Explore the function of Inspector Goole in ‘An Inspector Calls’
Explore the function of Inspector Goole in
'An Inspector Calls'
The play 'An Inspector Calls' explores the relationships between a middle-class family and the secrets they hide from each other. It is set in 1912 at a time of social upheaval and uncertainty, World War One was soon to break out and in the years to follow, strikes and general change was to happen. In Brumly, where the play is set, however, things (according to Mr Birling) are going well. Business is booming as industry progressed, the Titanic sailed the year after the play was set and it was a great feat of engineering even if it did sink. Social differences appeared more and more, the gap between upper-class and working class people became wider and the rich got richer and the poor became poorer.
The Inspector is of a lower class than the Birlings and Gerald but he is the main character in the play. He interrogates, examines and inspects throughout the play. Because of his very defined way of carrying out his investigation he is a very mysterious character. This feeling intensifies as the play comes to an end- we the audience feel there is something not quite right about him and our feelings are mirrored in the dialogue at the end.
The inspector is the righteous, assertive character who knows what he wants and how to get it,.He believes in helping others and being treated equally. I think some of Priestly's own views and opinions show in the Inspector.I think this is deliberate because at the time the play was written and performed, Priestly is expressing his hopes for a more equal and fair future after the Second World War. The Inspector is a very dramatic character because his beliefs are very different to the families, he hasn't got a straightforward personality so we never know what is going to happen or in what direction he is going to take the story line in.
Priestly's vision is a definite one, and because it is a play, it must be read and understood. The Inspector is described in stage directions as a man whom 'at once (creates) an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness,. This means he doesn't have to be a certain height or stature, but he must hold himself in a certain way. Most importantly the actor must speak 'carefully, weightily, and has (have) a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses.' This makes the Inspector a tense and somewhat foreboding character, but it also increases the mystery of him, making it a function of the Inspector.
We have to remember that 'An Inspector calls' is a play. Therefore if I were to direct it I would try to create a mood of apprehension, slight fear and mystery. I would do this by fading the lights before he enters, then as he steps on to the stage, and play sinister SFX and spotlight him. In creating a mood of anticipation and mystery I would introduce to the audience what the Inspector really is-a mystery.
The Inspector's arrival creates dramatic tension and is perfectly timed, it is important because we get our first impression of him. We have no idea from the dialogue beforehand that something out of the ordinary is going to happen. The Birling family plus Gerald are having a little celebration and Mr Birling, Eric and Gerald are having a discussion, or rather Mr Birling is telling them his views on life and the world. He says 'there isn't a chance of war' when we know that just two years after, World War One begins. He says many things, which are proved wrong in future years, the audience find this ironic. His view on life is very selfish '...a man has to make his own way- has to look after himself...' this shows he doesn't believe in helping others. The Inspector does believe in looking after others and he tries to teach Birling and others the error of their ways during the play.
However just before he enters the stage the mood is contented and certainly not unpleasant. The doorbell cuts Mr Birling short, Edna announces the Inspector and he comes into the lives of the family and Gerald. It is significant that the Inspector enters at a point where Mr Birling is ranting about his views because basically the main theme of the play and the main function of the Inspector is to make the characters see you must think of other people to be a good person. The Inspector enters just a Mr Birling is shouting at Eric, 'What's ...
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However just before he enters the stage the mood is contented and certainly not unpleasant. The doorbell cuts Mr Birling short, Edna announces the Inspector and he comes into the lives of the family and Gerald. It is significant that the Inspector enters at a point where Mr Birling is ranting about his views because basically the main theme of the play and the main function of the Inspector is to make the characters see you must think of other people to be a good person. The Inspector enters just a Mr Birling is shouting at Eric, 'What's the matter with you?' it is a first sign that things with the family are not as stable or as happy as we first thought.
