1978. Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an essay that explains how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.
Almost every plotline has a character that is implausible or strikingly unrealistic, such as in literature like An Inspector Calls, where Inspector Goole is quite an unrealistic character. However unrealistic Inspector Goole is, there is definitely a realistic element of his presence to the rest of the play.
Seemingly, the entire plot revolves around Inspector Goole’s mysterious appearance at the Birling household. When he first enters the scene, Goole seems to be a normal person, just there to investigate the suicide of an “Eva Smith”. As the story progress, Goole just seems to get more unrealistic. He knows little details about every family member, as well as specific details relating them to this girl, Eva Smith. The family members find it strange how he knows everything, and this adds to the realistic elements of the drama. The fact that all of the family members had done something undeniably wrong is enforced with his presence.
Inspector Goole's name is already unrealistic- it resembles Ghoul, which means ghost, thus implying that Inspector Goole is a ghost. This is related to his ghost-like features, such as foresight and excessive knowledge about the family's deeds and behaviors. He appears and shows the Birlings their wrongdoings, acting as a ghost that steers the family in the right direction. Had it not been for Inspector Goole’s ghostly qualities, the story would not have been as eerie as it was. Close to the end of the drama, it is revealed that at that point, there was no Eva Smith that had committed suicide, deeming Inspector Goole to be a fake. However in the last moments of the plot, it was revealed that an Eva Smith had just been checked in to the infirmary for the exact reasons that Inspector Gool had just questioned them about; this makes Inspector Goole seem even more like a ghost. If Inspector Goole had not ghost like qualities, the fact that Eva Smith had died would not have been as important. The fact that Inspector Goole was unrealistic only made the family’s wrongdoings more realistic, enhancing the moral of the play.
Although An Inspector Calls has many unrealistic characters, Inspector Goole is the one unrealistic character that stands out of the crowd due to his many traits, causing most of the realistic elements in this drama.
Great essay, Erin! I haven't read An Inspector Calls, but you provided just enough summary to allow me to understand what you were talking about and your main points. Make sure you keep referring back to your thesis, which should include the hidden meaning question. Why would the author of An Inspector Calls make Inspector Goole so unrealistic? How does the contrast between him and the realistic characters contribute to the story's meaning? If you emphasized this a bit more, your essay would be perfect!
ReplyDeleteyou're a very good essayist Erin (way better then I am). I agree again with Ginger because it's the only thing somewhat amiss. There are just a couple things that you could've delved into a bit more, but other then that congratulations!
ReplyDeleteYour opening sentence is overstated; it simply isn't true that every piece of lit has at least one unrealistic character. This is why I'm always pushing for subject-related openers instead of lit-related openers--lit-related openers almost always go wrong in this way. Your thesis doesn't mention meaning (theme)--don't forget that this is necessary even when the prompt doesn't come right out and ask for it. Remember, too, that your topic sentences should be claims derived from your thesis. Your organization here is a little sloppy, making your argument hard to follow.
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