theme of responsibility

7/23/2019 Theme of Responsibility

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By J.B Priestley

Calls

Presented by Fahd AzadSr.4B - 10211



he play !An Inspector calls"# a play# $as$ritten by J.B. Priestley in 1%4&. It is set in 1%12in a 'idland Ind(strial o$n called Br()ley.

J.B Priestley $as an +n,lish a(thor# noelist#play$ri,ht# script$riter and a socialco))entator.

J.B Priestley lies to /oc(s on a (estion o$sho(ld the society be or,anized3 in this play#An Inspector Calls.

Introd(ction



Characters



Inspector Goole - e is in his 5/ties and is dressed in a plain dar

s(it. e initially see)s to be an ordinary Br()ley police inspector# b(t 6as hisna)e )i,ht s(,,est7 co)es to see) so)ethin, )ore o)ino(s--perhaps een

a s(pernat(ral bein,. he precise nat(re o/ his character is le/t (nno$n byPriestley# and it can be interpreted in ario(s $ays.

Mr. Birling 8 'r. Birlin, is "hard headed b(siness )an9 as he clai)s. e

is )arried to Sybil Birlin,:'rs Birlin, $ith $ho) he has t$o children# Sheilaand +ric.

Sybil Birling 8She is )arried to 'r. B(rlin,. Shes sho$n in this play

as her h(sbands social s(perior. Priestley describes her as# "abo(t 5/ty# rathercold $o)an..

Sheila Birling 8 Sheila is the da(,hter o/ 'r. and 'rs.. Birlin, and the

sister o/ +ric. She en,a,ed to be )arried to ;erald Cro/t. Priestly describes heras# "A pretty ,irl in her early t$enties# ery pleased $ith li/e and rathere<cited..9

Eric Birling 8 +ric is the son o/ 'r. and 'rs. Birlin, and the brother o/

Sheila. es described by Priestley as# " in his early t$enties# not (ite at ease#hal/ shy# hal/ assertie9

Gerald Croft - ;erald is the son o/ =ord Cro/t. es introd(ced in the

play as Sheilas 5anc>. Priestly describes hi) as# "an attractie chap abo(t

thirty ... ery )(ch the easy $ell-bred yo(n,-)an-abo(t-to$n.9Eva Smith – +a S)ith is the $o)an $ho the Inspector clai)s $ored



he$ords responsible and responsibility are (sed by )ost characters in the playat so)e point.

+ach )e)ber o/ the /a)ily has adierent attit(de to$ards responsibility.

It is a ital and the )ost i)portantthe)e in this play.

J.B Priestley oers (s a choice bet$eensocialis) in $hich the rich areco)pelled to share their $ealth# orthro(,h capitalis) $here yo( areallo$ed to eep )ore o/ yo(r )oney.

esponsibility



he Inspector $anted each)e)ber o/ the /a)ily to sharethe responsibility o/ +a?sdeath he tells the)# !each o/yo( helped to ill her."

o$eer# his 5nal speech isai)ed not only at thecharacters on sta,e# b(t atthe a(dience too $hen he

says# "Dne +a S)ith has,one - b(t there are )illionsand )illions and )illions o/+a S)iths and John S)ithsstill le/t $ith (s# $ith theirlies# their hopes and /ears#

their s(erin, and chance o/happiness# all intert$ined

Inspector ;ooles point o/ ie$to$ards responsibility.



'r. Birlin, represents the older ,eneration and is a 5r)capitalist.

e sho$s no re,ret in 5rin, +a S)ith /ro) her @ob and isnot aected b(t her s(icide either. es been portrayed to

sho$ no ,(iltoer +a S)iths death# $ho a/ter all $as a person also.Ee see noneo/ 'r Birlin,s ,ood character instead $e see hi) asdishonest and

cold.es totally (na$are o/ the eects o/ his actions on other

people.

e doesnt care abo(t the lo$ $a,es o/ the $orers andcelebrates rippin, o/ his $orers and c(sto)ers. "lo$er

costs and hi,her prices9

'r Birlin,s ie$s o$ardsesponsibility



Shes portrayed as an i,norant# ada)ant snob.She loos do$n on the lo$er class and

hypocritically @(d,es the) )ore harshly than anyher o$n /a)ily.

She is an icily i)pressie $o)an# ar,(ably theonly one o/ all the Birlin, Fa)ily to al)ostco)pletely resist the Inspector?s atte)pts to)ae her realize her responsibilities.

