The inspector is a strange character and this is shown throughout the play in several situations. An inspector should talk to people with courtesy and respect, especially to the Birlings as they are respected and upheld members of the public. The inspector however, does not and proceeds to interrogate them in a very peculiar manner. It appears as the inspector does have manners at first when he enters but as the play develops he has no respect for any of them.
This asks the question that although the inspector may be new surely he should know the simple procedure of interrogation and how to behave and respond to people. So why could it be that the inspector has this mysterious and bewildering side to him? He is far too inquisitive and upfront with everyone he speaks to. Why could this be? Could he be an impostor? Or is he something more. The inspector leaves under very strange circumstances and you think now more of it because the Birlings have not committed any known offences and therefore cannot be charged with anything.
However at the end Gerald seems to think he has it all figured out, that the inspector was merely an impostor and then they phone the infirmary to see if any girls had come in and died through swallowing disinfectant. The infirmary is sure that no one has been taken in. Then the telephone rings sharply and Birling answers. He tells everyone that a girl has just died through swallowing strong disinfectant and a police inspector is on his way over to ask some questions.
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This I imagine scares them all terribly and would make anyone reading or observing the play wonder whether the inspector was a paranormal being.
No one knows that the inspector is an impostor at the start but as the play draws on it does seem to become apparent that he could be an impostor or maybe something else. There is no way anyone could have known about the incident, which was due to happen with Eva Smith. There is a possibility that the inspector may not be as real as the other people because he does not have a drink when offered by Birling and would not let anyone touch the pictures he had in his pocket, which could mean two things.
Who Was The Inspector In Inspector Calls
He may either not want anyone to touch them or not want a drink because of his given reason, he was on duty or they don’t exist and nor does he. However there are other theories as to what or who the inspector is. From background information I have found out that Priestly was extremely interested in fourth dimension and time. So could the inspector have been something from a time paradox or slip. The inspector could equally be a representation of justice. He may not be a real person but a representation of the truth and it merely takes this to bring out the truth from all the people interrogated.
This is an extremely plausible answer because the inspector gets extremely emotional about certain things and a real inspector would not let this happen to himself regardless of how emotional a case may be. Once again we come to respect and how the inspector presents himself and reacts and acts with the Birlings. He shows a complete lack of respect for them that again puts forward the idea that the inspector may be an impostor. In conclusion I think that the inspector is a partially real person.
I believe he may be a form of ghost or angel representing the truth and does exist but only in the form that you can see or touch him and he touch you but not you touch him. The time paradox would be a more plausible answer but who knows that they exist where as we have back up that angels are supposed to be out there somewhere watching us and maybe this angel of truth was Eva Smiths and had to justify the truth and how she dies rather than letting her die with no one knowing and no one caring.
Inspector Goole Theories. (2019, Dec 05). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/paper-on-mystery-inspector-goole/
