Social Responsibility in Priestley’s Work: Age, Class, and Inspector
Social Responsibility: Priestley’s Portrayal
Age, Inspector, and Class Dynamics
Age: Generational Divide in Learning
The older and younger generations respond differently to the Inspector’s message. Eric and Sheila acknowledge their guilt, while their parents deny any wrongdoing.
The Older Generation:
- Confident in their views, dismissing the young as foolish.
- Prioritize self-preservation. Mrs. Birling lies, and Mr. Birling seeks to conceal a scandal.
- Resistant to self-examination, embodying the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
- Mr. and Mrs. Birling fear the real inspector, knowing they risk losing everything.
The Younger Generation:
- Open to new ideas. Eric and Sheila sympathize with the strikers, unlike Mr. Birling.
- Admit their faults. Eric states, “the fact remains that I did what I did.”
- Sheila and Eric are troubled by their actions and examine their consciences.
- They do not fear the visit, having already admitted their mistakes and are willing to change.
Gerald is ambivalent, ultimately siding with the older generation, possibly due to his aristocratic background and desire to maintain the status quo.
The Inspector: A Catalyst for Social Responsibility
He adds drama: DRAMATIC EFFECT
- He controls the pace and tension, revealing Eva’s story gradually.
- He is in command at the end of Acts I and II and at the beginning of II and III.
- He is mysterious, seemingly knowing future events.
“It would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we tried to put ourselves in the place of these young women”. Class System.
“You see, we have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt”. Responsibility.
His message contrasts with Mr. Birling’s in Act I.
We are interconnected and responsible for each other.
The Inspector embodies the playwright’s message: failure to learn this lesson will result in “fire and blood and anguish” (metaphor), reflecting historical events between 1912-45.
Class: Upper-Class Views on Social Responsibility
The upper class treats Eva’s life as insignificant.
How Each Character Views Eva:
Mrs. Birling: She displays prejudice against Eva for using the name ‘Mrs. Birling,’ using her position to deny Eva financial aid.
Gerald: He used Eva, had an affair, and dismissed it. “I didn’t feel about her as she felt about me”, “all right – I did for a time. Nearly any man would have done.” He exploited her lower class status.
Sheila: She had Eva fired out of jealousy. “Well, when I tried the thing on and looked at myself and knew that it was all wrong, I caught sight of this girl smiling at miss Francis – as if to say: ‘doesn’t she look awful’ – and I was absolutely furious. I was very rude to both of them, and then I went to the manager and told him that this girl had been very impertinent”. She abused her class privilege.
Quotes:
“A man has to mind his own business and look out for himself”, Birling – Responsibility
“If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?”, Birling – Responsibility