Answering questions on characters

1. Answering questions on characters Dr Wilkinson’s Inspector Calls GSCE English Lit. Exam Guide 1

2. The question • You are almost certainly going to get a question that will ask you to write about a character in the play An Inspector Calls. The questions usually focus on the role or function of the character and/or how Priestley presents the character. Sometimes the questions will ask you to examine both. • For example: “How does Priestley present Arthur Birling? What is his role in the play?” • This essay writing guide is intended to help you to approach answering this type of question. It uses Inspector Goole as an example but the approach will serve for any of the characters in the play.

3. Presentation Being asked to explain how a character is presented means you have to examine three things: • The way in which Priestley describes them in the stage directions. The meaning of their name. How they make their entrance, the adjectives used to describe their appearance, the adverbs used to describe their actions and moods. • What the character says and does and especially how this relates to the way in which they build our understanding of their character. • How the character affects and/or contrasts with other characters. All drama is about conflict and how one character relates to and contrasts with another puts their personalities into relief.

4. Role and Function To answer this type of question you need to explore and explain two things: • You need to write about the message or messages of the play and how the character portrays or relates to these. • How the character operates to move along the action of the plot. In other words how crucial is the character to the action of the narrative? Are they central or peripheral? Are they pivotal? Do they produce a change in the narrative?

5. Inspector GooleNB. This guide is not the answer. It is not exhaustive of all the possibilities, but merely the basis of an approach.

6. Stage directions • Name: Goole sounds like Ghoul. Is he a kind of ghost? The Holy Spirit? His title appears in title of the play. He is always therefore going to be central. Even before the action starts the audience are waiting for him to ‘call’. • Entrance: He arrives when Birling is talking about the merits of capitalism. Interrupts him with a “sharp ring of the front doorbell”. Cuts into Birling’s speech. Does not use tradesman’s entrance. Shows he does not regard Mr Birling as his superior. • Lighting: goes from “pink and intimate” to “brighter and harder”. Destroys feminine and cosy atmosphere, illuminates darkness, metaphor for exposing family secrets, brighter and harder pink would appear red- metaphor for death and colour of socialism. • Description: Powerful nouns: “massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.” Indicates he commands attention and respect.

7. Comparison with Birlings • Birling is ‘portentous.’ Meaning pompous and self-satisfied. Inspector’s “solidity” suggests he has more substance. Birling needs to assert his authority e.g. adopts a seat at end of the table. Inspector commands authority “at once.” • Birlings and Croft become angered by the Inspector’s questions. Adverbs: “impatiently”, “restlessly”, “showing annoyance”. Contrast with Inspector’s “grave” and “cool” manner. Birling speaks “angrily” while the inspector remains “steady”.

8. Affect on other characters • Inspector exposes hypocrisy and cruelty of Birlings. But the older characters do not change. • Sheila changes. She sees through Inspector early on and, perhaps because she can relate to the plight of Eva Smith, begins to accept responsibility. She goes from “being attentive to her father” to challenging him, “…they aren’t cheap labour, they’re people.”

9. What the Inspector says and does • Exposes each member of household in turn. Pointing out their involvement in the fate of Eva. • Leaves as suddenly as he came, but makes a speech to the audience. Leaves the family “staring, subdued and wondering.” • Speech firmly suggests he is a socialist or at least a very socially responsible Christian. Repeats “millions” to emphasise scope of modern society. Uses juxtapositions of opposites to emphasise common humanity “… hopes and fears, their suffering and chances of happiness.” Short sentences and rule of three to convey most important message: “We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”

10. Priestley’s message • Clearly, Inspector is a vector or vehicle for Priestley’s ideas. The way he challenges Birling and his view of the world indicates the socialist message. His final speech is clear. The repetition of “we” opposes the individualism expressed by Birling at the start. The Inspector can be seen as a bringer of light and hope to the dark world of poverty and despair that is bred by the likes of the Birlings. However, he is not the only character who conveys the message. Sheila too expounds the same view later on in the play.

11. Relationship to plot • The Inspector also serves to move the action along. He is pivotal in the unfolding of the story. It is his questioning of each character in turn that makes the mystery and suspense build in the play. Even after he has left, his presence is still felt in the way the characters argue about him.

12. DON’T FORGET • Contextualisation- in writing about characters it is very easy to forget about context. Always work in mention of the social and historical context of the play. WWII changes in society etc.