The first person the Inspector questions is Mr. Birling, because he was the first person who did wrong to Eva Smith. At this point the audience are still under the impression this is a detective story, and to keep with this the Inspector keeps with his formalities. “No, thank you, Mr. Birling, I’m on duty.” He says when Mr. Birling offers him a drink. The Inspector puts pressure on Mr. Birling to remember and realise what he had done to Eva Smith. The Inspector also interrupts Mr. Birling, when he tries to say something, as he does not want to get sidetracked away from his questioning. When the Inspector shows Mr. Birling the photograph, he recognises her and that he had sacked her for going on a strike over the pay, but he fails to realise that his actions were the start of a chain, which ended in the suicide of Eva Smith. “I told the girl to clear out, and she did.” He says coldly.
The Inspector then moves on to question Sheila, he daughter of Arthur Birling. When he is questioning her he keeps with his formal manner, but does not apply as much pressure, almost knowing that she will see and feel guilty about the part she played in Eva Smith’s death. When she realises that Eva was the girl she had got sacked from a shop called Millwards she gets upset. “Oh shut up Eric. I know, I know, it’s the only time I’ve ever done anything, and I’ll never, never do it again to anybody.” This shows that she realised what she had done wrong and felt sad and guilty that she played a part in the death of Eva Smith. The sin, which she had committed, was jealousy, as the young girl had laughed and looked nicer in a dress which Sheila had tried on. Even when it is discovered that the Inspector was a fake she still feels guilty, because she knew that she had done something wrong. This also shows that she had realised that she must change her ways and actions in and around her community to stop any more awful things happening.
The Inspector then moves on to question Gerald Croft, who didn’t recognise the name Eva Smith, because he had known her as Daisy Renton. While he questions Gerald he often prompts Gerald on what he is going to say, showing that he already knows what has happened, and wants to hear each of the characters stories and see if they feel guilty about what they have done. “She talked about herself?” He would ask, and Gerald would reply “Yes” and then go on to tell the Inspector more about his question. Through the Inspector’s questioning we find out this new aspect of her life under a new name of Daisy Renton, which she may have done to forget the past. We also find out that Gerald had an affair with the girl during the previous summer. The Inspector lets Gerald leave, after he shows some signs of feeling upset over Eva Smith’s death.
When the Inspector moves on to question Mrs. Birling, she gets angry when he challenges what she says. “You’re not telling the truth” The Inspector says to her. She gets angry by this because she feels she is a respectable woman and of a high class, and does not expect to be spoken to in a rude manner. This also shows that the Inspector already knows what has happened, because he knows that she is lying to him. Mrs. Birling lies about what had happened because she felt she could not have played a role in the death of Eva Smith. The Inspector wants Mrs. Birling to show guilt and remorse about what she did. Mrs. Birling committed the sin of pride, because Eva used the name of Mrs. Birling when she applied for charity, at an organization where Mrs. Birling had a leading role, so when the girl used her name she became prejudiced towards her and her appeal for charity. “She was giving herself ridiculous airs.” Mrs. Birling says. This shows she didn’t like the girl, because the girl had used her name and acted as though she was a respectable woman. The Inspector then begins to talk about the man who made Eva Smith pregnant, which forced her to appeal for the charity. At this point there is immense dramatic irony, as the man the Inspector is talking about is Eric, and Mrs. Birling does not realise what she had done and shifted the blame onto the man, this is ironic because she is unaware that she had just shifted the young girl’s death onto her own son, Eric. “And he ought to be dealt with very seriously.” She tells the Inspector. Mrs. Birling feels no remorse for the part she played, and feels that she acted appropriately, not accepting that she played any part in the suicide of Eva Smith, thus showing that Mrs. Birling is a cold character.
Finally the Inspector moves on to question Eric, Arthur’s son. The questions he asks Eric are short and simple, and the way he questions him allows the story to flow and we quickly find out why Eric played a part in the suicide of Eva Smith. “Where did you meet her?” The Inspector asked. Again his questions show that he already knew what had happened and was often just prompting Eric, showing that he just wanted to make each of the characters feel guilty and show remorse. Through the Inspector’s questioning we meet another new aspect of Eva Smith’s life. Eric had raped Eva Smith, and got her pregnant. The Inspector also reveals to the family that Eric often got drunk, and stole money from his father in an attempt to support Eva, but when the girl found the money was stolen, she turned it down and went to the charity for help where she met Mrs. Birling. Once Eric has heard that his mother turned the girl away because she was prejudiced towards her, he blames his child’s and Eva’s death on his mother. “Then-you killed her. She came to you to protect me-and you turned her away.” Eric says to her. Eric feels sad and he shows this, he also shows that he feels remorse and he knows that he played a part in the death of Eva Smith. “My God- I’m not likely to forget.” Eric says.
Just before he makes his final, most important speech of the play. “But just remember this, one Eva Smith has gone-but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think, say and do. We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible of each other. And I tell you the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire, blood and anguish. Good night.” Then he leaves, leaving the family reeling after the Inspector revealed each of the Birling’s nasty sides. This speech is linked to the historical context of the play, as it draws upon the historical form of a morality play, including the views of the socialist writer, J.B. Priestley, that each person plays a part in everyone else’s lives.
After the inspector has left, Gerald Croft returns, revealing that he met a policeman while out, who couldn’t identify the Inspector as a policeman. The older generation then find out that there is no such person as Inspector Goole. “By jingo, a fake.” Arthur Birling exclaims. The audience have also become suspicious by now as the way the Inspector acted before he left. The older generation then laugh and joke about the fact that there was no death, and fail to realise their actions will have terrible consequences while the younger generation remain horrified, even more so when the adults begin to laugh at the matter. The younger generation realise that what happened was real and they felt guilty that their actions could end with another person’s death. At the end the family receive a phone call, informing them that a young girl has just committed suicide and a policeman is on his way, showing the fake inspector knew what had happened and came to warn the family that if they don’t change their ways something terrible will happen.
I think the name Inspector Goole was used because the character portrays a ghost from the future, because the word ghoul is also known as a ghost. In conclusion I feel the Inspector’s role is puzzling, because no one knows who he really is by the end, and while he is at the Birling’s house a girl has not committed suicide, but at the end a girl dies, because the older generation failed to feel remorse and they didn’t change their ways by joking at the matter.
