An Inspector Calls: Character Profile - The Inspector
First Impressions
The Inspector is initially presented as an ordinary police inspector, dressed in a minimal "plain darkish suit". However, as the play unfolds, his supernatural nature becomes apparent, hinted at by the homophone of his name, Goole, suggesting "ghoul".
Priestley intentionally keeps the Inspector's physical appearance vague, emphasizing that his message of social responsibility is far more important than his looks. The stage directions dictate that the Inspector "need not be a big man, but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness".
The Inspector embodies an omniscient, moral force for good, depicted by Priestley as a spiritual avenging angel. He serves as a conduit for socialist values and ideology, encouraging the younger generation to reject the traditional, individualistic views of their elders, thereby catalyzing a change in the perceptions of responsibility. He is resistant to corruption and stands apart from the immorality of society, acting more as a moral compass than a conventional policeman.
Moral Force and Resistance to Corruption
Priestley establishes the Inspector as a moral force from the outset, showing him refusing a drink of port with the explanation, "no, thank you […] I'm on duty". This refusal is symbolic, as alcohol often represents immoral behavior, and the Inspector's rejection signifies his commitment to moral action. Mr. Birling's offer of alcohol to an on-duty officer can be seen as a subtle attempt at corruption, which the Inspector firmly rebuffs by taking his role seriously.
Priestley employs a cyclical structure in the play, with the Inspector similarly rejecting Mr. Birling's attempt at bribery at the end, who offers to "give thousands". The Inspector responds with, "you're offering the money at the wrong time". This cyclical structure underscores the consistency of the Inspector's moral stance, while highlighting Mr. Birling's persistent immorality. The audience is likely to interpret this dynamic through a political lens, contrasting the immorality associated with capitalism with the morality espoused by socialism.
Socialist Views
Priestley uses the Inspector to champion the idea that all individuals are equally important within society. The Inspector's progressive views, which emphasize that "public men have responsibility as well as privilege," are noticeably ahead of the pre-suffrage 1912 setting but resonate strongly with a contemporary audience.
He treats Eva Smith as an individual, consistently using her name rather than dismissing her as just a "girl," which is how the Birlings, influenced by her lower social status as a working-class citizen, perceive her. The Inspector acknowledges Eva's "promising little life," highlighting her significance as an individual.
The Inspector's morality stems from his deep understanding of social responsibility and how individual actions impact society. Fundamentally, his rejection of capitalism is intertwined with his rejection of immorality, as Priestley suggests that the two are inherently linked.
Omniscience
The Inspector's supernatural omniscience is a key element of his character. His purpose extends beyond convicting the Birlings of a crime; he aims to make them recognize the immorality of their actions and to shift their attitudes towards social responsibility. By presenting the Inspector as entirely moral, Priestley offers the audience a model for improving society.
Physical Appearance
Priestley uses the Inspector's physical description in the stage directions to emphasize that inner morality and integrity are more important than outward appearance. The Inspector "need not be a large man" but "gives the impression of massiveness”. His physical appearance is less important than the strength of his values and morals.
The Inspector dresses modestly in a "plain darkish suit", suggesting that he is not interested in drawing attention to himself. His focus is on promoting socialist values and denouncing the superficiality of capitalism. This modest appearance contrasts sharply with Mr. Birling, who is described as "heavy looking" and "portentous" with a "substantial house.” Through this juxtaposition, Priestley highlights that the Inspector's socialist values are more powerful than Birling's capitalist views, negating the need for an impressive appearance.
Consequences of Lacking Responsibility
Priestley employs the Inspector's final speech to warn the audience about the dangers of continuing with capitalist and individualistic behaviors. The speech includes Biblical references, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of Catholic mass. By summarizing each character's sins, the Inspector acts as a pastor, cautioning them against ignoring his moral message. This message extends to the audience, urging "men" to learn the lesson about capitalism and the detrimental effects of commercialism.
War
The play's structure mirrors the two world wars. The Inspector's initial arrival, triggered by society's capitalist flaws, symbolizes World War I. The period between the wars represents an opportunity for the characters to change and embrace greater social responsibility. Their failure to do so leads to the symbolic representation of World War II via the phone call at the play's end, echoing the "fire and blood and anguish" the Inspector predicted.
