The moralistic figure that opposes the Birlings, Inspector Goole represents
compassion and concern for the masses
, although the way in which he achieves it is somewhat lacking in morals sometimes.
What does Goole mean in an inspector calls?
Who is the Inspector? The powerful warning at the heart of the play is magnified by the mystery of who the Inspector is. His name, ‘Goole’, suggests
he could be a ghost, or perhaps he is a manifestation of our guilt
.
How is Inspector Goole presented in An Inspector Calls?
Inspector Goole is presented as
an omnipotent
, powerful figure throughout the play; his presence immediately has the power to change the light and cheerful atmosphere of the Birlings’ dinner party. The lighting changes from “pink and intimate” to “brighter and harder” once the inspector arrives.
What does the inspector Symbolise in An Inspector Calls?
The Inspector represents
Priestley’s voice
– he conveys Priestley’s strong socialist views. He challenges the characters, and therefore the audience, about their treatment of the working class.
The Inspector, as Priestley’s mouthpiece, is a symbol of Socialism –
he wants everyone to look after each other and to view community as very important
. He is sent to uncover the family’s wrongdoings and to make them see that they should take responsibility for others.
Is Inspector Goole an angel?
The character of Inspector Goole can be explained in many ways. It is thought, that
he could be a ghost, an angel
(sent from God to deliver the truth), a psychic (able to see the future), or simply just a socialist “Crank” – this is what, in fact, the characters in the play believe towards the end, as Mr.
Is Inspector Goole a time Traveller?
4) The Inspector Goole
may have been a time traveller and not a real inspector
because of the timing of his entry, which is seemed to have been made exactly while Birling was making a very capitalist speech and he would have very much have liked to spoil their celebrations. …read more.
What does the inspector represent?
The moralistic figure that opposes the Birlings, Inspector Goole represents
compassion and concern for the masses
, although the way in which he achieves it is somewhat lacking in morals sometimes.
How is the inspector significant?
The Inspector serves multiple functions with the play: To make the character
confess their actions
.
To control and encourage speech and movement
on stage. To instigate moments of tension and intrigue.
What does the ending of An Inspector Calls mean?
The characters of the play learn the earlier events of the day are fake, and they quickly forget their guilt. But at the end,
the fake events prove to be a foreshadowing of what’s to come, with the news of a girl who died and an inspector on his way to question them about it.
Is the inspector in an inspector calls a ghost?
The Inspector was
a supernatural being
(kind of like the ghosts who visit Scrooge in A Christmas Carol) who took it upon himself to show the Birlings the error of their ways and to get justice for Eva.
What is the moral of Inspector Calls?
An Inspector Calls is a
morality play because all of the Birlings and Gerald Croft commit crimes which are similar to the seven deadly sins
. Mr Birling is greedy because he wants more money, Sheila is guilty of wrath and envy when she spitefully complains about Eva Smith and so on.
What did Eric do to Eva Smith?
It turns out that Eric
had an affair with Eva Smith
and that she was pregnant with Eric’s baby when she committed suicide. Eric stole money from his father’s business to help Eva. In the final act Eric makes an emotional attack on his parents and their values and shows that he can be assertive.
Socialism is an economic and political system where the community or state owns the general means of production (i. e. farms, factories, tools, and raw materials.) This is different from capitalism, where the means of production are privately owned.
Social and historical context
When the play was written after World War Two in 1945, there was no form of welfare from the government to help the poor. J B Priestley believed in socialism,
the political idea based on common ownership and that we should all look after one another
.
Eric Birling
– “Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?” Within An Inspector Calls, Eric can be seen as a character with socialist values. From the offset of the play, Priestley employs assertive language to hint that Eric is morally superior to his parents.
