Inspector Who?

There are different theories as to who the Inspector could be. However, it remains ambiguous so that you can make up your own mind.   Some people think that he could be an avenging angel.  Other people think that he is sent from God to give the Birlings a chance to make up for their wrong doing.  It can definitely be interpreted that he is a supernatural figure because of his name: Goole.  This is generally seen as a homophone for ghoul which is another word for a ghost.  

His name is Inspector Goole, which initially sounds rather like a ghostly figure. He could be a ghost like figure who is more of an extended metaphor throughout the play rather than an actual character. He is a key protagonist in the play as even though he may not be a real character, his presence is still amongst the main characters at all times, even when they believe he is not. 

The inspector is presented as an ambiguous figure, and much of his character is left up to the interpretation of the audience.  This ambiguity is important because it creates an uneasy, uncanny effect, emphasising the supernatural possibilities surrounding the character.  One theory is that he is a ghost-like figure, suggested by his name "Goole", who is sent to make the Birlings aware of their actions.  However, this is problematised by the fact that at the end of the play the telephone rings and it is announced that they have found a dead woman, echoing the opening of the play.  The possibility of redemption is denied to the family, which suggests the inspector functions as an extended metaphor, and that the play has a moral purpose - much like a fable.  This further suggests that the play is more of an example of the unfairness of life, the family are shown that they have acted badly and when they think they can redeem themselves they are told they are too late.

A hoax. I've studied this book so let me know if you need any help:)

the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen

the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen my gs wag wan piftng innit

the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen my gs wag wan piftng innit now if any of you lovely ladies would like to meet and have a rumble rounf with the old ferd i can bring some crumble while we do the ding dong dingalinbg

the inspector is eva smiths dead father, we learn from both the play and any movies that have been made that both her parents are dead. it would also suit the theory that he is a ghost in general due to his last name and his whole demeanour through the play. another thing i noticed is he quote "millions and millions of eva smiths and john smiths" potentially his name is john smith and he is talking about himself?? this would make sense of the reason why the inspector is so protective over eva, he is just a grieving father who wants justice for his daughter and everyone else in the lower class within society.

I reckon he raped arthur birling

Kids are co-- Never mind that, i think Enda killed Eva smith :)

Pristeley had a thing for the fourth dimension which is about messed up time etc, so quite out there but what if the inspector is eric in the future? I mean we see eric now and he dislikes his family and towards the end he understands that he felt bad for eva and disliked his family even more for their ignorance and selfishness. So what if future eric goes back in time to try and fix his family and help them in the future cause throughout the play we see each of them face karma, so what if wric is trying to fix their fate ?

I think the inspector definitely is a supernatural being. i think the play is designed for us to not know who he is and where he came from, therefore, we find that we feel uneasy and wonder about who this man could be. but that is not the important part and i think the author is trying to outline that even now we are focusing on the wrong thing. instead of realizing the tragedy and the graveness of their actions we shift the blame and focus to something else - as the higher classes did so long ago

building on the idea of the inspectors purposeful ambiguity, perhaps it was done to make the reader think about the play afterwards, which helps the learning and engraining process

edna killed the girl.

I think the inspector is satan - contradicts wgstvhe is supoosedbti shiw i 🤔

MR.BIRLING WAS JOHNNY SINS' FATHER AND EVA SMITH/DAISY KHALIFA WAS THE MOTHER CARRYING THE CHILD AND AFTER THE SEX SYMBOL WAS BORN MR BIRLING SAW NO FURTHER NEED FOR THE SKANK AND PURED HIS BLEACH RIDDEN SEMEN DOWN HER THROAT., THE INSPECTOR REPRESENTED MR BIRLINGS' AVID HORNINESS FOR YOUNG TEENAGERS AND WANTED TO SHOW HIM THAT KILLING HIS CHILDS' BABY MAMA WASNT RIGHT JUST FOR HIM TO HAVE A RICH CHILD. MONTAGE > GLAZ

I disagree with Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes here

I disagree with Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes Sr here

ghost of death

As is commonly agreed, I think the Inspector is some kind of supernatural being, who is made to add to the mystery and confusion of the book. Why the Inspector cares about Eva Smith, I don't know, but perhaps he is simply a ghost who disagrees with class division and makes the upper class feel bad for what they do to the lower class. This would make sense, as the Inspector is a mouthpiece to JB Priestley, who is a socialist and would want to spread the word about how bad inequality is. And as with Kieran's response above, the Inspector may also be included as a supernatural being so that we can study and learn more about the play, and open it to interpretation for better discussions.

