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J. B Priestley's Use Of Tension In An Inspector Calls

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“The lighting should be pink and intimate until the inspector arrives then it should be brighter and harder.” Throughout the play Priestley makes the reader sense the inspector’s powerful presence. An example of this is the quote above, a stage direction found at the beginning of act 1, were the inspector’s arrival causes the Birling family to be shoved into the real world, outside from their rose view enclosed by a small bubble to reality. Goole, the inspector's name and also a homonym for ghoul gives us a deeper understanding of his haunting, kind of “out of the ordinary” nature. Inspector Goole being a representation of J.B Priestley is able to tame a capitalist, high class family into confessing their moral crimes causing an innocent girl's …show more content…

It reinforce his authoritarian voice. Short sentences are used which helps build tension between them, it also brings suspense to the reader about what will happen during Sybil’s interrogation, known to us that she will confidently build this wall and in the end of the act her wall would’ve fallen to pieces and she’ll obliviously throw her son under the bus. Stage directions are used to help the reader infer the inspector’s control over the family, also it gives a better understanding of the family’s reactions towards this. This could be seen in the adjective, “Haughtily” which describes someone that shows an arrogant superiority. This shows Sybil’s reaction to the inspectors affirmation to Sheila’s statement, it tells us how she was bothered by his comment which reinforces the idea that the inspector is taming and daring her. The inspector couldn't care less about how angry she may be as Inspector Goole responds with a “very plainly tone” as described by the stage directions which imply that he was in a very calm, normal state. This means that he won’t get intimidated by how superior she seems to be or how insulted she feels. “Very deliberately”,

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