Themes — Social Responsibility & Class

An Inspector Calls is fundamentally a play about social responsibility — the idea that we all have a duty to look after one another. Closely connected to this is the theme of class — the rigid social hierarchy that allows the Birlings to exploit Eva Smith without consequence. These two themes are at the heart of every GCSE question on the play.

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Theme 1: Social Responsibility

What Is Social Responsibility?

Social responsibility is the belief that individuals and communities have an obligation to act in the best interests of society as a whole, not just themselves. Priestley contrasts two opposing views: