This study notes covers Anchor Quote: The Thesis within Theme: Responsibility & Social Class for GCSE English Literature. Revise Theme: Responsibility & Social Class in An Inspector Calls for GCSE English Literature with 12 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 6 of 16 in this topic. Use this study notes to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🗣️ Anchor Quote: The Thesis
We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.
Why this quote matters: Priestley places the play's central thesis in the Inspector's final speech, giving it the weight of a verdict. The metaphor of "one body" draws on both Christian language and socialist political theory — for a 1945 audience, it would have resonated with the new welfare state consensus. It directly contradicts Mr Birling's "a man has to mind his own business" with a biological image: a body cannot survive if its members refuse responsibility for one another.
Use this quote when answering: responsibility as theme; collective vs individual worldviews; how Priestley uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece for socialist ideas; how context shapes the play's meaning.
Practice questions for Theme: Responsibility & Social Class
Which of the following is Mr Birling's view of responsibility in Act 1?
How does Priestley use structure to present the theme of responsibility in **An Inspector Calls**? (2 marks)
Quick recall flashcards
Mnemonic for the responsibility trajectory in An Inspector Calls
<strong>DENIAL → REVELATION → CHOICE</strong><br><br>D — Denial: 'A man has to mind his own business' (Birling holds power, acknowledges nothing)<br>R — Revelation: 'Public men have responsibilities as well as privileges' (Inspector shows the chain)<br>C — Choice: 'I burned my boats' (Sheila accepts; Birlings evade; audience decides)<br><br>The trajectory doesn't resolve — it repeats with the final phone call, extending the CHOICE to the audience.
Why does Eva Smith never appear on stage?
Priestley makes her absence structural. Eva Smith is invisible to the Birlings — she is working-class, and people like her do not exist in the Birlings' social world. Her physical absence from the stage enacts this invisibility while making her the moral centre the Inspector forces everyone to confront. She is the play's argument: those with power cannot afford to ignore those without it.