How is Social Responsibility Shown in an Inspector Calls

Introduction

In the play 'An Inspector calls', Priestley conveys the theme of social responsibility through the words and actions of his character's. Which was set in 1912 but written in 1944, just after world war 2 in 1946. Therefore, many writers at the time were perturbed with the welfare of the poor. Zooming in, we can suggest that men were deemed far superior to women, while a man represented the family and its legacy as seen in a patriotic society. Adding to that we can suggest that during 1912 the upper-class we’re only concerned for themselves. Adding to that, in this essay we analyze how responsibility is shown in 'An Inspector Calls'  and how each character does or doesn't take the responsibility for their behaviour, while being aware of the overall social responsibility effect on some characters throughout the play and how it would change the way they acknowledge the scene. Furthermore, we can see that when the inspector enters, the lighting needs to be 'bright', where we see Priestley using the inspector as a dramatic device to build up tension throughout the play.

Social responsibility in 'An Inspector Calls'

Arthur Birling

The first character we are introduced to is Arthur Birling, who described himself as a 'hard-headed, practical man of business.' This quote portrays how Arthur Birling is showing pride in his hard-won success; Arthur Birling treats Sheila's marriage as a 'business opportunity', which sheds light on how irresponsible Mr Birling is towards his labour and family. Zooming in The adverb 'very' in the quotation 'You'll be marrying at a very good time' displays dramatic irony and false confidence in the readers perspective; we can see that Priestly uses dramatic irony to make Arthur Birling look foolish and untrustworthy, presenting a bad first impression of Arthur Birlings socialist view which was Priestley's goal in Act 1. Moreover, the adjective 'hard-headed' shows the first-person perspective of a bourgeoisie who displays his stubborn mindset, especially when it has to do with increasing the wages for his labour which he sees as 'asking for the earth,' this displays metaphorical language supported by how deprived he is about a few shillings, even though he has an astounding amount of wealth. This clearly demonstrates a hierarchical society where he acknowledges that taking responsibility for others isn't how he was taughtbehaved at a younger age which was his base of denial towards being socially responsible as he grew up and didn't seem to consider how 'higher prices' would impact his labour; while showing greediness behaviour.

Further in the play, we notice how Arthur Birling sees Eva as 'girls of that class' the adverb 'that' is used to show his euphemistic mindset towards the lower class and are seen as 'cheap labour' where he perceives them as tools to make a profit not people while showing his feeling of superiority over the working class. Additionally, Arthur Birling displays a hierarchical attitude that influences his socialist attitude according to their ‘class’. Furthermore, he says, 'still can't accept any responsibility', the adverb 'still' highlights the constant refusal to confess his part in Eva's death while showing his 'hard-headed' mindset. Moreover, the adjective 'ago' in the quotation 'It happened more than 18 months ago' indicates that Arthur Birling thinks that time erases responsibility and doesn’t display a socially responsible behaviour towards the less fortunate . Later in the play, Arthur Birling says, 'yes, yes horrid business', is seen to be repetition which signifies that Arthur Birling is attempting to ease the situation through his delusional way of speaking while showing his apathetic attitude towards his socially irresponsible actions; Priestley outlines how Mr Birling is an unlikeable character and oblivious of how his actions could affect the people around him while being dependent on his omniscient wealth to break loose of crimes; doing whatever it takes to deny the social responsibility role in Eva's death.

Zooming in the quotation 'he certainly didn't make me confess - I had done no more than my duty', the word 'my' shows his arrogance, while delivering personal pronoun and religious imagery on the noun 'duty' this suggests that he feels an obligation to do this while attempting to reinforce his power throughout the household. Furthermore, Arthur Birling seems to prioritize gaining a knighthood, therefore encouraging the engagement between Sheila and Gerald because Gerald's family are from the upper-class business owners, uplifting Mr Birling's company drastically in all aspects of a business, which neglects the likelihood hood of changing to being socially responsible. Zooming in, we can clearly observe the patriarchal society he inhabits and the clear divide between the 'older' and 'younger' generation. To conclude, we can distinguish the fear he poses towards the public's scandal that will result from the inspector's investigation, therefore would harm the chances at a knighthood which isn't in his favour.

