an inspector calls Flashcards
this is priestley using the inspector as a mouthpiece to emphasise social responsibility (inspector)
‘we don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other
the reinforces the idea of collective responsibility (inspector)
‘each of you helped to kill her. remember that. never forget it
a warning about the consequences of selfishness possibly referencing the world wars (inspector)
‘if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish
reveals the dysfunctional family dynamics. Eric feels that isolated by his father and suggests that they do not have a positive relationship (eric)
‘you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble’
like sheila eric is accepts responsibility, in contrast to his parents showing the generational divide between them
‘we all helped to kill her’
shows her refusal to take responsibility. Unlike eric and sheila she is unable to accept any blame for what she has done. This shows the selfishness of the upper class. Her refusal to take responsibilty shows how the older generation are unable to change.
‘I accept no blame for it all’
dramatic irony is presented as mrs B unknowingly condemns her own son eric. This reinforces the idea that she is unable to accept responsibility. She represents ignorance of the upper class who refuse to accept their own faults
‘I blame the young man who was the father of the child’