I personally think eva gave good life saving toe clenching brain 😋

I think the inspector is Eva's unborn child. We know this because Eva was obviously a skank who lead on Eric and Gerald who just wanted to be nice to hear. The inspector is a commie which is how we know his mind is warped by his corrupt mother and that is why he targets anyone who isn't a chad. Eva is a Stacy who deserves to drink bleach from my nuts

I think there is many answers to who the inspector was. I think he could've been a ghost or supernatural being who came to show the Birlings what others couldn't not even the police who were coming to interrogate the Birlings after his disappearance. Or he couldve been a psychopath or a stalker if there's no evidence on him being involved with the police how did he get so much evidence on Eva and the case or even where the Birlings lived and disappear without a trace. There are some people saying that he was Eva's dead father but I don't agree with that either why would her last name be Smith and not Goole or maybe he made that up as he made up him being an inspector but its still to much of a reach to be true. What's so uncanny about this whole thing is why do we get a thorough idea on who everyone else is but not him? We learn so much about every character and what they believed and their involvement but not him he's the only character we know nothing about only him being a spokesperson for Priestley I feel it isn't enough especially on the way he was claimed to never exist and had some powerful influence on every character there. And if Priestley only used him as a metaphor why use the word Goole relating to ghost and have such a confusing ending.What's also weird is we know nothing about Eva's parents death.There's too many possibilities to not think about this. Thing that also gets me is he knew Eva's death before anyone else. He knew she was going to die at the infirmary before she even got there he clearly had some psychic power to know this and if he did have a power why didn't he stop this before it got to this extent why couldnt he interfere at the first hardship maybe the Birlings didn't kill him at all may be he had a mind controlling power over all of them leaving them with a death they never had involvement with.The answer to this could be very dark or very simple. Maybe he had more involvement then anyone maybe he was obsessed with her knowing her every move and having envy for the upper class he killed her and put the blame on a already unstable family gaslighting them and guilt tripping them. I feel if this is no coincidence if Priestley was so thorough with his connotations why would this be an accident this was something ment to be investigated and gives the play many more deeper levels to give the audience more things to invest in, knowing we'll never get a true answer we are left with our own perspective.

Mediafire > Mega

the inspector is either eva's dead father or the ghost of death

edna is the main character. inspiring queen

I reckon the inspector is a bunch of little ants in a suit and they are also alternates from the hit analog horror mandele catalogue and shared information not desired to be known toe Eva and she drank the delicious bleach because of m.a.d from the hit anolouge hore made catalug

inspector is prob her dad trynna get her justice inni

why in the movie the maid sees the Inspector what doesn't make sense since the maid did nothing so what I think is that the Inspector is real but not a real cop. he could be related to Eva Smith or he just wanted everyone to look after each other for the community.

edna is a top g

mrs Birling and shiela had an affair and lied to Gerald who only got with Eva because he was heartbroken

The inspector is Eva in disguise trying to see what the Berling's think about her and see if they care about there death and when they all talk smack about her she gets a bit upset and drinks bleach which Edna gave the inspector/Eva when he/she left the house. The reason Edna gave the inspector/Eva the bleach was as a cure for covid because Edna was actually Donald Trump in disguise and Eva had a cough and felt ill which was actually just morning sickness but Donald/Edna thought it was covid.

