It appears that the inspector is trying to change the selfish manner of the upper class as at the beginning of the play they are celebrating an engagement with Sheila and Gerald.
There is a lot of irony in this play; one example is when he says;
“So long as we behave ourselves, don’t get into the police
court or start a scandal-eh? (Laughs complacently)”
The inspector’s timing in this play is very important. He makes sure that the story of Eva Smith comes out bit by bit. This is so important as it increases the suspense among the audience, as they want to know more about what drove Eva Smith to suicide. It is also a clever way of showing that all of the family is involved in some way. In the play, his arrival is also timed very well and the inspector also times Eric’s arrival in a clever way. Mrs. Birling asks the inspector what he’s waiting for, he replies with to do his duty, on that, Eric arrives.
The inspector proves to be extremely advanced in his job, as he has an effect on all of the characters. He makes it short work of obtaining all of the information from them. He gives the characters, especially Sheila, the impression that he already knows about it all.
He is clearly the dominant character in the play, taking control of the situation superbly. He is not put off by any of Mr.Birling’s blusters and threats. He is very manipulative, as he obscures others from looking at the photograph and controls what happens in the room. He is very persistent in his duty, he doesn’t let anybody distract him, just stays on the subject of the investigation and only talks to the characters he needs to, when he needs to. He is also very stern with his characters, he makes a great impression on each of the characters and he reminds them all of their responsibilities and how serious it is to consider their consequences to their actions. He carries out the inspection methodically, following the story of Eva Smith in a chronological form and cleverly showing how each of the characters link into the story.
He shows each of the characters that they all have something to be ashamed of. The subject of Eva Smith is sad enough without the inspector’s final speech to boot. The stage direction states that he looks at each of them in turn when pronouncing his speech, but different directors have different ways of interpretations of this action. In a television version on the play produced by the BBC, the inspector points at each of them in turn.
The inspector’s final speech is a direct contradiction to the speech made by Arthur Birling at the beginning of the play. Arthur Birling says:
“A man has to make his own way – has to look after
himself and his family too.”
But at the end of the inspection, the inspector’s concluding speech states:
“We don’t live alone. We are responsible for each other.
And I tell you the time will come when, if men will not
learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and
blood and anguish. Good night.”
Although this speech (ironically) contradicts what Arthur Birling said. This speech is also very ironic, as World War One happened not long after the play was set, “fire and blood and anguish” is the phrase referring to the war. This is also contradictory to what Arthur Birling says, with his visions of life in the 1940s (World War Two). He says that as the world is developing so fast they would be no chance of war. He is very wrong though in many ways with what he says, he refers to the Titanic that sails the following week, and he says that it is “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable” when we all know that it sunk. The most ironic speech he makes though is this (which the inspector contradicts, and it turns out to be reality):
“In 1940 – you may be giving a little party like
this – your son or daughter may be getting
engaged – and I tell you, by that time you’ll be
living in a world that will have forgotten all
these Capital versus Labour agitations and all
these silly little war scares.”
In my opinion, the inspector is not like a real policeman found in a “Whodunit?” He is different due to his manner; he doesn’t seem to be as formal later on in the play. An example of this would be towards the end of act two, when he begins to loose his patience.
“Don’t stammer and yammer at me again, man, I’m
loosing all patience with you people.”
Also, he didn’t take any action on them at all. It seems as if he just turned up to teach them a lesson and inform them of what they all had done wrong. In a typical “Whodunit?” they would’ve ended up at a police station. He also, towards the end of his inspection, let’s Eric have a drink, even though Mr.Birling objects. He may also be too stern with them, as he refers to Eva Smith’s state too much, for example “Her position now is that she lies with a burnt-out inside on a slab”. He only differs slightly though, he does ask questions as if he is an ordinary police inspector, and he easily convinces the Birling’s.
However, the play ends in a very strange place. It leaves the audience to figure it out for themselves, as when the inspector has left, they call the infirmary, which confirms there have been no suicides, but, after that they receive a phone call saying that a woman has died on her way to the infirmary after swallowing strong disinfectant, and that a police inspector is on his way. I think that the inspector is indeed a supernatural figure in the play. Just to give the Birling’s a warning maybe. To give evidence of this, a film adaptation I watched shows the inspector vanishing in a chair at the end. Also, the inspectors name comes across as a big clue, Inspector Goole. His name Goole sounds the same as the word “ghoul” which means a ghost basically. However, in the film they change his name to Inspector Poole, perhaps not to give this part of the story away so early. Maybe the inspector is some kind of ghost that can tell the future. Evidence for this is of course the inspection, which happens before the incident with Eva Smith, but more evidence of this is again in his speech, which does make a vague reference to World War One.
I think that there is a moral to this story, and that is to be aware of what you are doing when performing actions, particularly if you are in a higher position like the Birlings. I think it gives a message to say that your actions affect others, and you must consider what these actions will do to others. Not only that, but also these actions can lead to a chain effect. With the Birlings, this chain effect was carried through them all and eventually drove Eva Smith to her suicide. I think that it was the inspector’s duty to inform them of this and to teach them a lesson, especially Eric.
In writing this essay, I have realised how well written this play really is and now appreciate it more. It delivers a message to the reader. It also gives the reader a great insight into what the upper class people where living like in 1912. How selfish they were. It also gives an insight into the poorer lower working class, and how there lives where, in most cases, influenced negatively by the upper class. It is also a great play as it makes the readers think about it, and figure out a suitable ending for themselves.
My opinion of the inspector is of a ghost sent to teach the Birlings a lesson, and warn them about what was about to happen so that they knew what to expect. I think that he is clever at performing his job, as he gains information and evidence without running into any problems coolly and quickly.
