Theme Of Responsibility In An Inspector Calls

J B Priestley uses a variety of theatrical and literary devices such as dramatic irony in this play to present the characters to the audiences in a way that shows they are often deluded or false. The play was set in 1912 but was not written and performed until after World War Two. Priestley’s intention was to make the point that everyone has social responsibilities and that they should fulfil them too. J.B Priestley presents the Inspector as an unusual figure who is a catalyst on stage, eliciting changes in the other characters.

An Inspector Calls is a three-act drama, which takes place on a single night in 1912, and focuses on the Birling family, who live in a wealthy but not particulary homely house in Brumley. The story begins when the mysterious Inspector Goole calls unexpectedly on the prosperous Birling family. The idea of the play, and particularly the role of the inspector, is to try to bring the Birling family to understand that they have a moral responsibility for the death of Eva Smith, if not a legal one. In Act Three, the Inspector tells the Birling family: “The girl killed herself and died a horrible death. But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it.” But who was really the

At this point Mrs Birling feels “distressed” and tries to pass of what she did “I didn’t know”. The inspector is quite rude to Mrs Birling “do you want me to tell you-in plain words” and has to really prompt her to talk about what she did “Aren’t you?” “As what then?” this shows that Mrs Birling is a very proud woman and does not feel that any of her actions were wrong.

Priestley’s Main Aim in An Inspector Calls JB Priestly wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ to enhance the message that ‘we don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. This is something Priestly felt strongly about and he succeeded in representing his views through the character of the Inspector in the play itself.

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

“An Inspector Calls” is a morality play by the socialist playwright J. B. Priestley written in 1945 but set in 1912. The play is based on the wealthy Birling family, who is questioned by a police inspector regarding a young woman’s death. Using characters of different ages to represent the contrast of political stances and attitudes, Priestley attempts to educate the audience. He believed that Capitalism was the sole reason for the start of world war one and therefor also the cause of the great economic depression and the second world war. Priestley uses the age in the play, to tell the audience that capitalists don’t have any social responsibility, as they do not accept any responsibility for Eva Smith’s death. The behavioural contrast between the Birling parents and their children demonstrate that if you are capitalist, you can still alter your beliefs and become socialist.

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.

Throughout Priestley’s play, ‘An inspector calls’, a main theme runs about responsibility and differentiation between classes. Each character is accountable of doing something that brought about the death of Eva smith. All the characters contribute to her death in one way or the other, and all of them are at fault for the death of

In this essay, I am going to discuss how the character Eva Smith in the play An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley is treated in the play and the relation of this to the socialist views of the playwright. I will look at the historical context of when the play was written and when it was set, describe what happens to Eva Smith throughout the play and then link this to a socialist viewpoint.

An Inspector Calls is set in 1912 before World War One. The play is centred around, a wealthy family called the Birlings. The visit from the Inspector reveals that all the characters had played a part in the suicide of a girl called Eva Smith. In some ways, all the characters are responsible for the death of Eva Smith, each one of them did something that affected her in some way or another. Overall I feel that some characters were more responsible than others for many different reasons. In the book we see several different reactions from the characters when they find out that they are caught up in the suicide, some were upset and distressed and others just tried to pass the blame to others and tried to excuse what they had done. The characters selfishness was a huge contributions to Eva Smiths suicide.

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.

J.B Priestly employs a various methods to present the inspector as well as showing his importance such as stage directions and from the language he uses. These methods allow us to understand and relate to the moral messages put across in the play.

Sheila is portrayed as a beautiful young lady in her early twenties with a rather selfish and arrogant nature. Using her compelling personality she is able to obtain anything in which she desires through her father. She makes inconsequential remarks and speaks in a childish manner. However she is the only one to accept immediate responsibility for her role in Eva Smith’s death, making her most probably the furthermost sympathetic character throughout the play. She is horrified by her own part in Eva's death; she feels full of guilt for her jealous actions and blames herself and she is genuinely remorseful for her actions. She is very perceptive towards the inspector, first to wonder who he really is, realising he already knows much of what

Also, the way the personal pronouns are used in the play further shows to the reader that Mrs. Birling only cares about herself. The word “duty” highlights one of the plays main themes, responsibility. This demonstrates that the Birling family are ignorant of their true duties as upper-class citizens and feel that their lives take precedence over others. One

visit of Inspector Goole. But who is Inspector Goole? And who is the girl whose