The Inspector

The Inspector

1. In Control

   • 'Don't stammer and yammer at me again, man' P46 / Act 2
     • He is now in control of the situation and Birling no longer is
   • (Inspector holds up a hand.) P49 / Act 2
     • He is now in the center and likes to have the control over the family
       • Going through the family systamatically
         • 'One line of enquiry at a time' P12 / Act 1
           • Has a habit of looking hard at someone before addressing them.
         • 'He must wait his turn' P33 / Act 2
   • (Cutting through massively.) P12 / Act 1
     • He is authoritive and doesn't like to hear the excuses of others and unless he says, they don't give their excuses.
       • The Inspector cuts Birling off because he doesnt want to hear his excuses, and asks for them when he needs them.
   • 'Don't start on that' P51 ' Act 3
     • Shows that even by the end of the play he still has control over the family because they know he is right and they cannot deny it.
       • However they do keep trying to deny it but failing massively
         • S:'So nothing really happened...We can all go behaving just as we did' Mrs B:'Well, Why shouldn't we? P71 / Act 3

2. Omniscient

   • Mrs B - 'I don't understand you inspector' Inspecter - 'You mean you don't choose to' P41 / Act 2
     • He knows that everyone knows something about the girl, and he knows he is going to get it out of them before the night is up.
       • When Birling sees the picture for the first time, he looks shocked. So the inspector knows that Birling knows the girl.
   • 'And anyhow, I knew already' p 34 / Act 2
     • He is just waiting for them to tell him what he already knows.
   • '...until he began asking us questions' P30 / Act 2
     • He knows they all have something to hide but are just waiting for them to admit it.
       • Pushes them to say what they wouldn't normally.
         • Understand the family more than they understand themselves.
   • E:'Tell me-tell me-what happened?' I:'(with calm authority) I'll tell you' P55 / Act 3
     • This shows that he still knows as much as he did and maybe the questions he was asking was making the family confess rather than tell him much needed information

3. Manipulative

   • 'So he's the chief culprit anyhow' P48 / Act 2
     • Here, the inspector knows that Eric is the father and knows that Mrs B doesn't approve. So he is trying to make her feel guilty for what she has just said about Eva
       • 'No hushing up, eh? Make an example of the young man, eh? Public confession of responsibility - um?' P48 Act 2
   • 'Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges' P41 / Act 2
     • Standing up for the lower class and manipulating Birling.
   • 'Is there any reason why i shouldn't see this photo, Inspector?' ... 'There might be' P12 / Act 1
     • Manipulative because he wants to go through the family in a certain order but they don't know that and they don't know there is a reason for this
   • Sheila ; 'He is giving us the rope - so we'll hang ourselves' P33 / Act 2
     • He is giving them evidence to feel guilty about
   • 'We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.'
     • Trying to make the family feel guilty because it is not just one person they have hurt. There are many more who are hurt because of their actions.

4. Presence

   • (...big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.) P11 /Act 1
     • Shows what his character is like and how he is quite intimidating
   • (Cooly looking hard at him.) P12 / Act 1
   • 'There's no inspector Goole on the police' P63 / Act 3
     • Gives the inspector an eerie presence because they don't know who or what he was.

5. Mysterious

   • 'G double O-L-E' P16 / Act 1
     • His name could be referred to the ghostly term 'ghoul'
       • Mr B didn't know the Inspector and didn't have any connections who did.
   • Never directly says why he is there or where he came from
   • 'but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths.' P56 / Act 3
     • Mysterious because he makes out rhat there might be more than one Eva Smith and by the end we know this Is true.
   • 'That I haven't much time' P54 / Act 3
     • Mysterious because we are not sure why he has a limited time.