Who Is Inspector Goole?

Who is Inspector Goole? His identity is a mystery; he is not a real policeman though as Eric says, “He was our police inspector all right”(p.59) he did such a good job at making each person admit his/her guilt. Possible explanations of Goole's identity that the essay will tackle are:

• simply an imposter who played an elaborate hoax on a group of upper class people who deserved to be frightened in this way.

• some kind of spiritual being or emissary with a moral mission to punish selfish behaviour among the rich on Earth; the name ‘Goole’ may imply a parallel with ‘Ghoul’ (ghost, spirit). The fact that he seems omniscient (all-knowing), possessing knowledge which it seems he could not have known by normal means, supports the theory that there is something supernatural about him.

• a ‘mouthpiece’ for J.B. Priestley; Priestley was a socialist, and firmly believed that “we are all members of one body” etc. An Inspector Calls is a didactic play with a clear moral and political message which Priestley wanted the audience to accept. Priestley