Social Responsibility

• Social Responsibility


  • The most obvious theme in 'An Inspector Calls'
  • The Inspector encourages the Birlings to be accountable for their actions and take responsibility for others
  • Many people in society are vulnerable or mistreated through no fault of their own, just like Eva Smith
• All actions have consequences


  It is impossible to live in isolation
• Being mindful of your own actions


  Helps take responsibility for others
• Looking after others


  Benefits society as a whole
• The play condemns those in power for not protecting the people they were supposed to, and for leading the country into war without considering whom it would affect
• Welfare State


  What Priestley advocates for through the theme of social responsibility
• Mr Birling


  • Represents the antithesis of Priestley's message on social responsibility
  • Only cares about himself and always puts himself first, even when this means harming others
  • Completely oblivious about what other people go through, or how his actions impact others
  • Never accepts responsibility
  • His lack of compassion and responsibility are tied to his class and Capitalist ideologies
• Mr Birling: '"The way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense."'
• Mr Birling's harsh and insensitive language - "cranks" and "all that nonsense" - would have made Priestley's audience recognise him as heartless
• The simile "like bees in a hive" implies social responsibility is primitive and demeaning
• The phrases "you'd think" and "as if" show Mr Birling finds the idea of social responsibility preposterous
• Mr Birling's comments on the Titanic and war have already discredited him, so the audience knows his statements on "community" will also be challenged
• Priestley conveys Capitalism's inherent negligence through Mr Birling's interest in money
• Mr Birling: '"We employers at last are coming together to see that our interests - and the interests of Capital - are properly protected,"'
• Priestley implies Capitalists feel they have a responsibility to make profit but not a responsibility to their workers
• Mr Birling: '"It's my duty to keep labour costs down,"'
• Priestley shows neglect and inhumanity are a part of business
• Mr Birling: '"A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself - and his family too,"'
• The repetition of "a man has to" reveals Mr Birling believes men are born with an obligation to themselves alone
• The delay before "and his family too" even suggests his family comes as an afterthought
• Mr Birling: '"Obviously it has nothing whatever to do with the wretched girl's suicide,"'
• Priestley implies Mr Birling's interpretation of responsibility is simplistic and self-serving, allowing people to excuse themselves of blame
• Mr Birling's lack of compassion and patience, suggesting he won't take responsibility because he doesn't sympathise with Eva
• Mr Birling's continued rejection of responsibility seems to be a result of arrogance and disrespect for others
• Mr Birling: '"I can't accept any responsibility,"'
• The modal verb "can't" suggests accepting blame goes against Mr Birling's nature
• Mr Birling: '"There's every excuse for what both your mother and I did - it turned out unfortunately, that's all,"'
• The noun "excuse" connotes a pathetic, worthless reason, suggesting Mr Birling is desperate to excuse himself of blame
• The words "unfortunately" and "that's all" convey his heartlessness, suggesting the upper classes trivialised and dismissed the lower classes' hardships
• Eva's death is merely an unforeseen tragedy, an inconvenience, and not worthy enough to make Mr Birling accept responsibility
• Mrs Birling


  • Personifies the upper classes' contempt towards the poor and authorities' neglect of those in need
  • Like Mr Birling, she is committed to the idea of her own innocence, refusing to accept the smallest bit of the blame
  • Priestley uses her to suggest the hatred of social responsibility comes from classism and prejudice
• Mrs Birling: '"He should be made an example of [...] Make sure he's compelled to confess in public to his responsibility [...] I consider it your duty,"'
• Mrs Birling claims to have a firm moral code, valuing responsibility and just consequences for wrongdoings
• Mrs Birling: '"But I didn't know it was you - I never dreamt,"'
• Because she readily sacrifices her beliefs about duty to protect her son, it seems she never fully meant them
• Priestley suggests the upper classes' idea of duty is superficial and hypocritical
• Mrs Birling: '"Naturally I don't know anything about this girl,"'
• The adverb "naturally" implies Mrs Birling is automatically above suspicion because of her social standing
• This is situational irony, as her involvement is soon revealed
• Mrs Birling: '"I don't suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class -"'