The inspector is Jim Bannister cos hes top man

edna is the inspector

I THINK THE INSPECTOR IS A WOMAN BECAUSE HE HAS A MOUSTACHE

He is a ghoul, the play is designed for us to not know who the inspector is

There are different theories as to who the Inspector could be. However, it remains ambiguous so that you can make up your own mind. Some people think that he could be an avenging angel. Other people think that he is sent from God to give the Birlings a chance to make up for their wrong doing. It can definitely be interpreted that he is a supernatural figure because of his name: Goole. This is generally seen as a homophone for ghoul which is another word for a ghost. richie 01 March 2016 His name is Inspector Goole, which initially sounds rather like a ghostly figure. He could be a ghost like figure who is more of an extended metaphor throughout the play rather than an actual character. He is a key protagonist in the play as even though he may not be a real character, his presence is still amongst the main characters at all times, even when they believe he is not. jaimebowman 07 March 2016 The inspector is presented as an ambiguous figure, and much of his character is left up to the interpretation of the audience. This ambiguity is important because it creates an uneasy, uncanny effect, emphasising the supernatural possibilities surrounding the character. One theory is that he is a ghost-like figure, suggested by his name "Goole", who is sent to make the Birlings aware of their actions. However, this is problematised by the fact that at the end of the play the telephone rings and it is announced that they have found a dead woman, echoing the opening of the play. The possibility of redemption is denied to the family, which suggests the inspector functions as an extended metaphor, and that the play has a moral purpose - much like a fable. This further suggests that the play is more of an example of the unfairness of life, the family are shown that they have acted badly and when they think they can redeem themselves they are told they are too late. Rhiannon W. 13 March 2016 A hoax. I've studied this book so let me know if you need any help:) leena12 08 April 2018 the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen ferd 07 April 2022 the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen my gs wag wan piftng innit ferd 07 April 2022 the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen my gs wag wan piftng innit now if any of you lovely ladies would like to meet and have a rumble rounf with the old ferd i can bring some crumble while we do the ding dong dingalinbg ferd 07 April 2022 the inspector is eva smiths dead father, we learn from both the play and any movies that have been made that both her parents are dead. it would also suit the theory that he is a ghost in general due to his last name and his whole demeanour through the play. another thing i noticed is he quote "millions and millions of eva smiths and john smiths" potentially his name is john smith and he is talking about himself?? this would make sense of the reason why the inspector is so protective over eva, he is just a grieving father who wants justice for his daughter and everyone else in the lower class within society. Brooke 19 April 2022 I reckon he raped arthur birling Harry Maguire 23 May 2022 Kids are co-- Never mind that, i think Enda killed Eva smith :) Who asked 14 June 2022 Pristeley had a thing for the fourth dimension which is about messed up time etc, so quite out there but what if the inspector is eric in the future? I mean we see eric now and he dislikes his family and towards the end he understands that he felt bad for eva and disliked his family even more for their ignorance and selfishness. So what if future eric goes back in time to try and fix his family and help them in the future cause throughout the play we see each of them face karma, so what if wric is trying to fix their fate ? Amiee 23 June 2022 I think the inspector definitely is a supernatural being. i think the play is designed for us to not know who he is and where he came from, therefore, we find that we feel uneasy and wonder about who this man could be. but that is not the important part and i think the author is trying to outline that even now we are focusing on the wrong thing. instead of realizing the tragedy and the graveness of their actions we shift the blame and focus to something else - as the higher classes did so long ago Lola 18 July 2022 building on the idea of the inspectors purposeful ambiguity, perhaps it was done to make the reader think about the play afterwards, which helps the learning and engraining process kieran 05 September 2022 edna killed the girl. edna 15 September 2022 I think the inspector is satan - contradicts wgstvhe is supoosedbti shiw i 🤔 Sophia Michaels 16 September 2022 MR.BIRLING WAS JOHNNY SINS' FATHER AND EVA SMITH/DAISY KHALIFA WAS THE MOTHER CARRYING THE CHILD AND AFTER THE SEX SYMBOL WAS BORN MR BIRLING SAW NO FURTHER NEED FOR THE SKANK AND PURED HIS BLEACH RIDDEN SEMEN DOWN HER THROAT., THE INSPECTOR REPRESENTED MR BIRLINGS' AVID HORNINESS FOR YOUNG TEENAGERS AND WANTED TO SHOW HIM THAT KILLING HIS CHILDS' BABY MAMA WASNT RIGHT JUST FOR HIM TO HAVE A RICH CHILD. MONTAGE > GLAZ Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes 21 September 2022 I disagree with Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes here Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes Sr 21 September 2022 I disagree with Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes Sr here Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes The 37th 21 September 2022 ghost of death gapo 25 September 2022 As is commonly agreed, I think the Inspector is some kind of supernatural being, who is made to add to the mystery and confusion of the book. Why the Inspector cares about Eva Smith, I don't know, but perhaps he is simply a ghost who disagrees with class division and makes the upper class feel bad for what they do to the lower class. This would make sense, as the Inspector is a mouthpiece to JB Priestley, who is a socialist and would want to spread the word about how bad inequality is. And as with Kieran's response above, the Inspector may also be included as a supernatural being so that we can study and learn more about the play, and open it to interpretation for better discussions. Harry 03 October 2022

