Responsibility is explored in JB Priestley’s play ‘The Inspector Calls’ by showing the contrasting opinions of the younger and older generations. The older and younger generations in the story take the Inspector’s messages differently. Mr Birling and Mrs Birling both choose to protect themselves, where Mr Birling tries to hide from his responsibility by saying if he were to be responsible for something that happened due to a choice made two years ago, it would be a very awkward world. Mrs Birling shrugs off responsibility by telling the inspector that the father of the unborn child is responsible for looking after Eva, not her charity organisation. Eric and Sheila are the young members of the family, and both are honest and admit their roles in the …show more content…
Midway through act one, Mr Birling is interrogated by the inspector. The inspector proclaims in front Eric and Gerald that due to Mr Birling’s decision to fire Eva after going on strike (pg 172) “I can’t accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?”. Mr Birling’s response to the inspector’s accusation shows that he couldn’t see that he had any responsibility for what happened to Eva afterwards. This notion is contrasted to Sheila's response (page 179) “I felt rotten about it at the time and now i feel a lot worse. Did it make much difference to her?”. Sheila showed elements of responsibility, although belatedly, eventually realising that her actions in Milwards had a devastating impact on Eva Smith’s life. JB Priestley’s use of contrasting responses shows Mr. Birling’s outdated opinion that he doesn’t hold any responsibility for an event that occurred two years before his confession. Sheila's response is far more responsible towards her actions of which she is extremely guilty
‘ An Inspector Calls ’ is a play written by J Priestley in the year 1945 and but the play was set in the year 1912. The play is set right before World War One, in an upper-class house belonging to the Birlings, a high-status family, whose lives are suddenly affected by the death of a woman called Eva Smith. Throughout the play, there are 4 main themes; social responsibility, social class, and age. In the play, Priestley explores different social classes by presenting views from a range of characters with different social images and backgrounds. Priestley uses many devices such as irony and foreshadowing to
There would be more of an effect on the audience at the time, as it
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 but set in 1912. The play shows the stark difference between 1912 and 1945. J. B. Priestley reveals the errors of society and the faults of capitalism as well as the bias of the upper class and social status. As a firm believer in the concepts of socialism, he uses this play to expose society’s poor attitudes to the working class of the period. The way they treat Eva Smith reflects on how many of the working class may have been treated by their social superiors. Eva was a victim in society as she was very low in the financial hierarchy as well as in reality where she was at the bottom of the classes. Women at that time were seen as being delicate, obedient to their husbands. The inspector is used to correct the
At the start of the extract, Priestley creates dramatic tension when Mrs Birling says, “ Certainly. And he ought to be dealt with very severely-.” Certainly shows that Mr Birling believes the man who was responsible for impregnating Eva Smith and stealing money for her was entirely at fault and should receive all the punishments associated with her death. However, Mrs Birling is interrupted
A Comparison of Characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
eager and keen to find out who is at the door and what they want. The
The doorbell ringing appears to separate the two moods (before and after the Inspector arrives). Priestley has used dramatic irony by making the doorbell ring to interrupt Birling?s speech, just as he is talking about looking after ?...yourself and your own? Act One, by saying this before the doorbell rings, Birling is already digging himself into a hole before he even knows it. It is ironic because the Inspector is here to teach him his responsibilities for other people, when he is saying you should only look after your self and your family.
The theme of selfishness is central to An Inspector Calls. Priestley questions the morality of the Birling and Croft
One of the ways in which he presents Mr. Birling is by him being guilty by just looking after his business interests. He cares more for success than for others and don’t consider the harm he may cause to people because of his attitudes. Birling fires the character Eva Smith from the play. He says ‘she was one of my employees and I discharged her’. He wanted to make more money and higher profits, but
JB Priestley’s intent in ‘An Inspector Calls’ was to convey the attitudes of socialism to the minds of the society in the Edwardian Era as he was a passionate believer of the concept. Priestley has attempted this through the employment of ‘Inspector Goole’ in the play. In the play drama is displayed through a variety of methods for the interest of the audience and the communication of personal views from JB Priestley.
The Inspector, straight form his introduction, is commanding and authoritative. Upon his entrance he creates, “…at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.”(PG.11) The Inspector continues to create this impression as he progresses through his speeches and through his interrogation of the family. The Inspector remains confident, sturdy and composed, while people around him crumble and fall to pieces. His ‘solidity’ is proven by the fact he remains on task despite numerous attempts from Birling to digress from the points he is making. The Inspector is told to appear ‘purposeful’; this is shown where he explains to Birling that Birlings way of thinking “Every man must only look out for himself,” is not the case, and all warps of society are interlinked. The view is best illustrated in the Inspectors final speech, where he says, “We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”(p.56). This idea is one that Priestley, himself believed in deeply, and many of Priestleys writing shared this very theme.
In the exposition when Mrs. Birling said to Sheila “ When you are married you will realize that men with important work to do sometimes spend nearly all their time and energy on business. You will have to get used to that, just as I had“. This quotation shows that Sybil really obeyed her husband and dared not to challenge or question her husband’s actions, as the phrase ‘just as I had’ could imply that she does not receive enough attention from Arthur. Yet the way it is phrased suggests that she expects that the same kind of treatment should happen to Sheila. This is different to Sheila, as she clearly has voiced out her opinion to Arthur without any hesitation, this defies the social norms that she should have respect Arthur. Furthermore, near the climax where Sheila has matured and is no longer afraid to defy her father or when she withdrew her engagement with Gerald. In the climax, Sheila says “ You knew it then. You
In the play “An inspector calls” by J.B priestly, Mr Birling and Shelia Birling have contrasting attitudes to social issues. The author uses this to difference to highlight the diversity between generations and their reaction to situations faced. Arthur Birling is the father to Shelia Birling and is presented as the old fashion generation whereas Shelia is the young generation, who is more aware of the responsibility she has towards other people.The play begins with Mr birling and his family celebrating the engagement of Shelia and Gerald. The atmosphere is happy and light-hearted. Before the inspector arrives, Mr Birling is happy with life and himself “It’s one of the happiest nights of my life.” This shows that Mr Birling is quire selfish because he only thinks that it is one of the happiest nights of his life and not of Shelia and Gerald.
The characters in ‘An Inspector Calls’ are mainly upper-middle class (Mr and Mrs Birling, Gerald, Sheila, Eric), but the Inspector is middle class and Eva Smith is working class. Most of the characters in ‘An Inspector Calls’ have varied opinions about social classes, but there are mainly two sides. The first main opinion is that the upper-middle class are the most important and the lower working classes are not important and that it doesn’t matter what happens to them (this is the view of Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald). For example Sheila and Mrs Birling need to be protected from the horrid things such as Eva Smith’s death because they are upper-middle class, whilst Eva Smith doesn’t need to be protected from horrid things in life because she is working class. The other opinion is that although they are working class, they should still be treated fairly even if they are different classes and that Eva Smith’s death is very tragic even if she wasn’t upper class (this is Eric, Sheila and The Inspector’s...
Analysis of An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley ‘An Inspector Call’ is a play written by J.B. Priestly, which was set in 1912 but was first produced in 1945. The play opens with the Birling family and Gerald croft seated in the dining room and celebrating the engagement of Sheila and Gerald. The Birling is a middle class family and Mr. Birling is a prosperous manufacturer who is concerned in his own profit and has no concern on others feelings. His wife is about fifty, a cold woman, and her husband’s social superior. Sheila is a pretty girl, who is pleased with life and rather excited.