Inglés

Themes:

Responsibility: Each member of the family has a different attitude to responsibility. The Inspector wanted each member of the family to share the responsibility for Eva's death. There is aspeech of the Inspector that represents clearly the meaning of responsibility
“One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left withus, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do.”
With that speech, the Inspector is trying tosay that we should be responsible for our own actions and be aware of how they can affect other people.

Class: In the play we can see three social classes:

Edna, the maid, who represents theworking class.

The Birlings, who represent the upper class.

The Crofts, who are part of the aristocracy class, and have more power than The Birlings. That is the reason for Gerald and Sheila’sengagement. Birling’s familiy is interested in Croft’s money.

Eva Smith also belongs to the working class.(Mr Birling has fired her because she was on a strike).

Gender: Eva was a woman in a worseposition than a lower class man. Women from the lower class weren’t able to vote. Even upper class women had few choices.
There was no social security at that time, so without a job working classwomen had no money. That’s why some women in that situation turn to prostitution.
An interesting quote: Mrs Birling couldn’t believe that “a girl of that sort would ever refuse money”.
Age: The younggeneration versus the old generation. In the play we can see that the young generation (Sheila and Eric) accept their responsibility in Eva’s death, and what is more Sheila and Eric can’t help feelingguilty. However, the old generation (Mr and Mrs Birling) can’t accept their part in Eva’s death. They tried to lie to the Inspector so as not to admit their responsibility. Mr Birling is only...