Inspector Goole Analysis
English Lit: AQA GCSE An Inspector Calls, topic 3.6.1
Role of Inspector Goole and Link to the Family
Inspector Goole is a police inspector who acts as Priestley's voice in the play.
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.
Character Analysis of Inspector Goole
As Inspector Goole enters the room, the atmosphere of the dinner party changes dramatically.
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?
Significance of Inspector Goole
Inspector Goole encourages social equality with how he treats the Birlings and Gerald. He is Priestley's mouthpiece for anti-capitalist and pro-socialist messages.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Inspector Goole Analysis
Who is Inspector Goole?
Who does Inspector Goole interrogate to narrate Eva Smith's story?
Which of these are true about Inspector Goole?
How is Inspector Goole like a teacher?
What shocks the Birlings about Inspector Goole?