=ie her h(sband# 'rs Birlin, has only her o$nie$in tho(,ht and is clearly (ninterested by theneeds o/ others# nore,ret is /elt and it see)s that she is totally(n)oed by the $hole incident# only carin, $hen

Sybil Birlin,s ie$ o$ards esponsibility



Sheila and +ric represent the yo(n,er ,eneration and dontshare the sa)e capitalist tho(,hts lie their parents.

By the end o/ the play# they both ad)it to their inole)entand their ,(ilt in the death o/ +a S)ith.

J.B Priestley (ses the personalities o/ Sheila# +ric and the

Inspector to delier the )essa,e that eeryones a h()anand deseres e(al ri,hts.

Sheila is portrayed as bein, sorro$/(l and re)orse# as she/eels ,reat ,(ilt /or the actions that she co))itted. Shea,rees $ith the Inspector o/ her pride $hen he says# o(

(sed the po$er yo( had# to p(nish the ,irl. Altho(,h +ric is portrayed as a yo(n, and i))at(re ,(y#

he /elt ,(ilty and sha)e abo(t $hat he had done. Ehen hediscoers that his )other had t(rned her a$ay# his ,(ilt andre)orse t(rn to an,er. hen yo( illed her# She ca)e to

yo( to protect )e# )y child# yo(r ,randchild# yo( illedthe) both.

Sheila and +rics ie$s o$ardsesponsibility



e is not as $illin, as Sheila to ad)it his part in the ,irl?s deathto the Inspector and initially pretends that he neer ne$ her.es a bit lie 'r.Birlin, and $ants to protect his o$n interests.e did hae so)e ,en(ine /eelin, /or +a S)ith:Gaisy enton#

ho$eer he is ery )oed $hen he hears o/ her death. etells Inspector ;oole that he arran,ed /or her to lie in his/riend?s Hat !beca(se I $as sorry /or her! she beca)e his)istress beca(se !She $as yo(n, and pretty and $ar)-hearted - and intensely ,rate/(l.!Gespite this# in Act he tries to co)e (p $ith as )(ch

eidence as possible to proe that the Inspector is a /ae -beca(se that $o(ld ,et hi) o the hoo.It is ;erald $ho con5r)s that the local /orce has no oKcer bythe na)e o/ ;oole.

;erald Cro/ts ie$s o$ardsesponsibility



he (estion ased thro(,ho(t the play is $ho is responsible /or the s(icide o/ +a S)ith3Eho is to bla)e3 he arc o/ the play /ollo$s the ,rad(al spreadin, o/ responsibility# /ro) Mr.Birling# to Mr. Birling and Sheila# to Mr. Birling and Sheila and Gerald# and so on and so

/orth.

+ach o/ the characters has dierent opinions abo(t $hich o/ the) is )ost responsible /or the,irls s(icide. Mrs. Birling# )ost e<tre)ely# ends (p bla)in, her o$n son# by s(,,estin, thatthe person )ost responsible is the )an that i)pre,nated the ,irl# be/ore realizin, that theperson in (estion is +ric.

In the end# the Inspector tries to e<plain to the Birlin, /a)ily the shared responsibility that theysho(ld /eel /or the ,irls death# into a plea /or so)ethin, lie Socialis) "Ee are )e)bers o/one body. Ee are responsible /or each other. And I tell yo( that the ti)e $ill soon co)e $heni/ )en $ill not learn that lesson# then they $ill be ta(,ht it in 5re and blood and an,(ish.9 he

lesson o/ the Inspector# and o/ the play at lar,e# is that o(r actions hae an inH(encebeyond the)seles and there/ore that $e are already responsible /or each other so lon, as

$e are responsible /or o(rseles and o(r o$n actions.

o he play contends that Socialis) si)ply reco,nizes and b(ilds (pon this tr(th# in de-priatizin, $ealth and po$er and th(s b(ildin, an econo)y and politics on the /o(ndation o/shared responsibility.

Concl(sion



ho(,h responsibility itsel/ is a centralthe)e o/ the play# the last act o/ the play

proides a /ascinatin, portrait o/ the $aythat people can let the)seles o thehoo. I/ one )essa,e o/ the play is that $e)(st all care )ore thoro(,hly abo(t the,eneral $el/are# it is clear that the)essa,e is not shared by all.

By contrastin, the older Birlin,s and;erald $ith Sheila and +ric# Priestley dra$so(t the dierence bet$een those $ho haeaccepted their responsibility and those

$ho hae not.



Than o(For bein, a ,reat a(dience

Any L(estions3

theme of responsibility

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