Sheila Birling

We are also introduced to Sheila Birling, who's shown as a woman from 1912 that hadn't had exposure to reality; she needs to enforce her opinions. At the beginning of the play, Sheila is described as 'pretty' in her 'early twenties', whose worth is shown by her appearance but transforms into an empowered, confident woman. One of the most prominent features that Sheila displays are being infantilized by her family and part of society. Adding to that, Sheila is described as a 'pretty girl', the noun 'girl' clearly demonstrates that she has restrictions just like a 'girl', even as an engaged woman. We can see that this juxtaposes Ms and Mr Birlings's idea of Sheila and how a similar-aged woman should be more responsible for herself, but Sheila indeed isn't so. We can also see how Sheila slowly changes to becoming socially responsible. Evidence of that is shown when Sheila says, 'I feel rotten about it,' where the adjective 'rotten' emphasizes how remorseful she is, which would mean that Eva is starting to adopt Priestley's message throughout the play.

Furthermore, Sheila uses the pronoun 'mummy' to evolve how capitalism within Sheila is innocent and perhaps childlike. Therefore being brainwashed by a capitalist society would later lead to her horrible attitude towards the working class. Sheila later changes the word 'mummy' to 'mother', which clearly indicates how Ms Birling is not taking the social responsibility factor seriously, therefore had to show 'stricter' tone towards Ms Birling while showing growing maturity and growing political perspective throughout the play. Moreover, we can see that Sheila displays her socially responsible behaviour multiple times within the play.

The adjective 'amused' in the quotation 'In the morning they will be amused as we are' fundamentally shows how Sybil Birling thinks that the lesson they learned is frivolous and unnecessary while personifying the upper class and their capitalist views, therefore is blinded by her own arrogance; Priestley uses Mrs Birling to epitomize all that is wrong with society. This is brought to a conclusion where Sheila claims that the working-class members are 'not cheap labour-they're people' this would infer that Sheila is attempting to reinforce her power throughout the household. This demonstrates how the theme of social responsibility has changed drastically throughout the play, especially in the 'younger generation'. In the quotation, 'you mustn't try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl. If you do, the inspector will just break it down'. This quotation uses clear metaphorical language, supported by a violent verb, where it zooms on the sophisticated language that Sheila is using.

Eric

Another crucial character is Eric, who's described as a 'not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive' young man. At the start of the play, Eric is seen as ignorant and immature and wouldn't have taken responsibility whilst revealing his 'shy' and insecure personality, especially when he's talked down by his father in Act 1. This is evident when Eric says, 'why shouldn't we try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices' we can see that this quotation uses hypophora and repetition in Eric's self-questioning. We can conclude that Eric isn't a responsible young man due to his childlike behaviour and drinking habits. Furthermore, the quotation 'I threatened to take her out' includes the verb 'threatened' which clearly shows the harsh reality of the situation Eva was in, therefore feeling contentious about his actions. Considering Gerald's perspective, we can see that Gerald claims 'we're respectable citizens and not criminals' this may show how he's foreshadowing that only lower-class people can be criminals, further evidencing how entrenched the upper-class people are, which would infer that not even death can change them.

Conclusion

At the end of the play, the characters aren't sure if the inspector even exists, which adds an almost supernatural element to the play. Therefore we conclude that 'An inspector calls' is a 'well-made' morality and crime thriller play; Arthur Birling and Gerald Croft commit crimes similar to the 7 deadly sins and is primarily centred around suicide and not a murder investigation. We are brought down to a conclusion where the characters showed their narrow-minded principles while denying their vital role in the crime, leading to a lack of mental or physical punishment throughout the play. This gives the audience time to reflect on their behaviour and morality towards the less fortunate while highlighting that people should be responsible for each other, which is clearly demonstrated in the 'younger generation'.

References

1. Priestley, J. B. (1945). An Inspector Calls. Heinemann.
2. Sierz, A. (2007). The New Labour Trilogy: Class, Culture and Social Change in Britain 1997-2007. Oberon Books.
3. Trussler, S. (2012). J.B. Priestley, the Last of the Sages: A Critical Appraisal. Palgrave Macmillan.
4. Phelan, P. (1997). After Feminism: Women, Fiction, and the New England Illustrated Weekly Magazines, 1865-1915. University of Illinois Press.
5. Smart, R. (2013). J.B. Priestley and the Art of Theatre. Routledge.
6. Laing, D. (2013). J.B. Priestley’s Time Plays: A Critical Study. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
7. Saunders, G. (2017). J.B. Priestley: Behind the Mask. Oberon Books.
8. Raby, P. (1992). A Brighter Sun: The Drama of J. B. Priestley. Greenwood Press.
9. Hanson, C. B. (2011). Cultural Studies and the Working Class: Subject to Change. Taylor & Francis.
10. O’Hagan, T. (1997). Masculinity and Irish Popular Culture: Tiger’s Tales. Palgrave Macmillan.