There are different theories as to who the Inspector could be. However, it remains ambiguous so that you can make up your own mind. Some people think that he could be an avenging angel. Other people think that he is sent from God to give the Birlings a chance to make up for their wrong doing. It can definitely be interpreted that he is a supernatural figure because of his name: Goole. This is generally seen as a homophone for ghoul which is another word for a ghost. richie 01 March 2016 His name is Inspector Goole, which initially sounds rather like a ghostly figure. He could be a ghost like figure who is more of an extended metaphor throughout the play rather than an actual character. He is a key protagonist in the play as even though he may not be a real character, his presence is still amongst the main characters at all times, even when they believe he is not. jaimebowman 07 March 2016 The inspector is presented as an ambiguous figure, and much of his character is left up to the interpretation of the audience. This ambiguity is important because it creates an uneasy, uncanny effect, emphasising the supernatural possibilities surrounding the character. One theory is that he is a ghost-like figure, suggested by his name "Goole", who is sent to make the Birlings aware of their actions. However, this is problematised by the fact that at the end of the play the telephone rings and it is announced that they have found a dead woman, echoing the opening of the play. The possibility of redemption is denied to the family, which suggests the inspector functions as an extended metaphor, and that the play has a moral purpose - much like a fable. This further suggests that the play is more of an example of the unfairness of life, the family are shown that they have acted badly and when they think they can redeem themselves they are told they are too late. Rhiannon W. 13 March 2016 A hoax. I've studied this book so let me know if you need any help:) leena12 08 April 2018 the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen ferd 07 April 2022 the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen my gs wag wan piftng innit ferd 07 April 2022 the inspector has been ssent by god due to the presense he brings to the areas he is in it hink he is a fallen angl and if you read the bible you will agree with me ahmen my gs wag wan piftng innit now if any of you lovely ladies would like to meet and have a rumble rounf with the old ferd i can bring some crumble while we do the ding dong dingalinbg ferd 07 April 2022 the inspector is eva smiths dead father, we learn from both the play and any movies that have been made that both her parents are dead. it would also suit the theory that he is a ghost in general due to his last name and his whole demeanour through the play. another thing i noticed is he quote "millions and millions of eva smiths and john smiths" potentially his name is john smith and he is talking about himself?? this would make sense of the reason why the inspector is so protective over eva, he is just a grieving father who wants justice for his daughter and everyone else in the lower class within society. Brooke 19 April 20223 I reckon he raped arthur birling Harry Maguire 23 May 2022 Kids are co-- Never mind that, i think Enda killed Eva smith :) Who asked 14 June 2022 Pristeley had a thing for the fourth dimension which is about messed up time etc, so quite out there but what if the inspector is eric in the future? I mean we see eric now and he dislikes his family and towards the end he understands that he felt bad for eva and disliked his family even more for their ignorance and selfishness. So what if future eric goes back in time to try and fix his family and help them in the future cause throughout the play we see each of them face karma, so what if wric is trying to fix their fate ? Amiee 23 June 2022 I think the inspector definitely is a supernatural being. i think the play is designed for us to not know who he is and where he came from, therefore, we find that we feel uneasy and wonder about who this man could be. but that is not the important part and i think the author is trying to outline that even now we are focusing on the wrong thing. instead of realizing the tragedy and the graveness of their actions we shift the blame and focus to something else - as the higher classes did so long ago Lola 18 July 2022 building on the idea of the inspectors purposeful ambiguity, perhaps it was done to make the reader think about the play afterwards, which helps the learning and engraining process kieran 05 September 2022 edna killed the girl. edna 15 September 2022 I think the inspector is satan - contradicts wgstvhe is supoosedbti shiw i 🤔 Sophia Michaels 16 September 2022 MR.BIRLING WAS JOHNNY SINS' FATHER AND EVA SMITH/DAISY KHALIFA WAS THE MOTHER CARRYING THE CHILD AND AFTER THE SEX SYMBOL WAS BORN MR BIRLING SAW NO FURTHER NEED FOR THE SKANK AND PURED HIS BLEACH RIDDEN SEMEN DOWN HER THROAT., THE INSPECTOR REPRESENTED MR BIRLINGS' AVID HORNINESS FOR YOUNG TEENAGERS AND WANTED TO SHOW HIM THAT KILLING HIS CHILDS' BABY MAMA WASNT RIGHT JUST FOR HIM TO HAVE A RICH CHILD. MONTAGE > GLAZ Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes 21 September 2022 I disagree with Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes here Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes Sr 21 September 2022 I disagree with Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes Sr here Ryan Price Ricky Wyn Hughes The 37th 21 September 2022 ghost of death gapo 25 September 2022 As is commonly agreed, I think the Inspector is some kind of supernatural being, who is made to add to the mystery and confusion of the book. Why the Inspector cares about Eva Smith, I don't know, but perhaps he is simply a ghost who disagrees with class division and makes the upper class feel bad for what they do to the lower class. This would make sense, as the Inspector is a mouthpiece to JB Priestley, who is a socialist and would want to spread the word about how bad inequality is. And as with Kieran's response above, the Inspector may also be included as a supernatural being so that we can study and learn more about the play, and open it to interpretation for better discussions. Harry 03 October 2022

