How does Priestley present the theme of social responsibility in An Inspector Calls?
Thesis: Priestley uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece for collective responsibility and structures the play so that each Birling’s denial sharpens the audience’s understanding of what responsibility means.
1. Birling’s anti-responsibility speech as a target
Open with Birling’s Act One declaration that "a man has to make his own way". Show how Priestley uses dramatic irony (Titanic, wars) to discredit this worldview before the Inspector even arrives. The speech sets up the thesis the rest of the play will dismantle.
"a man has to make his own way"
2. The chain of responsibility
Trace how each Birling contributed to Eva’s death: sacking, dismissal, affair, charity refusal, exploitation. Argue that Priestley structures the play as a chain to show responsibility is collective, not individual. Each person’s action only becomes lethal in combination with the others.
"We all helped to kill her"
3. The Inspector’s final speech
Analyse "We are members of one body" as a socialist sermon. Note the biblical register ("one body"), the political context (1945 welfare state), and the warning of "fire and blood and anguish" that the audience has already lived through.
"fire and blood and anguish"
4. The generational split
Contrast Sheila and Eric (who accept responsibility) with their parents (who deny it). Argue that Priestley locates hope in the younger generation while suggesting the older one is beyond change.
"You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened"
5. The phone-call twist reinforces the message
The ending punishes those who rejected responsibility. A real girl has died; a real inspector is coming. Priestley denies the Birlings (and the audience) the comfort of dismissing the lesson as a hoax.
"A girl has just died"