My essay will explore Inspector Goole’s character and the type of role he has amongst the Birling’s and how the Birling’s perceive him as, as well as the audience’s view on him. By doing these things I will be able to find out more about Inspector Goole. Inspector Goole is seen as somewhat of an interruption by the Birling’s. Mr Birling is a ignorant, obnoxious, and emits deplorable behaviour towards people he deems of lower class, than him.
Mrs Birling, is a cold-hearted, bitchy person, who likes to think of herself and family as high-class. Eric, one of the two children of Mr and Mrs Birling, is the spoilt one, being drunk all the time and Mrs Birling’s favoured child, who always thought of him as a good, well-brought up child. Sheila, the most innocent of all in the family, is probably the most honest and kindest character out of the other Birling’s.
Gerald, the one who Sheila is engaged to, is a sly, despicable person, who is from a rich family known as the Crofts. Inspector Goole, perceived by the audience at the beginning, sees him as more of a interrogator than a inspector, he demands answers in a more direct manner, instead of saying it politely like a normal inspector, which leads the audience to believe that he isn’t really an inspector, which later at the end shows in actuality, that there was no Inspector Goole.
The Inspector, who reveals that the people who they have affected altogether, was actually one woman, named Eva Smith. The Birling’s, who are shocked by this fact, and other facts, such as Mrs Birling’s special son actually being a drunkard (as well as stealing money from the father to give to Eva to survive on), Gerald actually being a slimy, shameful fellow for starting an affair with Eva, and the main subject they have affected most of all, was the victim of all these sad outcomes, Eva.
After these major events, the Inspector goes and disappears, and Gerald and Mr Birling later confirm that he never really existed and was probably a fraud. Mr and Mrs Birling, are later quite relieved, as well as Gerald, of Goole not being an Inspector and believing him to be a fraud, Sheila and Eric however, regret their actions upon the woman, even if they may be different women they affected.
Later a phone call comes and Mr Birling answers, it just so happens to be that an Inspector is coming to the Birling’s household to ask questions about a suicide. This leaves the audience to decide what Inspector Goole was, if he were an apparition or a angel to tell of the future and the disastrous effects of what will happen, or a messenger, telling them of great evil and how they will have to pay for their sins in the future and the damage it will cause to everyone if they do not contribute to society to help one another.
Inspector Goole, being the mysterious protagonist of the play, preaches to us that we can change the world of tomorrow with what we choose to do and what we choose not to, and that if we ignore simple things, terrible things can happen, just like World War 1 and 2. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE J. B. Priestley section.
