Regarding the structure, the inspector is vital to the play. He keeps the tension high and keeps the characters actions flowing. He is like a prompt for what the other characters should be saying. The scene where the family are together and get a call that an inspector is coming to see them is echoed at the beginning and the end of the play. The characters could have learned a lesson from the first time an inspector was there, and could change their ways rather than letting the same happen again. This backs up Priestley’s beliefs in Outspensky’s theory, which says that time is on a continual loop until someone does something to change it. This could show that the Birling family need to be more honest this time around to stop the loop of events. The Birling family appear as a rich, well-off family who are high up the ‘social ladder’. They like to show off their good fortunes in life, but they seem to hide bad times and events. The pink lighting at the beginning reflects this, as it only shows the good of the family and to make the set look comfy and homelike. The family seem to be worried about any things bad that are said or done that concern their family as it may disturb their social position. These effects are used to make the audience see them as a great family that has never done wrong, which helps build the tension later on because it is more shocking when they admit to what they have done wrong in the past. This section has been included to make the audiences’ opinions change more and shock them more. It lets the audience get to know the characters more before they know what bad they have done. The audience do not know exactly what the play is about, but they may think it may be to with a party for the engagement as this is what they are celebrating. When the inspector arrives, they are instantly proved wrong as he starts the enquiry to change the night.
Throughout the play, the audience get mixed impressions of the inspector. He enters at a very significant time, during Mr. Birling’s speech about society. As he mentions how ‘a man has to mind his own business.’ From this point onwards, the inspector is doing the exact opposite of this, being nosey and impatient with the family. This annoys Mr. Birling which creates more tension in the play. This may cause conflict between the family and the inspector or even between family members. The only description of the inspector is in the stage notes of the play when he enters the house. They say he creates ‘an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit... He speaks carefully and weightily’. This creates a sense of mystery in the play to the reader as to who the inspector actually is. From reading the stage directions you think of him as an average inspector. It says that ‘he looks hard at people before actually talking to them’ which may be to get their attention but it may scare the characters. This shows he is a strong character and that he is not scared of much. At first the name Inspector Goole does not seem unusual or significant to the play at all, but when you have read the whole play and seeing that he disappears at the end, it is possible that the name could be changed to Ghoul, like a ghost. This could explain his weird and unexplainable actions, like when he knew Eric had arrived before he did. The inspector could be seen as the ghost of Eva Smith going back to the family to see why they did what they did. Throughout the play the audiences’ thoughts on what the play is about changes. At first it could be seen as a celebration play and then a murder investigation. After this it changes again as the audience seem to work out that he is not an ordinary inspector. He uses a lot of moralistic comments, such as ‘…what happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide.’, which is typical of an inspector, which may be to confuse the characters into thinking that is what he is.
The inspector’s views on responsibility contrasts highly with Mr. Birling. He believes that everyone is responsible for each other whereas Mr. Birling thinks that everyone should look after themselves and should mind their own business. The inspector tries to explain how the things they have done are morally wrong, ‘if theirs nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt.’ but does not explain once about any form of criminal punishment. This shows he is not a normal inspector. At first glance the play is just about the death of Eva Smith, but after reading and exploring the play, it seems to be a play about society as a whole and I think that Priestley was using this play to put a message across to people of how he feels society should be. He does this very well and hides the message in the play very subtly. The character he uses most to put his message across is the inspector, and I think he tried to put himself into the play. I think the main purpose of Mr. Birling in the play is to show what society is currently like and to show the problems with it. This shows why they are both important characters in the play, especially the inspector.
The inspector is continually changing the other characters emotions and controls the reactions that happen. He is not afraid to cause conflicts between family members, like Gerald and Sheila as he pulled the truth out of Gerald about his affair while he was engaged to Sheila. As soon as he arrives, he comes out with the information that he knows and explains exactly what he wants to know. The characters and audience are shocked about how open he is with the information about someone’s suicide. At the end of each act, the tension always seems to be at its highest points in the play. He knows exactly what the characters don’t want to hear and says it, just to make them more uncomfortable, which may cause them to speak more about what they have done. The inspector confuses the audience and characters at many points in the play, which is the main thing that controls the tension and keeps the audience alert and thinking. When the phone call is received at the end, it ends the play with a point of high tension and leaves the audience thinking and intrigued.
In my personal opinion I believe that the inspector was a ghost that came to warn them about what was going to happen and why they are involved. It prepares them for the next visit of a real inspector, and gives them time to think about what to say and how to deal with the situation. I do not believe that it was the ghost of Eva Smith because at this point in the play she may not even exist and that may not be the name of the actual girl who committed suicide. If it was the same girl, she was probably still alive at the point where inspector Goole was round. His character has two purposes; to warn the family about what to think and say and to educate the audiences about Priestley’s views on society and how things should be. He keeps the audience alert and thinking throughout the whole play which helps them to understand the whole story at the end.