In the first few lines he shows that he isn't an ordinary Inspector of the kind that Mr Birling is used to, he's blunt and refuses a drink, saying 'I'm on duty.' We know that this is an important character and one that Mr Birling shouldn't take lightly. The Inspector is polite but very curt with Mr Birling. Anything Mr Birling says the Inspector has a sharp and quick answer for, he isn't overly helpful either, saying 'No, Mr Birling' instead of explaining himself when Mr Birling asks him an impatient question. This adds dramatic effect especially when the Inspector goes on to ask difficult questions and question thoroughly. He talks to Mr Birling as if he was an equal; he doesn't grovel and be overly respectful, as Mr Birling would expect. At one point the Inspector questions Mr Birling very directly, saying simply 'Why?' Mr Birling is very surprised at this very insolent way of conducting an investigation, he replies somewhat bewildered 'Did you say why?' He obviously doesn't think this is the way to act towards a man who used to be Lord Mayor. The Inspector doesn't seem to react to this, though he most certainly knows and understands Mr Birling's view and thoughts, he simply chooses to ignore them.
One role of the Inspector is to make Mr Birling (especially) see that there is more to life than honours and titles, that there are things in the world that Mr Birling doesn't see or realise that should be recognised. Mr Birling doesn't seem to absorb this information and replies indignantly, pompously and sometimes rudely to the Inspector, phrases such as 'I don't like that tone' or 'I consider this uncalled-for and officious' show that Mr Birling doesn't like the Inspector's manner. Their personalities clash merely because they are complete opposites and have a totally different set of values. We tend to side with the Inspector because what he says seems moral and right.
It is hard to say categorically whether Mr Birling's views change or if he's affected by the Inspector. He could be different inside but he seems so concerned with the affect a public scandal will have on him and his business, that he forgets the voice of reason and conscience The Inspector plays the role of the voice of conscience.
Mr Birling really only cares about himself and although he thinks it is 'Shame' the girl died, he can't see the bigger picture. When it is unearthed that there wasn't a girl, any changes that were happening are forgotten, he sinks back into his old ways of selfishness and greed. He is blinkered into thinking of himself and his own interests.
The rest of the characters are very different to Mr Birling in some ways and the same in others. Sheila is a girl in her early twenties, she is pleased with life because of her engagement to Gerald and she is clearly excited. She comes across as a bubbly person but a bit immature and frivolous. Gerald on the other hand appears worldly wise and quite grown up. He seems just as excited as Sheila about their marriage however but he has similar values as Mr Birling. Sheila's brother Eric is a strange character - he seems not totally at ease and quite shy. He does stand up to his father though and becomes opinionated at times. Finally Mrs Birling is a cold woman who doesn't lower herself often and never stops thinking about herself and her family. She does however seem happy about the engagement. This is the way the characters appear to the audience in the first part of the play, some of their attitudes change as they are questioned by the Inspector.
After Mr Birling, Sheila is questioned. She starts off being slightly naïve, asking 'was it an accident?' when the Inspector tells her of Eva's death. She does change nevertheless, she becomes argumentative with her father and downright mean to Gerald, and in the end she is more mature. She seems to share the Inspector's views but only when she is forced to have an opinion. At the end of the play however she seems to whole-heartily agree with the Inspector and he seems to have the greatest impact on her, perhaps because she is the happiest and looses the most. He extracts the truth from her with ease; he simply shows her a photograph. The whole story is told and Sheila regrets her part in it and begins to feel very guilty and remorseful. The Inspector isn't too harsh on her, and she opens up to him.
Gerald is interrogated next and until then is quiet. He gives himself away when the Inspector mentions the name Daisy Renton, but unlike Sheila he is not willing to talk. The Inspector has to pressurise him into telling the truth. He does though and we find out about his affair, he seems genuinely upset and repentant for his actions towards Daisy/Eva and Sheila. He is very truthful and it looks as if the Inspector is getting through to him and making him see the consequences his actions have. Gerald does seem suspicious of the Inspector and we begin to as well, he asks 'How do you know that?' when the Inspector tells of Eva's actions after the affair ended. Indeed when Gerald goes for a walk he is really going to investigate the Inspector and find out the truth about him. Gerald learns very little in the end.
