J.B. Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls", the theme of responsibility is central to the plot and characters. The play explores the idea that individuals are responsible not only for their own actions, but for the consequences of those actions on others. Priestley uses the character of the Inspector to highlight this theme, as he challenges each member of the Birling family to take responsibility for their role in the death of a young woman named Eva Smith.
At the beginning of the play, the Birlings are celebrating their daughter Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft, the son of a wealthy businessman. The family is wealthy and influential, and they believe that they are above reproach. However, as the Inspector arrives and begins to question them about Eva Smith's death, their comfortable world begins to unravel.
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Mr. Birling, Sheila's father, is the first to be questioned by the Inspector. Mr. Birling is a wealthy businessman who runs his own factory, and he is dismissive of the idea that he could be responsible for the death of a young woman. He argues that his only responsibility is to run his business and make a profit, and that he cannot be held accountable for the actions of his employees. However, the Inspector challenges Mr. Birling's beliefs, and forces him to acknowledge that his own actions and decisions contributed to Eva Smith's death.
Similarly, Sheila and Gerald are also forced to confront their own responsibility for Eva Smith's death. Sheila admits that she was jealous of Eva Smith and had her fired from her job at a department store. She acknowledges that her actions were cruel and selfish, and that they contributed to Eva Smith's downward spiral. Gerald, too, is forced to confront his own responsibility for Eva Smith's death, as it is revealed that he had an affair with her and then abandoned