The Inspector

Introducing himself as Inspector Goole, he's a police officer who comes to investigate the background to a young woman's suicide.

The Inspector interrupts the Birling family dinner to inform them of the death of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.  Throughout the conversation with each family member, and Gerald Croft, the Inspector accuses each of having a hand in the death of the girl.  He gradually takes control of the situation and through this establishes his dominance over the rest.  The Inspector embodies Priestly's own, he is the guardian of the masses and strives for social justice.

When he's first introduced, his description is somewhat peculiar.

TASK: Look at how the Inspector is presented in the stage directions from Priestly.  Why is the above so important?  How does it position the audience to think about the Inspector?

Throughout the interrogation of the family, the Inspector doesn't really present himself as a traditional police inspector.  He doesn't really seem interested in finding out the main culprit for Eva's death, rather he seems intent on breaking down their own beliefs of themselves and questioning their reliance on their social standings.  His final speech fully enforces this idea, as he leaves with a rather impassioned speech about social justice, rather than any one finding regarding the death of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.

The Inspector remains solid in his interrogations, while everyone around him falls apart to a certain extent.  The others lose composure, while he remains firm in his beliefs.  However, it might not be all that it seems.  In the final part of the play, it becomes apparent that Inspector Goole was not a real inspector:

His name, Goole, also suggests that he wasn't all that he seemed.  The name 'Goole' has connotations of ghosts and someone who is morbidly fascinated with death.

TASK: Decide if the Inspector is real.  Does it matter?