goole throughout the whole play is that of mystery and superior presence. This notion is partly created by the Inspector’s manner but also his name, ‘Goole’, which is obviously an inference to mythical creatures of the medieval times, by the name of ‘Ghouls’. This similarity could just be a mere coincidence, but I think it is a metaphor, used to describe the Inspector’s mystical character in short. Ghouls by legend are mysterious, magical creatures that are associated with death; and through this comparison, (plus the Inspector’s style of just appearing with immediate authority), the same can be said about him. – Priestley ultimately wanted to create a presence of â€Å"massiveness, solidity and purposefulness† (directional notes, Act one) and through the Inspector’s deliberate name, manner and timing, he has created just that.  Paragraph 4 – The Inspector’s function as a Protagonist – 1st Re-Draft  The most influential role of the Inspector and perhaps the most crucial in setting up his political authority within the play, is his imminent function as a ‘Protagonist’. In this role, Priestley has allowed the Inspector’s character to immediately hold power and influence over the plot, thus giving him enough status to later deliver a political opinion to the audience. The first indication of the great power Inspector Goole has within the play, is only given upon his entrance into the plot, as it is then and only then, that the main proceedings are allowed to unfold. The audience is instantly left in suspense as they await the Inspector’s motive for coming to the Birling household on such a joyous occasion. – Although he immediately reveals his intentions: â€Å"I’d like some information, if you don’t mind†(The Inspector, Act one), they know he wants more. This mere ‘information’ is all too trivial for Priestley to make such an atmosphere around the Inspector and thus, it is not viewed upon as just a light-hearted inquiry, but far more. The audience realises that the Inspector has immense power – even enough to disrupt people of higher class; therefore they know he is here to reveal something life changing – something important, and they won’t stop watching until they find out exactly what. Throughout the play, Inspector Goole is the dominating character, as he leads the proceedings through immense interrogation. Every action he takes part in changes the reactions of the other characters, as he continually delivers Priestley’s socialist opinion across to the audience. Before the Inspector enters though, Mr. Birling fulfils this role, as he roams through the dominion of a middle-class celebration, in flare of his true Capitalist mind. However, Birling’s power is only temperamental, as it is immediately transferred to the Inspector as soon as he arrives into the plot. This switching of power and purpose between Inspector Goole and Mr Birling upsets the overall equilibrium of the play. The contrast of reign is thus shown vividly, as the pretentious calm of Capitalist wealth is rapidly morphed into the blunt truth of socialism. Priestley emphasises this change in mood specifically in his directional notes at the beginning of Act One:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder† (Directional notes). This change in light signifies the transferral of power between characters, but also the transformation of the plot’s tone. It shows that during Inspector Goole’s entrance, the barrier of higher-class wealth does not matter, as he holds the power where no one can hide. ‘Light’ in religious terms is a symbol for truth, and I think that this ‘brighter’ light in the directional notes is a sign of the honesty in Inspector Goole, as Priestley shows the Inspector’s beliefs to be pure and genuine.  Later on in the plot, after the Inspector has left, the other characters are close to restoring the equilibrium to how it previously was. They try to gain power back and delude themselves into thinking that the Inspector’s existence was merely a hoax: â€Å"There isn’t any such Inspector. We’ve been had.† (Gerald, Act three).  The characters are purely interested in just their own statuses and therefore, try to make up excuses of why Inspector Goole’s testament is not valid, so that in the end they can go about their lives, un-affected. However, the Inspector’s power was so great and commanding, that Sheila and Eric are transformed and therefore, can not let the Inspector’s morals go on forgotten. In the end, they stand up for what they believe, and in agreement with the Inspector they allow his reign to have justice until the very end – the equilibrium of which, does not return.