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How does Priestley present Inspector Goole in ​An Inspector Calls​?
In An Inspector Calls, Priestley uses stage directions to present Inspector Goole as
authoritative
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This is shown in the quote “cutting in massively”
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This distresses characters like Mr Birling, who start to speak “explosively”,
suggesting he’s irritated and threatened by the Inspector, as his authority is being undermined
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Furthermore, Priestley uses entrances and exits to present Inspector Goole as in control
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It’s as if the Inspector has been summoned to prove him wrong, almost as if Mr
Birling was asking for it
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It also
presents Inspector Goole as in control, as it’s as if he enters the scene when he chooses to, like
when he’s had enough
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For example, he leaves Sheila and Gerald alone for Sheila
to interrogate and distress him herself - a role that the Inspector often plays - which causes
Sheila to become “hysterical” and makes it easier for Gerald to confess
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Also, when the Inspector makes his final exit, after
his speech about socialism, the Birling household is left with a sudden silence
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After all, it was the Inspector who controlled the
conversations and moved them forward during the play, e
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the aforementioned interrupting
“cutting in”, so when he is gone there is an emptiness in the room
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Another way Priestley presents the Inspector is ominous
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A way that Priestley portrays this is through the title itself: “An Inspector Calls”
sounds mysterious as the audience has no idea why he’s calling
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However the audience
discovers this is not the case, which suggests that like the visit is more than expected, the
Inspector is part of something bigger, so he appears ominous and mysterious
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Usually omniscience is related to entities such as God, as
he seems to be the only being who could truly know everything
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In context, I know that ‘An Inspector Calls’ is a
morality play, which teach about the seven sins
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This suggests that the
Inspector is powerful and ominous as he seems to be part of something greater
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To do this, he juxtaposes the characters of the Inspector and Arthur Birling as
contrasts their views on politics
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This simile suggests that Mr Birling believes socialism is
rubbish, and the comparison to bees suggests that he thinks that socialism is chaotic and silly,
as bees obviously aren’t as complex as humans
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Priestley strongly believed that socialism was right, and hated
capitalism
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Mr Birling, Gerald, and Eric all
are proven guilty of these
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This presents the Inspector as a socialist and also as a
teacher, as it is suggested that he was at the Birlings’ house to make them aware of the
struggles of the working class
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For example, he asks blunt
questions like “so you kept her - as your mistress?” which often accuse the person in question,
to cause them to become “distressed”
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These pushy questions
often upset characters to make them more vulnerable - “half-stifled sob”
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This also upsets the Birlings, especially Sheila, and almost knocks their wall
down
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It also moves the play forward at a rapid pace, which builds
tension for the Birlings because they don’t know what’s coming next, which the audience feels
too
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For example, he
describes Eva/Daisy as a “pretty” girl and “lively”
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This is contrasted with the disturbing imagery
of her death: “burnt out inside on a slab”
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Lastly, Inspector Goole is presented as classless
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This
presents the Inspector as someone who treats everyone equally, meaning he is the perfect
person to teach the Birlings about responsibility
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He is ambiguous when he uses the pronoun “we” in
the quote “we often do on the young ones”, suggesting he is part of something bigger and this
sort of situation is frequent
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Furthermore, he is presented as authoritative, dominant and in control of the Birling household
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I think that the Inspector is presented as someone
seeking justice for the working class, as even though he is portrayed as classless, he still
doesn’t take a neutral side - he’s seeking revenge or Eva/Daisy’s death

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