Inspector Goole – Real or Ghoul?
Inspector Goole is arguably the central character in the play An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley. The inspector is first introduced during an evening event, an engagement prepared by the Birling’s (Act 1). The presence of the inspector turns the celebration into an investigation about the death of one Eva Smith, who used to work at Birling’s company. There have been numerous arguments on the reality of Inspector Goole. While some question his reality, there are many possibilities of what or whom the inspector could be. Could he be a ghost, the voice of Priestley (the author), Birling’s own imagination, Birling’s conscience taunting his actions, a dream or could he be a real inspector? This essay aims at attempting to unravel who or what exactly the inspector was which in turn will help reveal if he was real or a ghoul (ghost) figure.
Firstly, the inspector could be a ghost on the assertion of his two names; Goole which could denote
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“Ghoul” to mean a ghost and Inspector which could denote the word “In-Spectre” which symbolizes a ghost figure. Secondly, Goole could also be a ghost due to the many instances in the play where he suddenly appears and reappears from nowhere. This is depicted at the end of Act 1 where Gerald and Sheila converse, only for the door to open slowly and “… the inspector appears…” Thirdly, Arthur Birling’s words by Priestley and Bezant, “I would have seen right through him” (Act 3) indicates that Inspector Goole could be a ghost. That is simply due to the fact that ghosts are imaginary and people can see through them. Fourth, evidence linked to the author reveals that Inspector Goole could be a Ghoul an not a real figure. J. B. Priestley was a socialist who believed that all persons were responsible for others, which is also seen in the character of Goole. Many instances by Priestley and Bezant including “… we are members of one body” (Act 3) paint the inspector as a socialist. This therefore could indicate that the author, Priestley could have been using his own views, assertions and thoughts to pass across the same message to his audience. Thus, such would depict the inspector as the author’s thoughts and sentiments, rendering Inspector Goole unreal. Fourthly, Inspector Goole could be a “Ghoul” figure given that he appears to be Birling’s voice or conscience. In the play, the Birling family realizes that they have committed wrongful acts and the inspector’s presence could be their own guilty conscience reminding them of the wrongs they have committed. This is largely visible in Gerald, Sheila and Eric who indicate guilty sentiments. On the other hand, the elderly parents, Arthur and Sible Birling appear unmoved and unshaken. This indicates lack of a clear conscience which could actually indicate its presence in their children and in Croft. Fifth, the depiction of the inspector as a “control experiment” in changing the thoughts and conscience of the Birling’s renders Inspector Goole unreal. Priestley and Bezant stresses in the beginning of the play that “His wife…a rather cold woman….” depicting Birling’s wife, Sible (Act 1). That clearly indicates that she lacks a true conscience and the authors’ need to bring the inspector into play in a bid to shift their conscience tells that the inspector could be unreal, just a battle in their own heads. Sixth, the presence of Inspector Goole could be rendered unreal.
In the play, he seems to know so much than anyone else and also knows more about Eva Smith and how the Birling’s are involved in her suicide, yet the girl died a few hours ago. In reality, no investigator could have the ability to know that much in such a short time. Goole disguises the knowledge on some sort of diary left by Eva (Act 1). Lastly, Inspector Goole may appear unreal in the form of a god or a prophet who has been sent to give warnings and instructions. This is depicted in Priestley and Bezant (Act 3) in Goole’s last speech. He speaks in a language similar to the on used in the biblical Old Testament. He uses a serious and threatening tone similar to a person preaching to an audience. Quoting an instance, “Fire, blood and anguish…” (Act 3) makes him sound like a prophet of God. He warns everyone that God will come and those who are evil will suffer punishment. This last evidence points out that the inspector is not
real. Although the above indicates that Inspector Goole could be a ghost, there is similarly enough evidence depicted by the author that supports the inspector could be a real figure. When Inspector Goole is first introduced after Edna ushers him in, the author describes the inspector vividly as “… a man in his fifties…” and “… dressed in a plain darkish suit….” (Act 1). The vivid description portrays that Inspector Goole is actually a real figure. Conclusively, the points for Inspector’s Goole being unreal outweigh the real ones. The mystery involved when describing and trying to figure out whom exactly the inspector is tells every reader that he could be an imaginary figure.
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