What is the role of the inspector in The Inspector Calls?
While An Inspector Calls proved to be popular with its audience the problem seemed to lie with their understanding of the character Inspector Goole. Inspector Goole is a thought-provoking and mysterious character that one could perceive in many ways. Questions asked are: was he a realistic straightforward police Inspector, was he a hoaxer or was he something more? Whether the inspector was a realistic police inspector or something else Priestley used the character of the inspector for a particular reason. In act 1 when the inspector enters he is described as creating ‘an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’. This implies that his role was created for a purpose.
J.B. Priestley grew up with his fathers socialist friends and found himself joining in with their political arguments. He believed a great deal in socialism and he used the play to try and influence people to be socialist as well. Priestley very strongly believed that everyone should be equal. This influenced and framed Priestley’s writing.
Inspector Goole is the most important character in the play because he is the catalyst for the events that take place. In the inspectors speeches Priestley uses a lot of his political views and uses the inspector as a kind of mouthpiece for his socialism. The Inspectors last speech, just before he leaves, was very powerful and was very similar to a politician’s. The inspector turns the blame onto the whole of society by mentioning that the problem did not lie with just Eva Smith and one particular family, but it was the ‘millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us... intertwined with our lives.’ This goes to show that he wasn’t just referring to the Birlings but speaking to all society. Priestley tries to make people understand just how serious problems can get when we do not realise that ‘We are responsible for each other.’ This speech gave a complete opposite message to the one that Mr Birling gave when he said that ‘a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own.’ It was at that point where the Inspector entered, as if to prove him wrong. In this same speech the Inspector says ‘We are members of one body’ and ‘if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.’ This makes reference to the future war and it seems that the inspector is implying that the war was sent to punish people for not working together.