Priestley implies that World War II resulted from humanity's failure to heed the need for greater social responsibility and that the world wars were a direct consequence of greed and capitalist attitudes. The Birlings dismiss the Inspector as "socialist or some sort of crank,” and Eva's 'second' death is caused by their refusal to admit responsibility. The repetition of Eva's death mirrors the repeated World Wars.
Vehicle for Priestley's Agenda
The Inspector functions as a mouthpiece for Priestley’s socialist views, serving as a role model for how people should treat one another. The play's cyclical structure is contextually significant: the characters fail to internalize the Inspector’s message, suggesting that the contemporary audience must embrace social responsibility to avoid the consequences that plagued the characters in 1912.
The Inspector’s departure tests whether the characters have learned their lesson, mirroring the interwar years and the ruling class's missed opportunity to change their capitalist attitudes.
Symbolism
The Inspector is presented as omniscient but not omnipotent, reflecting Priestley's belief that change must come from within, not from external force. The Inspector uses shocking imagery, such as referring to Eva's death as "burnt her inside out", and rhetorical devices, like triplets (e.g., Eva was "friendless, penniless, desperate"), to evoke empathy. He appeals to Mrs. Birling's maternal instincts, though this tactic is flawed, revealing her inherent coldness as highlighted in the opening stage directions.
Agent of God
Priestley draws parallels between the Inspector and the Judeo-Christian God. Both are omniscient, a fact revealed in multiple ways. The Inspector's arrival immediately follows Mr. Birling's dismissal of socialism.
The moral nature of the inquiry elevates the Inspector to the status of an agent of God. He elicits confessions of sins, similar to a priest in the Catholic Church. The allusion to the Book of Genesis ("we are members of one body") further strengthens this link, suggesting that the Inspector speaks with divine authority.
Relationships with other characters
Antithesis to Mr Birling
Priestley uses Mr. Birling as an intolerable character representing capitalism, which allows the Inspector to be seen as a favorable alternative, embodying socialism. Mr. Birling’s character serves to highlight the Inspector's positive qualities.
Mr. Birling's reliability is undermined through dramatic irony, rendering his opinions and values worthless. For example, his confident assertion that "there's no chance of war" is viewed contemptibly by an audience that has experienced both World Wars.
Mr. Birling is portrayed as overly concerned with appearances, described as "portentous" in the stage directions. This contrasts with the Inspector, who "speaks weightily" and "need not be a big man,” as his ideology outweighs the need for a physical presence.
Priestley sets the Inspector and Mr. Birling against each other to stage an ideological debate between capitalism and socialism. Mr. Birling dominates the opening scenes until the Inspector arrives, providing a counterargument to capitalism. The Inspector's interruption of Mr. Birling’s capitalist narrative can be seen as a metaphor for socialism ending the precedence of capitalism in the global narrative, foreshadowing greater social responsibility.
Conversion of Sheila
The Inspector has the most significant impact on Sheila, who symbolizes Priestley's intended audience response. Sheila's acceptance or rejection of Gerald, who embodies capitalism and the upper class, symbolizes whether the younger generation will accept the old ways. The Inspector's interruption of their engagement is significant in this context.
Exposure of Gerald
The Inspector exposes the hypocrisy of the upper classes, particularly their tendency to shun responsibility. Gerald, despite knowing that Eva Smith is the same girl wronged by the others, attempts to claim they were different girls in order to excuse his own role. Priestley uses the Inspector to condemn the upper classes’ lack of responsibility.
Mrs Birling's vain attempts to halt inquiry
The Inspector causes Mrs. Birling to condemn Sheila for expressing empathy and guilt towards Eva. Mrs. Birling tries to silence Sheila by dismissing her as "a hysterical child,” employing the term hysteria, which was historically used to oppress women. She uses this against her own daughter to undermine her views, which align with the Inspector's socialist perspective.
Supporting Eric
Priestley portrays Eric as redeemable, with the Inspector highlighting his capacity for change. Eric's actions are contextualized by the influence of society, where "respectable" men frequented prostitutes, and his lack of a supportive father figure. This suggests that Eric's behavior is a product of the flawed society the Inspector critiques.
Eva as a symbol
The Inspector uses Eva as a catalyst for guilt and change within the characters. His message extends beyond Eva to encompass the widespread suffering of the lower classes at the hands of the socially superior. The Inspector states that "there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths,” emphasizing the broader implications of their actions.
