(Character) Inspector Goole Flashcards
Link to the family
He is a police inspector who narrates the story of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton through a series of interrogations of the Birling family and Gerald.
Role in the play
Inspector Goole reveals information at key moments, in chronological (time) order, to build up the life of Eva Smith.
He acts as Priestley’s voice – he presents strong socialist beliefs and gives warnings about what could happen if the Birlings continue their selfish ways.
Authoritative
He presents himself as a person of authority, who even Mr Birling and Gerald Croft, his social superiors, find it difficult to contradict (go against). He is assertive (forceful) and powerful – the upper class are used to police officers who speak to them respectfully and do not accuse them of misdeeds. They find the Inspector very difficult. He takes charge of the dinner party and the interrogation, carefully questioning one family member at a time, in the order he chooses – when Mr Birling tries to change that order, he flatly refuses.
Acts like a teacher
Despite interrogating the characters, Inspector Goole does not actually openly accuse them of anything until they admit to their actions - he teaches the characters.
He gets them to understand the roles they played and lets them either feel remorse or show a lack of compassion (pity).
He causes each character to develop and waits to see if they will use this as an opportunity to change their ways.
Highlights the faults of the upper classes
Inspector Goole refuses to be intimidated by the Birlings’ upper-class status. He refuses to treat them differently. Priestley uses him to show how shocked the Birlings are by this – this suggests that they expect special treatment purely because of their social class. Inspector Goole knows most of the details of Eva Smith’s story and the family’s involvement before he even asks them – this terrifies the Birlings (who react aggressively) because they work so hard to put up a perfect family image.
Mysterious
It is unclear who, or what, the Inspector actually is – is he real? Is he a ghost (or a ghoul)? Is he the characters’ consciences? Is he God?
Warnings about capitalism and war
Before he leaves, Inspector Goole warns the Birling family that if they do not make some important changes to the way they live their lives, ‘fire and blood and anguish’ will follow.
This is Priestley warning the family that selfish, capitalist attitudes will ultimately lead to two World Wars, causing thousands of deaths and permanent changes to British (and World) society.
Encourages social equality
Inspector Goole threatens the very structure of society by refusing to treat members of the upper classes any differently – instead, he treats everyone the same and encourages more equality within society.
‘fire and blood and anguish’
Inspector Goole warns the Birling family that if they do not make some important changes to the way they live their lives, ‘fire and blood and anguish’ will follow. This is Priestley warning the family that selfish, capitalist attitudes will ultimately lead to two World Wars.
‘A chain of events’. (Act 1)
Consequences-
Inspector Goole shows that, while a single action might not have dire results, the build-up of a series of bad events (caused by the Birlings and Gerald) can ultimately lead a young girl to suicide.
In this way, Priestley encourages the audience, and the characters, to think about the role they play in other people’s lives.
He encourages them to think carefully about the dangerous effect their actions can have if they do not think of others and abuse their power.
‘And you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant things?’ (Act 2)
Hypocrisy-
This is a direct reference to Gerald’s mistreatment of Eva Smith.
Inspector Goole uses this opportunity to highlight the hypocritical (act in the opposite way to their beliefs) nature of the upper classes – they want to protect their own, fragile, innocent women, but they feel it is acceptable to use lower-class women for their own enjoyments.
Treatment of Eva-
While Mr Birling and Gerald try to protect Sheila from hearing ‘unpleasant things’, neither of them feel the need to protect Eva from them.
Gerald did protect her for a while, but he kept her as a mistress (a woman who has a sexual relationship with a married man) and then discarded her.
This is something that upper-class men would not think to do to upper-class women because they’d have too much respect for them.
‘The time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish’. (Act 3)
Consequences of selfish attitudes-
Priestley uses the Inspector to warn the Birlings and Gerald of the consequences of their selfish attitudes – if they do not begin to take some responsibility for other people, including the lower classes, then society will face dire (terrible) consequences.
Message about wars-
He is referring to World War One and Two here, which his 1946 audience would have lived through.
This could be designed to show audiences the real cause of the wars: selfishness and greed.
This would deepen their dislike of Mr Birling, Mrs Birling and Gerald. In the next part of this act, they completely ignore this warning and begin to act selfishly once more.
