AIC - The Inspector

• Inspector Goole


  Used as a dramatic device, arguably acting as a mouthpiece for J. B. Priestley to convey the message of the play
• Inspector Goole's presence


  Immediately has the power to change the light and cheerful atmosphere of the Birlings' dinner party
• Lighting change when Inspector Goole arrives

  • From "pink and intimate" to "brighter and harder"
• Lighting before Inspector Goole arrives

  Suggests the Birling family were happy whilst they were ignorant to the plight of the working class
• Lighting change when Inspector Goole arrives

  Foreshadows the rest of the play, Priestley will throw into relief the issues within Edwardian society
• Inspector Goole: '"burnt her inside out"'
• Graphic language and violent verb "burnt"


  Evokes an emotional response, persuades the audience to feel immense sympathy for Eva Smith and the working class
• Eva Smith's suffering and suicide


  Used as a metaphor to highlight the continuous struggled faced by the working class
• Inspector Goole: '"we have to share our guilt"'
• "we"


  Gives society a sense of unity, implying everyone must take responsibility for their actions
• Imperative verb "have to"

  Persuades the audience to take responsibility for their actions towards other members of society in order for society to progress
• Verb "share"


  Reflects Priestley's socialist ideologies that wealth should be more evenly distributed within society
• Inspector Goole: '"taught it in fire and blood and anguish"'
• Triplet of nouns "fire and blood and anguish"


  Metaphors for the two world wars, consequences of not changing
• Inspector Goole


  • Conveyed as an omnipotent being, imposing judgement on society
• Priestley uses Inspector Goole to highlight the issues of society and persuade the middle and upper classes to be more generous and empathetic towards the working class