The Inspector reveals that Eva's significance extends beyond her individual case, urging the characters to aid the millions of others suffering due to their complicity. Failure to do so will result in "fire and blood and anguish."
Structure
Inspector's arrival
Priestley deliberately times the Inspector's arrival to interrupt Mr. Birling's negative views of socialism, structurally representing the Inspector's opposition to capitalism. This interruption follows a series of claims that the audience knows to be incorrect due to hindsight:
"You'll hear some people say that war is inevitable. And to that I say - fiddlesticks!"
"(the Titanic is) unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable"
"time of steadily increasing prosperity"
These statements, combined with Mr. Birling's final assertion that "a man has to mind his own business and look after himself,” are undermined by the Inspector’s arrival. The audience experiences relief at the change from a capitalist to a socialist narrative, which Priestley uses to manipulate their response to the beliefs he supports.
Switch in authority
The Inspector's arrival marks a shift in authority from Mr. Birling to the Inspector, symbolizing a shift from capitalism to socialism. Mr. Birling’s dominance of the dialogue is challenged, reflecting how capitalism's dominance is being questioned. The Inspector challenges not only Mr. Birling's authority but also the capitalist narrative, mirroring how war forces society to reconsider its formation.
It is significant that the Inspector’s visit is prompted not by Eva's death, but by the capitalist and individualistic views that caused it. He investigates the immorality in society, with Eva being just one example of the consequences of capitalism.
Final impressions
Need for change
Through the Inspector, Priestley conveys the necessity and means for change. An Inspector Calls is presented as a didactic morality play disguised as a murder mystery, where the number of suspects expands rather than narrows. The suspects are responsible for Eva's suicide and the suffering of society.
Priestley portrays Eva as a symbol of the need for society to embrace socialism, creating a compelling argument for reform through the guilt of the characters. The Inspector conveys the message that the entire upper class is responsible for the suffering of the working class, highlighting the disparity in the class system as the cause of this suffering.
The Inspector strategically lays blame on the "power you had" rather than on individuals like Sheila, acknowledging that the influence of class and environment contributes to immoral behavior.
Ambiguous portrayal
Priestley presents the Inspector ambiguously, raising questions about his authenticity and purpose. Academics debate whether he is real, a collective conscience, or a representation of God. Priestley leaves no definitive answer, suggesting that the Inspector’s message of social responsibility is more important than his true nature.
This message is a plea for a post-war society vastly different from the pre-war one, urging men to "learn that lesson” of social responsibility and to realize the flaws of capitalism, responding with socialism.
Inspector Goole quote bank by theme
Morality / responsibility
"Speaks carefully, weightily": The adjective "weightily" emphasizes the impact of the Inspector’s moral message, contrasting with Mr. Birling's hesitant speech.
"If you're easy with me, I'm easy with you": Priestley's use of parallelism symbolizes the Inspector's message of equality.
"Yes, but you can't. It's too late. She's dead.": Priestley uses short sentences to convey the need for radical change.
"Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges": The Inspector reminds Mr. Birling that his actions have consequences.
"Their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness all intertwined with our lives": Priestley spreads the message of socialism and social responsibility.
"We are members of one body": Priestley alludes to the Book of Genesis, implying that the Inspector speaks on God's behalf.
"Each of you helped to kill her, remember that. Never forget it.": Despite not directly causing Eva's death, each character played a role and is responsible.
"You used the power you had… to punish the girl.": The Inspector states that Sheila abused her power out of jealousy.
Omniscience
"He knows": Sheila acknowledges the Inspector's omniscience.
"I don't need to know any more. Neither do you.": The Inspector has revealed the characters' culpability, requiring only guilt and responsibility.
Physical appearance
"Need not be a big man": The Inspector's ideology outweighs the need for a physical presence.
"Impression of massiveness (solidity and purposefulness)": Priestley emphasizes the importance of social responsibility over physical appearance.
"A plain darkish suit": Priestley presents the Inspector in simple clothes, emphasizing moral and social responsibility.
Warning of not learning lesson
"Burnt her inside out, of course": Priestley uses shocking imagery to persuade the characters to change.
"If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish": The threat of "fire blood and anguish" warns of the consequences for neglecting social responsibility, with the "fire" symbolizing religious consequences.