Social Responsibility: An inspector calls

• The Inspector


  • Goes to the Birlings' to encourage them to be accountable for their actions, and to take responsibility for others
  • Shows that all actions have consequences, and it is impossible to live in isolation
• 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
• These teachings are in keeping with the Socialist direction society was taking in the 1940s after the war, when the standard of living was so low
• Social responsibility


  Priestley uses the theme to advocate for a Welfare State
• 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
• 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 intolerance of Socialism


  Reflects the political climate of the 1910s, and suggests he is narrow-minded
• 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: '"It's my duty to keep labour costs down,"'
• Priestley shows neglect and inhumanity are a part of business
• Mr Birling's motto about family loyalty

  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 is suggested by his use of the phrase "wretched girl"
• Mr Birling: '"I can't accept any responsibility,"'
• Accepting blame would be seen as a sign of weakness and imperfection for Mr Birling
• 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
• Mrs Birling


  • Personifies the upper classes' contempt towards the poor and authorities' neglect of those in need
  • Committed to the idea of her own innocence, refusing to accept the smallest bit of the blame
• Priestley uses Mrs Birling to suggest the hatred of social responsibility comes from classism and prejudice, as the upper classes didn't want to associate themselves with the lower classes
• Mrs Birling: '"He should be made an example of [...] Make sure he's compelled to confess in public to his responsibility I...]I consider it your duty,"'
• Mrs Birling readily sacrifices her beliefs about duty to protect her son, suggesting 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 -"'
• Mrs Birling: '"Naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case,"'
• The words "understand" and "naturally" show Mrs Birling believes there is an intrinsic barrier between social classes, and that she is entitled to act unfairly towards the lower classes
• Priestley suggests the upper classes, particularly the older generation, are governed by bigotry and unrepentant in their actions
• Mrs Birling: '"With dignity, we've done a great deal of useful work in helping deserving cases,"'
• The semantic field of virtue suggests Mrs Birling's charity work brings her a false sense of moral accomplishment
• Mrs Birling enjoys the recognition she gets from her charity work, but doesn't actually care for those who come to her, calling them "girl[s] of that sort"
• The adjective "deserving" foreshadows Mrs Birling's prejudice and harsh judgement
• Priestley argues that institutions of care are run by the upper classes, who despise the poor and care only about their own status, meaning the lower classes will never get the help they need
• Mrs Birling: '"I consider I did my duty [...] I've done nothing wrong,"'