Mrs Birling comes after Gerald and she is all airs and graces. She swans into the room and tries to put the Inspector in his "place" as she sees it. She tells the Inspector he 'is a trifle impertinent' and she tries to keep him as downtrodden as possible, his reaction to this is to be harsh with her and he certainly doesn't spare her feelings. He knows she's hiding something and he wants to moralise her actions and show her a different opinion on life that she does not see. She doesn't like this and becomes angry with him for judging her, but in the end she tells him all about her part in the story. She feels no remorse and really doesn't except any blame even though the Inspector tries to make her see she could have acted differently. Instead she blames the father of the child Eva was pregnant with, 'It's his responsibility' she says, showing that she doesn't think it was hers at all. The Inspector replies 'That doesn't make it any less yours.' She does not see this point of view and feels she was quite justified in refusing Eva Smith money. She doesn't change at all but she does learn some things about her family. In the end though she forms the same conclusion as her husband- as long as it doesn't get out, there's no reason to change your ways.
Eric is the last to be questioned. He enters at a time of great tension and the Inspector is becoming more hurried and less polite, to Mr Birling he says 'Don't start on that. I want to get on' he doesn't waste time on respectfulness because there is no reason to. He knows all the family's secrets and he gets angry with them. For their part, the family is a very different one to the one that sat down to dinner, he has changed them as a whole. Eric tells us his part and he seems so upset and regretful that we feel sorry for him. He is so immature and the Inspector knows this, he also knows that he has changed Eric and made him see the error of his ways. Eric knows what he did was wrong but also becomes more confident and not so apologetic to his father, he feels more guilty for the part he played in Eva's death than for the fact he stole money off his father. However his father gets incredibly annoyed and it nearly comes to blows but the Inspector is so calm and controlled and he takes charge once again.
In the Inspector's final speech he talks about many of the issues that occur in the play. He talks of the way you can't try and make things better, Mr Birling says '...I'd give thousands-yes thousands' but the Inspector shows him it's too late and when someone has gone you can't ever make a difference to them. He makes a point to all of them and he acts as a conscience, not as someone to ease the guilt. He tries to make them see, once and for all, that you can't regret actions after they're done, you have to think about the consequences and the effect on others beforehand. He says it to Sheila, Gerald, Mrs Birling, Eric and Mr Birling- 'Think of what you have done.' He also wants them to think of a whole body of people, not just Eva Smith, 'there are millions and millions and millions of John Smiths and Eva Smiths still left with us.' He wants them to think about, maybe for the first time, others below them socially because they are important people just like them. He mentions working class people at the beginning of the play and he emphasises the importance of looking after one another again and again, it is central to the function of the inspector. He doesn't care about honours and titles and social standing, in his eyes everyone is equal and if they aren't treated as such, men 'Will be taught in fire and blood and anguish' This is a reference to the World Wars. He wants to teach them a lesson and has been trying to do so since he arrived, to change views and prejudices is the main function of the Inspector.
Who the Inspector is, remains a mystery. Some people think he is a ghost or a spirit, while others think he could be a relative of the real girl who dies. Whoever or whatever he is isn't really important, although it does add dramatic effect and tension to the play. The real reason Priestly created the Inspector was not to judge the characters in the play, but to make them change their ways that views like Mr Birlings can be dangerous. He is the little voice within every one of us, the conscience and the reason and the compassion we all have. He brings new concepts to the family and certainly Eric and Sheila learn about social responsibility and the moral thing to do. He teaches that people can't and shouldn't live their lives without thinking and caring about one another, they should look hard at themselves and think about what they say and do. He has an independent point of view and this was needed, he may not have been truthful about his identity but he was a great 'tool' for Priestly to show us we never know where our consequences might lead, we certainly see this at the end of the play. As Sheila said 'He inspected us all right' and he unquestionably did.
By Suzie Crowe
