How does JB Priestley get across his message about responsibility in the play An Inspector Calls Essay Example For Students

How does JB Priestley get across his message about responsibility in the play An Inspector Calls Essay Responsibility is a key factor in the play which somehow no one seems to acknowledge, responsibility is all about being the primary case of something and so able to be blamed or credited for it. Yet J. B Priestley takes advantage of the characters not being able to accept responsibility of anything which then leads to a death with everyone refusing to take responsibility when they all uniquely had a part to blame in the death. But whether they accept this blame is another question altogether. Arthur Birlings is a successful industrial business man and the inhabitants of Brumley owe to him their employment. For example Mr. Birling did have Eva smith as one of his employees but he discharged her due to wanting an increase in pay. Whereas Mr. Birling strongly puts forward an idea that a man should only care for himself and his family. Well its my duty to keep the costs down we were paying the usual rates and if they didnt like it they could go work somewhere else page 15 I told the girl to clear out and she went Page 16 Mr. Birling is not a bad man and probably considers himself to be a good employer but he still really refuses to accept any responsibility towards Eva Smith whatsoever, but his daughter Sheila was just as much to blame for the incident because she was so envious and jealous of this Eva Smith, so much that she complained about her to the manager of the shop at Milwards. She clearly told him that if he didnt get rid of the girl she would never go near the place again- she stated that the girl was impertinent. Ghoole clocks onto this and states that she was clearly jealous of her and when he suggests it she comments back: Yes I suppose so. Page 24 So she clearly had a part to blame just as much as her father accept the only difference is that she accepts this responsibility- Sheilas husband to be Gerald did pay a major part of the blame because he had a secret affair with Eva and paid her stolen money from his dad to keep her going. But he clearly quotes the relationship not to be disgusting you know it wasnt disgusting page 38. Gerald was a major part of her life so he did take some of the responsibility but he did later pass it onto his mother who had refused to give her any help stating that she didnt believe her and the worse part is, is that Eva had no where else to turn but still Mrs. Birling refused any acknowledge of the responsibility at all and tries her hardest to blame everyone else until it all comes out that Eric had got drunk a few times and had sex with her and she ended up getting pregnant, but when Eric found out that she was dead he clearly and quickly blamed his mother and not himself for getting her in that state in the first place. Thus proving that none of the family really truly accepted responsibility other then Sheila, but does the main culprit Mrs. Birling break down and really accept what she has done no? The Burling family represents a pretentious part of society; they believe themselves to be superior and upper class. The play was set in 1912 this was the era where workers were at the mercy of their employers. The Birlings were lucky they had the money, lifestyle but money never brought true happiness and is still the same today. Their were few laws to save workers from exploitation and no welfare state to support them, so people like the burling family take advantage of this and people like Eva smith are no exception. Priestley believes that the rich, many of whom made money from the labour of the poor, and that they should feel responsible for them and that we should all care for each other as individuals. The Birlings refuse to accept this and Priestley reflects this in the book. What or Who is Responsible for the  Deaths of Romeo and Juliet EssayHis final words we are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will come when, If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire, blood and anguish. These words would not be lost on a 1945 audience- with its churchillian echoes. The Inspector is skilful at getting people to condemn themselves. He gets Gerald to suggest (page 27) that young women should be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things and then says, Well we know one young woman, who wasnt dont we? The Inspectors comments to Mrs. Birling about young people-theyre more impressionable (page 30)- adds weight to our feelings that the older generation is fixed in its attitudes and that if society is to become more caring and more just it will have to be through the efforts of the young. Talking about Erics excessive drinking (page 32) Sheila says But we really must stop these silly pretences In a wider sense this is very much a central theme in the play. Priestley is saying that we all tend to hide our weakness from ourselves- which the veneer of pretence needs to be stripped from society. The play could be called a modern morality play because Priestley based the play around reality. He used the Inspector to get across his views in a strong and vigilant way. There is a lot of meaning in Mrs. Birling comment; I must say we are learning something tonight They are learning not only about Geralds infidelity and not only about Alderman Meggartys drinking and womanising. They are learning a great deal about themselves as the Inspector strips away their veneer of respectability although the elder Birlings do not realise it yet. The audience is meant to feel that it is not only the Birling family that are on trial. Men like Alderman Meggartys, from a privileged social position, also treated Daisy Renton (and other girls) badly. In one sense the whole of society is on trial, this is what Priestley wants the audience to feel. Priestleys sympathy for the plight of girls like Eva smith is evident. It is part of his deeply felt, genuine concern for humanity, not just the expression of a political opinion. Throughout the play Responsibility is a key issue and he really reflects it well in the characters, so overall Priestly gets his message across about responsibility really well he uses the Inspector as a key source to express his feelings and opinions about responsibility towards all women etc and how they are treated. I think that the audience feel shocked at the very end of the play because its not what they expected to happen and that Priestley used the plot twist really well and created real good suspense. Priestley wrote the play in 1945 at the end of world war 2 but he set it in 1912 I believe this to be because he wanted to start it at the beginning of the war, he was trying to explain that the society in that time was badly- run worn down and women was just not treated as equals and this frustrated Priestley. I found that from reading the play that it was well written and that he did a splendid job of showing us a glimpse of society in that particular era. He really puts it across in a really positive way.