J.B Priestley explores the concept of responsibility as well as its implementation as a
significant feature of the early 1900s in which many upper-class citizens lacked. This
lack of social responsibility forms a key aspect of society, which Priestley exposes
through the birling family. The importance of responsibility is presented through the
older generation characters refusal to accept any blame which is contrasted to eric
and Shelia’s acceptance and development throughout the play.
Priestly explores the lack of responsibly and denial of blame through Mrs birling. Her
childish behaviour when she pretends not to recognise the photo of Eva forces the
inspector to force her to admit that her influence within the charity, had Eva denied of
help. She claims it was a piece of “gross impertinence” which turned her prejudice
against her case, condemning her attitude within her words. Perhaps Priestley wants
us to dislike her because she symbolises why the country needs a system of welfare,
as the class system exploits poor people for the benefit of the rich. Further disklike is
added as Sheila has already ridiculed the word “impertinence”. Mrs birling is offended
at Evas choice of name as it gives them equality which symbolises Priestley’s
messages that we are “all one body”. It’s possible that she is most guilty as she was
Evas last hope, although it can be argued that erics actions were worse as they were
revealed last in the play. Adding to her denial, Mrs birling is almost blind to the events
occurring around her as she “won’t believe” that eric was the irresponsible father she
was previously blaming. She tries to deny this by saying he doesn’t “get drunk” when
it’s evident that he uses drink as an escape from his ignorant parents. After this she
leaves but comes back being more shocked at eric for stealing money than the
possible rape to emphasise the lack of interest in the lower classes. With the Inspector
leaving, Priestley conveys that Mrs birling is the least likely to learn his lesson, he
does this to influence the 1954 female audience so they become more like Sheila, her
counterpoint, stressing how they would be better off to follow Sheila’s developed view
of society.
However, priestly contrasts the older generations inability to accept responsibility with
the younger generation’s development. This is seen with Sheila as she admits to not
having a proper reason to get Eva sacked but she is the most honest out of everyone,
which allows us to believe that if any character will change it will be her. Priestly
emphasises her growing link to the inspector as she replaces him on stage at the end
of act 1, almost as if she’s expected to maintain his message, and later in the play the
inspector repeats her words of “we haven’t much time”. This suggests that she is just
as keen as the inspector to expose her family so they will learn his lesson as she
develops the most and her mindset changes, with her becoming perhaps the most
likeable. Therefore, the audience will mirror her. Consequently, the inspector puts her
on right path to follow through with her development, although the play ends before
she can put her enlightened perspective into action and so if she is unable to live out
inspectors lessons its due to her capitalist society. Although she states that: “between
us we killed her”, implying that she remains loyal to her family as she doesn’t expose
what eric and Mrs birling individually did to Gerald because he is less likely to want to
marry her if he knows erics a thief and possibly a rapist. The collective pronoun “we”
shows her accepting social responsibility and her role in Evas suicide. This is further
explored through her use of personal pronouns in “I’m to blame”, this acceptance of
responsibility is the beginning of a generational spilt and changing attitudes.
The Inspector teaches the birling’s morality and responsibility which could reflect
Priestley father who was a teacher. There is a supernatural idea of the Inspector being
involved in her death as he says “share our guilt” suggesting he feels guilty too which
could relate to God, and he holds her life in the balance and is in control of it. Perhaps
he feels guilty due to the upper class ignoring the lower class and represents how
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lacyfclark. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £16.16. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
