An_Inspector_Calls

“We are responsible for each other”. How is statement examined and reflected in the play' One of the major themes of the play An Inspector Calls is responsibility towards one another whether we are related or not, whatever our social status maybe or which race, religion we belong to. J.B. Priestley uses the Birling family to portray the typical capitalist views. Each of the Birling family members contributed with the death of Eva Smith with their selfish acts not considering the consequences of their acts, including Gerald Croft even though he was the one who did the least. Eva Smith been a ‘working class’ girl wasn’t considered to be of much importance by them because of their idealism of not having to be responsible for no else than themselves, so their actions did not make the least significance until Inspector Goole arrives. The play begins with Mr. Birling giving a speech of ‘responsibility’ to his son and his soon to be son-in-law, which really was his lack of sense of responsibility toward 3rd parties, when unexpectedly the inspector arrives and demonstrates how the whole party selfish actions may, which in this case did, lead to dire consequences . J. B. Priestley starts the play with Birling talking to Eric and Gerald about responsibility in a long and patronizing speech-“A man has to make his own way- has to look after himself- and his family too”. Birling wants to teach the two ‘boys’ of responsibility and duty, his speech shows his arrogant and callous personality as well as his political views, capitalist. Also his supposed superiority from the working class- “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”. Then the inspector arrives, and from that point onwards all that Birling supports and stands for is shown to be in some ways obsolete as it been socially proved that been a community and helping each other provides positive responses and wrong as it can hurt other people. This is reflected by Eva Smith’s case. In scene 1 of act 2, we see the inspector waiting for Gerald to be ready to answer some questions. J.B Priestley uses this opportunity to show us how people are responsible for each other, even though they don’t realize or accept. The character Sheila had realized that what she had done had had consequences, it didn’t matter whether it was intentional or not, J.B Priestley’s point is put across here. He uses Sheila to balance out the controversy of the situation, the upper class people denying ever having to do with any of it and then there is the inspector and now Sheila. When Gerald suggests that Sheila get out of the room as to ‘protect’ her from the ugly truth, the inspector responds sardonically “...you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things'” making causing to fall in his ‘trap’ by making him say the obvious answer. Here Priestly shows that according to upper class people ‘responsibility for others’ should be extended only as far as to the people we care or owe something to. Mrs. Birling also has the same attitude towards the matter, even though she reflects it in a more selfish and conceited way. When Mrs. B. Enters the room “briskly and confident”, already gives out an impression of some kind of supremacy over the inspector, further more she treats the matter as if it was of no importance, specially to them –“...forget this absurd business...”. J.B. Priestly tries to show this throughout the whole play, but there are the more crucial scenes and the climax of the play, when the final piece of the long line of dominos falls, the connection that Eric had with Eva Smith. Despite all of this the attitude of the family keeps being the same as before, except for Sheila and Eric. The rejection and denial of the truth from the characters, such as Mr. Birling and Mrs. Birling, shows the fear inflicted upon them by finally having to face reality. What J.B. Priestly is reflecting upon is that fear governs the actions of a person, in the play this is shown by the ‘rose-tinted glasses’ the family seem to be wearing. When this ‘perfect’ reality they live on is destroyed by the inspector, everything seems to have lost meaning/sense they try and hold on to whatever is left and deny it. J.B. Priestley makes this clear when he says “...if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish...” As a man who lived through two world wars he has seen and probably experienced “fire and blood and anguish” himself, therefore by writing this play he’s trying to inflict some conscience into people’s minds. By setting the book in 1912 (written in 1945) it seems like his trying to prevent the horrors of the war to come from happening, but at the end of the day didn’t prevent it from happening, which then again reflects on human behaviour, to learn something we usually have to fail several times before we get it. In my opinion, the book tries in to show us that we are responsible for each other, especially when we have the power to help those who need it. Our actions in life often reflect how we are as individuals and that even though we had done wrong before there is always a way to redeem yourself, as Sheila and Eric did when they realised and faced what they had done unlike the other characters. The scenes of the play not only examine and reflect that we are responsible for each other but portray a real human reaction allowing us to relate, making even it an even more powerful message across to the audience. Isabel Lafee