I think it is time I reveal myself as Eva Smith's son. I was born while my mother died in the infirmary, I had hoped to stop the Birlings in their ways. I am yet surprised that nobody realised I was Eva's son as when I mentioned John Smith I was referring to myself, there was a reason I felt softer with Gerald and Eric, that was because I wanted to know which of them was my true father I tried to stop my mother from dying, but I realised if I did that I would've never found the secret to time travel

The Inspector could be a supernatural being, he could possibly be an angel that was sent to help the Birling family recognise their sins which include Lust (Eric/Gerald),Gluttony (Mr. Birling/Gerald/Mrs. Birling),Greed (Birling/Gerald/Mrs. Birling),Sloth (Eric),Wrath (Sheila),Envy (Sheila),Pride (Gerald/Mr. Birling/Mrs. Birling), he was sent so they could realise how punishing a young women could lead to their downfall.Icould be wrong but we all have our own interpretations of the Inspector.

I think the inspector is the same person from red dead redemption because that guy is mysterious and the inspector is too and also because Inspector calls is set in 1913 and Rdr is set in 1911 so it makes sense probably

I reckon Edna and Mr birling had an affair that’s why mrs birling is always so snobby which further emphasizes Eric’s drinking problem

The inspector is Evas dad who killed Eva with the bleach thats how he predicted Evas death. He wanted a son as an heir so he could become capatalist so he had a daughter and pretended to be socialist till he could kill her innit

mr birling obviously has feelings for edna which causes friction between mr birling and eric and this further leads to erics drinking problem but obviously eric and edna belong together forevs. #edricforlife. we can also tell that the inspector has feelings for gerald but gerald loves mrs birling which is a proper scandal and this is why the inspector targets the birling family because he missed geralds kisses and cuddles. #spooners. the house also looks like the trafford centre which gets to mr birlings head which causes him to perv on eric and gerald.

the inspesctor is your dad

I think the inspector is Gonzo from the muppets as Charles dickens.

I think the inspector is Eva dressed up as she wanted to prove to Mr Birling that she is good enough .

I reckon the inspector is Peggy from Hamilton

I reckon the inspector is Gonzo and Rizzo from the muppets

I have done some background research and I have found that I am in-fact correct

i love eva smit

I think the inspector is the voice of the author speaking to reach the audience.

I think that the inspector is Eva from a different dimension where she a man that has achieved dimension travel and had heard about Eva death and has come to try and stop nit but was to late

In the BBC version. It seems pretty clear to me the inspector is Eva Smiths father, the scene of a young girl running happily on the beach is clearly a parental memory. Who else but a parent would watch over you in your last moments and sit with you after your passing, and who else would want to make those who are guilty know of their guilt. Other productions may be open to different interpretation, but in the BBC production, he as to be the ghost of her dad.

I know now that the real inspector was actually the chief constable, I want us to think back to the scene in the book when they were having a party and a good time drinking when they had to make contact with the chief constable. Famously when Mr.Birling told the chief constable "I'll ave you mate" over the phone his heavy scouce accent could be heard all over the birling household to quell the chief constables (kenndo viddys) rage the birling family decided to hire out their daughter sheila birlng otherwise known as bessi fisher to give him a bit of brain, unfortunately her gummy mouth never reached the kenndo viddy household because she forgot where she was going. Instead a sub par prozzie was sent being from german decent she had a strong arm but very light and sticky fingers where she managed to steal the entire birling fortune of £90!

i am pretty sure that the Inspector is a hallucination that the Birling's and Gerald have as they had too much to drink. this could be their imagination- their guilt being twisted into the Inspector. but because their all numpties and won't accept their guilt, they do an Eric and have more to drink.

i am pretty sure that the Inspector is a hallucination that the Birling's and Gerald have as they had too much to drink. this could be their imagination- their guilt being twisted into the Inspector. but because their all numpties and won't accept their guilt, they do an Eric and have more to drink.

i have come to the conclusion as i witness the sad ending to young Eva smiths life that the inspector Goole is her father and that he was very deeply upset and that he told me that i had to dress up like him in order to get revenge on who ever killed her so i said i would dress up as him go to the Birlings which were reported to have been seen with her leading up to her death and confront them and smack talk the hell out of them until they eventually they spill the beans and confess that they killed Eva.