Responsibility In An Inspector Calls By J. B. Priestley

Mrs Birling is a “cold” woman. This is show by her not wanting to take responsibility for her part in the death of Eva Smith. This is also show as when Eva comes to her organisation looking for help she not only refuses her herself but used her “influence , as the most prominent member of the committee” to have everyone else refuse her help too. This makes her seem a heartless woman that uses her power of being rich and upper class to get thing her way. She refuses Eva for the petty reason that she comes to the committee under the name of “Mrs Birling”.

Mrs Birling is described as "…her husband's social superior". She is a snob and is very aware of the differences between social classes. She tries to deny things that she doesn't want to believe a prime example would be Eric’s drinking she says at the beginning of Act 3 “you don’t get drunk” this line really emphasises the extent at which Eric is not only insignificant to the older generation but ignored. The reader is shocked by this statement as we know at the beginning of the play he is a drunk by the way he responds and sits in his chair ‘half at ease’ and it is ironic that his own mother is oblivious to it. As they are higher class than Eva Smith they also feel as though the death is less important, as Mrs Birling states 'Girls of that class -” this shows that she was prejudice towards the girl due to her class and her position (getting pregnant and not being married) she was therefore in Mrs Birling’s eyes not worthy of receiving any money from the charity, this is echoed when she says “I'm Mrs Birling, y'know” using a patronising

" The character Mrs. Birling automatically tries to pass the blame and responsibility of the suicide of Eva Smith onto someone else, willingly creating a scapegoat, "Go and look for the father of the child, it's his responsibility", she tells the Inspector. Although Sheila Birling's views are more socialist she represents the younger generation in society, she is more concerned with fashion, her appearance and family life, rather that the

Here the inspector is referring again to our responsibility and hoping to make characters feel guilty. When he says ‘somebody’s’ he is referring to the Birling’s and how their lack of thought has led to the untimely death of Eva Smith. Towards the end of the interrogations he again refers to responsibility. ‘You’ll be able to divide the responsibility between you when

In ‘An Inspector Calls’, Priestley presents different ideas about class and society. His main idea is socialism. He believes that we ‘don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’ That whether we are upper class or lower class, we are responsible for each other and we shouldn’t look down on other people or think that they aren’t human but creatures just because they are a lower social class than us. Priestley tries to present the idea that society will only work if we work together and are responsible for each other. Otherwise, there would be no

By constructing the Inspector as just and omniscient, Priestley encourages the audience to view left-wing values as morally virtuous. Through the Inspector's authority, commanding presence and stature Priestley makes a direct jab at the audience with the Inspector's last

What is Priestley's main aim in `An inspector calls`? How successfully does he achieve it.

In the play 'An Inspector Calls', many contrasts and paradox's are present and at the centre of them all is the character known as Inspector Goole. However, the inspector is not any ordinary inspector. I believe that the inspector is used as a device by Priestley to explore the wider themes of the play and to depict other characters true personalities. This essay will explore some of the techniques Priestley presents the inspector in An Inspector Calls.

Mrs Birling is also plays a vital part in Eva’s death because she was selfish and shows no concern or consideration to Eva at the commission committee meeting. She also has the inability to put herself in other’s shoes. She was not supportive to a pregnant, unmarried woman. Instead, she was insensitive and didn’t approve of Eva. She says ‘I blame the young man who was the father of the child’, and this goes to show, she makes assumptions quickly, and doesn’t want to be blamed for anything.

Before the inspector entered the birling household Sheila presented herself as the perfect fiancé to Gerald, despite knowing something happened during the summer she is still very reserved in what she says. With the inspector acting as a defence she begins to take on the role of the

Throughout the play An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley, it is clear that Priestley strongly believes in the importance of a caring society and the consequences of our actions. He presents these views on inequalities through the presentation of Sheila Birling. This is done in various different ways using numerous techniques.

The inspector right from the moment he is introduced is commanding of the situation and already has that authority he displays later on in the play. “at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness”. As the play progresses the inspector continues to make this impression on the family by his interrogations and speeches. The inspector does this by keeping composed

The inspector starts to interrogate Birling; he tells him he could have started the “chain of events” leading up to her death. But Birling refuses to accept he is responsible “ oh well put it this way, still I can’t accept any responsibility”. As the inspector starts to talk about milwards Sheila stands listening nervously and as he finishes the story, agitatedly she asks, “When was this? She starts to get a picture in her mind and thinks she knows who the inspector might be talking about.

Priestley presents the Inspector in a variety of negative and positive ways to show the quiet power of the character. Priestley introduces the Inspector at the moment where Arthur is extremely happy and full of pride. One way in which the writer presents the character of the Inspector is as deliberately ungracious and negative. This is because when he is telling the rest of the family about Eva Smith’s death, he is not very sensitive. The Inspector includes the unnecessary, gruesome details about the young lady’s death.

In his play ‘An inspector calls’, J.B Priestley uses the inspector to put across his critical views of society, these are inequality between classes, genders and wealth. Priestley also presents the inspector in a godly manner. The inspector is presented mysteriously and he has many role and functions like to make the audience question their own actions, to show the audience what Priestley thinks of society and to teach us about inequality between classes and genders.