Inspector Goole to us is a blank canvas waiting to be interpreted. He was a distant character, whom we never learned anything about, but strangely he was the most important being of them all. His appearance in the play caused the whole story of Eva Smith to be introduced and his presence as an authority figure pushed all the other characters along, allowing all the secrets of previous events to unfold. His arrival in the room had an immediate effect on the atmosphere. Only a few seconds before his arrival, the tone had been happy, light as the family enjoyed their celebrations, but it quickly changed to a darker mood with a slight feeling of tension and nervousness simmering in the surroundings. “ The inspector need not be a big man but he at once creates an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness … He speaks carefully, weightily and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking.”
The other characters were reluctant at first to cooperate with him and each became quite defensive and angry around him. He always got out of them what he needed however. He built them up slowly, gently laying on the pressure, antagonising them as if by accident. He did this by taking long pauses before beginning to speak and by saying as little as possible. He used a slow round about method of investigating, - never getting straight to the point. “ Inspector, its what happened to her since she left Mr Birling’s works that’s important … and we can’t help you there because we don’t know … Are you sure you don’t know? … Are you suggesting one of them knows something about this girl? … Yes … So you didn’t come here just to see me then? … No … You sure of your facts? … Some of them yes.” His inexplicit manner annoyed the other characters greatly.
The inspector also made cutting comments throughout the evening, little sly judgements towards the other characters. “ So with two months of no money coming in, with no relatives to help her, few friends, she was lonely and half starved … there are a lot of youg women living that sort of existence in every city and big town in this country … if there weren’t the factories and warehouses wouldn’t know where to look for cheap labour, ask your father.” “ Its better to ask for the world, rather than to take it.” (This was aimed at Mr Birling.) “ We were having a nice little family celebration tonight inspector. And a nasty mess you’ve made of it now. Haven’t you? … That’s more or less what I was thinking earlier tonight, when I was in the infirmary looking at what was left of Eva Smith. A nice little promising life there, I thought, and a nasty mess someone’s made of it.” “ After all y’know, we’re respectable citizens and not criminals … Sometimes there isn’t as much difference as you think. Often, if it was left to me, I wouldn’t know where to draw the line.”
We know exactly when the characters are beginning to feel tense, annoyed, or guilty around the inspector as words and phrases such as “ rather impatiently,” “showing annoyance,” “ rather angrily,” “ angrily,” “ still angrily,” “ sulkily,” “ rather distressed,” “ agitated,” “ rather uneasily,” “ miserably” etc. are inserted into the stage directions more frequently as the investigation continues and more lies and secrets are revealed.
The reasons each of the characters are becoming either upset or defensive is because they do not like the sound of the truth. They hate the idea that because of something they’ve done, (which probably had no huge effect on themselves) had been part of the cause of a pretty young woman ending her life. Sheila, Eric and Gerald are immediately ashamed of their actions, and are wanting and willing to change in hope they will eventually be forgiven and that oneday will subsume their guilt. Mr and Mrs Birling however are continually protesting that their actions were justifiable and remain defensive and angry with Goole. (Significantly it is the older generation who do not want to admit they’re wrong.)
It is both Mr and Mrs Birling who tend to snub the lower classes in the play. Arthur has a sort of obsession of proving himself to be worthy to move into the highest ranking of the upper class. “ I have an idea that your mother – Lady Croft – while she does not object to my girl – feels you may have done better for yourself socially … what I want to say is – there’s a fair chance that I might find my way into the next Honour’s list. Just a knighthood of course … I’ve had a hint or two … I’ve always been regarded as a sound, useful party man … I gather there’s a very good chance of a knighthood.” It is obvious the Birling family have just been introduced to wealth and good society. They live quite comfortably and have a well-respected name in the town. This still however does not content Mr Birling who is utterly determined to raise himself even higher into society. The rest of the family, seem to be very much at ease by their status and use it to their advantage (eg. Sheila Birling had Eva Smith fired from Milwards threatening that if she wasn’t her mother would close her account with the store.) It is Mrs Birling most though who believes herself to be above the middle and working classes. She was a cruel, nasty woman who remained cold throughout the inspector’s questionings. She admitted that she treated Eva harshly but showed not even a waver of guilt because of it. This we can witness when she relates the events of a recent charity organisation meeting at which she is a member of. Eva had arrived in a desperate state pleading for help. “ If you think you can bring any pressure to bear upon me inspector, you’re quite mistaken … the girl asked for assistance. We were asked to look carefully into the claims made upon. I wasn’t satisfied with the girl’s claims – she seemed to me not to be a good case – and so I used my influence to have it refused. And in spite of what happened to the girl since – I consider I did my duty.”
The parent’s attiudes and manners remain the same throughout the play, while each of the younger characters are broken by the investigation. They change from being naïve and self-absorbed to becoming quickly mature and sorry. This change is developed clearly in full view of the audience so they are able to distinguish the different attitudes of the Birling adults and the Birling children plus Gerald.
But who or what is Goole? He somehow knows what is going to happen in the future, but also every detail of the characters past few years. He had the ability to speak facts that each character separately knew had happened inside, but once on the surface he made little things look huge and caused feelings of guilt and regret to appear in each person. He was a simple character from the beginning, who never tried to confuse or complicate things. He made a plan to get through all the informaton in order. Each person came in a specific arrangement and with each piece of fact following the other in sequence. His character was strong and dominating but without being overbearing. He stuck to his plan without going off track. He wanted nothing to do with the family arguments or accusations. He wished that to be left until after his departure. He had a power over the characters and the readers, which made them, stop, sit and think. His concluding speech we can use for evidence:
I don’t think any of you will forget… just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their sufferings and chance of happiness intertwined in our lives, with what we think, say and do… we are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn this lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Goodnight”
This speech was direct and hard-hitting, which we can prove from the stage directions immediately after:
“ He walks straight out, leaving them staring, subdued and wondering.”
I personally don’t think Inspector Goole was real. I believe that he was their conscience turning into something they could identify with – a person. I think he and what he represents (the message – ‘think how your actions are going to affect others in ways beyond your eyesight) became a man to show the family the reality of the world and the errors of their ways. The pun in his name Goole – ghoul also suggests that he is some sort of other being. A being that teaches good and how to make the world a better place.
