NON-AFRICAN DRAMA
NIKOLAI GOGOL: The Government Inspector
Examine the character of the Postmaster and his contribution to the play.
Explanation
The Postmaster’s contribution comes out clearly in the following ways:
(I) He sets the play in motion by intercepting the mail.
ii) He plays a key role in the corrupt practices of the society.
(iii) His conduct and utterances add to the humour in the play.
His name is Ivan Koosmith Shpyokin. He is the postmaster who becomes prominent at the height of the expectation of the Government Inspector’s visit.
The Mayor instructed him to intercept and read mail apparently to avoid being taken unawares. For the Mayor and the other corrupt public officials, the visit of the Government Inspector is an equivalent of war, which must be fully prepared for. Hence, all hands must have to be on deck. He is described by Hlestakov as smelling like the man in charge of the poultry. A thoroughly corrupt postmaster, he jumps at the offer of opening the mail that passes through his office and he assures the Mayor that he will live up to his expectation. According to him, he (the Mayor) “is not teaching me anything. I’ve done it for years.” He reveals to them his earlier escapades, items that he has had to gather from unsealed letters which he calls ‘wonderful tit-bits.’ He agrees to comply with the Mayor’s instruction of keeping back any letter of ‘complaint or denunciation, just for the purpose of self preservation.
Ironically, he intercepts Hlestakov’s letter to his friend which denounces public officials for their ignorance and folly. The Charity Commissioner sees nothing good in the postmaster whom he accuses of negligence, doing absolutely nothing and running a disorganized department where the mail are delayed for days. He eagerly supports the idea to bribe the inspector so that he may not be found culpable. He has his eyes on Mary as a prospective wife, but the arrival of Hlestakov and the announcement of their proposed marriage unsettle him