The Inspector

• The Inspector


  At the end of the play it's not clear who or what the Inspector was. This uncertainty makes a big difference to some of the Birlings, but not to others. "Who was he?" and "Why did he 'call'?" are very different questions
• The Inspector


  • Arrives unexpectedly
  • Says he's here to ask some questions
  • An outsider who doesn't seem to have much in common with the Birlings
  • Leaves after delivering a speech about social responsibility
  • When Gerald finds out the Inspector is probably a fake, the older characters forget his speech and try to avoid the blame
  • Described as authoritative and imposing, not a big man but his presence fills the room
• Characteristics of Inspector Goole

  • Moral: "We don't live alone. We are members of one body"
  • Authoritative: "All in good time"
  • Mysterious: "Was it a hoax?"
  • An outsider: "The rude way he spoke to Mr Birling and me - it was quite extraordinary!"
• The Inspector is the driving force of the play

  The Inspector is the driving force of the play - he keeps things rolling by asking pushy questions:

  1. He starts it all off with a summary of the afternoon's events - "Suicide, of course."

  2. He forces more information out of people by bluntly saying what the other characters try to skirt around - e.g. when Gerald's describing how he met Daisy Renton, the Inspector asks "And then you decided to keep her - as your mistress?" But it's not really a question. This forces Gerald to admit the truth

  3. He also reveals new information which heightens the drama, such as when he drops it into the conversation "that this girl was going to have a child"
• The Inspector's 'calling' is pretty ominous

  1. The word 'calls' sounds so casual - as if he's just dropping in

  2. 'Calls' is a deceptive word to use about the Inspector. He may appear casual and spontaneous, but in fact he's single-minded, calculating and is careful to follow "one line of enquiry at a time". If anything. he 'calls' the shots

  3. Another inspector 'calls' the Birling household on the telephone at the end of the play

  4. The title of the play is echoed in Edna's words as she announces the arrival of Inspector Goole at the start of the play and in the telephone call at the end of the play
• His language is emotive and personal

  1. Inspector Goole has come to the house to stir things up. He does this with emotive language

  2. He describes Eva/Daisy as a "pretty" and "lively" girl. These attractive words make the audience more sympathetic towards her

  3. This sympathy is strengthened by the harsh tone used to describe her death. He says that she's now lying "with a burnt-out inside on a slab"

  4. Sheila is "rather distressed" by the Inspector's language and says that she "can't help thinking about this girl - destroying herself"
• The Inspector uses shock tactics

  1. He answers his own questions if he's not happy with someone's answer - e.g. when Sybil refuses to admit there was a committee meeting he says, "You know very well there was, Mrs Birling."

  2. He follows up questions with more questions until he has pieced together a confession - e.g. when Sybil won't say she convinced the committee to reject Eva/Daisy's appeal he asks "Was it or was it not your influence?"

  3. He's blunt, "You're not even sorry now, when you know what happened", and is prepared to ask personal questions - e.g. he asks Gerald "Were you in love with her?"

  Writer's Technique - Priestley makes the Inspector's language forceful and to the point - he forces the other characters to answer him
• He knows how to make an entrance - and an exit too

  1. The Inspector's timing is crucial. Priestley has the Inspector ring the bell just as Arthur says "a man has to mind his own business". It's as if Birling's announcement summons the Inspector to prove the exact opposite

  2. The Inspector uses exits as a clever tactic. Leaving Sheila and Gerald alone lets Sheila interrogate Gerald and allows the time for suspicion to break them apart. This makes it easier to get Gerald to confess when the Inspector returns

  3. The Inspector's language gets more dramatic, which builds on the tension and emotion of the final scene. He claims that if the Birlings don't learn their lesson, they will be taught it in "fire and blood and anguish"

  4. After his last exit there's a sudden silence because no one else has been speaking. The audience, like the characters on stage, are left "staring, subdued and wondering"
• Who is Inspector Goole?

  1. At the end of the play, the audience aren't sure who or what the Inspector is

  2. He claims he found "a rough sort of diary" kept by Eva/Daisy. But her identity isn't certain, and the audience aren't sure she ever existed. So, the diary might be a neat bluff to stop anyone asking him any questions

  3. Why he has so much knowledge and power is never properly explained. He could be a ghost. Or he could represent the spirit of a religious or moral figure - just like in the Medieval morality plays

  Writer's Technique - It's a bit of a joke that Inspector Goole's name sounds like 'Ghoul' - a word for 'ghost'. Priestley's put little clues into some of the character's names
• He's more than a police inspector

  1. In a way, he represents the police and the courts - he's tracking down the truth, like in a murder mystery

  2. Because he's not a police officer, Mr and Mrs Birling don't think he has the authority to tell them off

  3. Eric and Sheila realise that his moral judgement is just as important as his legal power

  4. Goole has the attitude of a philosopher and social commentator, and the knowledge of a ghost delivering a prophecy - he warns the Birlings that "the time will soon come" when people like them will be forced to change their ways
• His authority strengthens his moral tone

  1. Whatever Goole is, his unsettling presence might just be down to confidence. He knows how to create an air of uncertainty and reel everyone in

  2. He makes sure everyone recognises that he's in charge

  3. He takes control and leads the events. They're confused, but Goole never is

  4. He "massively" interrupts which means that he cuts into the dialogue "with authority", e.g. when he tells Birling that Eric can "wait his turn".

  5. His authority makes people take him more seriously and makes everything he says sound more important

  Writer's Technique - It's worth thinking about how an actor might play the Inspector - maybe with his voice getting louder and louder as the play progresses
• The Inspector's from a different world

  The Inspector doesn't share Arthur Birling's interests or values:

  1. The Inspector doesn't play golf and he's not impressed by Arthur Birling's public profile as former Alderman and Lord Mayor

  2. He talks about taboo subjects like sex and politics

  3. He interrupts "very sharply", repeats questions and pauses in ways which were not the norm in middle-class prewar England. He doesn't follow etiquette
• The Inspector is classless

  1. The Inspector seems to come from outside the class system that the Birlings live in. This makes him 'classless'

  2. The Inspector doesn't recognise any of the Birlings' ideas about class. He treats everyone the same

  3. Instead, he says that "We are members of one body" so classes shouldn't ignore each other's needs
• Priestley uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece

  1. The Inspector stands outside the class system of the Birlings' social world - he is an outsider in the play

  2. But he doesn't take a neutral position - he's on Eva/Daisy's side and he tells the Birlings what he thinks of them. For example, he doesn't hesitate to tell Mrs Birling that he thinks she "did something terrible wrong"

  3. Priestley's own views are reflected in the opinions of the Inspector. You could say that the Inspector is Priestley's 'mouthpiece' - Priestley's voice in the play

  4. This is most clear during the Inspector's final speech. He's speaking to the Birling family, but it could also be Priestley's speech direct to the play's audience

  5. The play (and Priestley) has a strong message about looking after one another, and it's the Inspector's job to deliver it