Sheila and her mother came into Milwards looking for clothes in which Mrs. Birling was choosing for Sheila, this made Sheila a bit angry and she was easily annoyed at this time when her mother brought out a hat that Shelia did not like so an assistant asked Eva to try it on and Eva looked better. Jealous and angry, Sheila tried the hat on once again, this time she thought she saw Eva laughing at her so complained and threatened Milwards, and as a result Eva was sacked and it was obvious that the real reason that Sheila got Eva sacked was because of jealousy, Shelia was jealous that Eva was prettier than her ‘She was a very pretty girl too - with big dark eyes – and that didn’t make it better.’
I think that Sheila is silly and easily annoyed, it was unnecessary to get Eva sacked for that silly reason, I think it also shows that Shelia is a very shallow and paranoid person.
Gerald Croft, a rather attractive chap, about thirty, rather too Manley to be a dandy but the easy well bred young man about town. Gerald was celebrating hid engagement to Sheila Birling and all was going well until the inspector came, once he came Gerald learnt Shelia’s dreaded secret and then the inspector started on him.
Daisy Renton was the name Gerald knew Eva Smith, he met her at a club when he took her to a posh restaurant and then took her home until he found out that she did not have a place to stay, so he lent her his friends house and kept checking on her, and as time went on he started using her for his own pleasures even though he knew there was no hope of marriage, later on, he told her about his engagement, Of course this was not the fault of her death, but It left Eva with emotional scars and left her depressed, he should feel very guilty for taking advantage of her ’I had to go away for several weeks – on business – and by that time Daisy knew it was coming to an end, so I broke it off definitely before I went.’
Mrs. Birling, the rich wife of Mr. Birling, she is just like him – posh arrogant and opinionative, she also thinks that she is higher in authority.
Mrs. Birling worked as a prominent member of the Brumley women’s charity organization – an organization that helps women in distress with various reasons.
Eva Smith appealed to her organization after she found out she was pregnant but when she got there, she gave the name Mrs. Birling, Angrily; Mrs. Birling used her influence to get her restricted. ‘I didn’t like her manner; she’d impertinently made use of our name.’ Moments after they restricted her, they told her to find the man responsible, later Mrs. Birling told the inspector this, the ironic twist of the scene entered, Mrs Birling spent a lot of time telling the inspector to find the man responsible and lock him up, make him publicly. ‘And if you take some steps to find this young man and then make sure he is compelled to confess in public his responsibility.’
Mrs. Birling had said to lock up the young man responsible until Eric entered the house. Once young Eric entered the inspector immediately went to him and right away questioned him. Eric met Eva in a bar and took her home at that point Eric was drunk ‘I was in the state when a chap easily turns nasty and threatened to make a row.’
When they were both indoors, Eric and Eva had sex and got Eva Pregnant. With Eric that was not the offence he had done, in order to support Eva, he had been stealing money from his dad’s office – about fifty pounds, which in those days was a lot of money ‘I insisted in giving her money to keep going’ in some ways Eric can be blame – for taking advantage of her, but he did all he could to support her, and in my opinion all Eric is guilty for is taking advantage of a broken hearted girl.
Inspector Goole, a very suspicious person, he knew all the connections between the Birling Family, Gerald and Eva Smith.
In my opinion, inspector Goole is a ghost, who went to the Birling residence to teach everyone about each other’s terrible past, also to show what the rich people are doing to the working class and how they are practically stealing from the working class.
It is plain to see that the first Inspector is like the First World War and the second Inspector is like the World War, because people didn’t learn from the first time, so there had to be a second lesson and priestly wrote this play as a warning.
I think that Priestly wrote this play to send a message to all the rich people that treat poor people badly, he expects the audience to feel guilty and learn from it. In the play, Priestly’s messenger is Inspector Goole who exposes the Birlings for what they have done to Eva Smith. Eva represents all the poor people and the Inspector states in the play “But just remember this, one Eva Smith is gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and what we think and say a do, we don’t live alone.” he also says “we are members of one body.” From this message Priestly wanted to state that what one person does affect many other people.
In this play there is a lot of tension, the way Priestly builds up tension in ‘An Inspector Calls’ is the way the inspector questions each of the characters in the play and as one person is question another secret is discovered.
Another way that tension is built is at the end of each act there is a piece of suspense.
Like at the end of act two Eric comes in and if you see the stage directions at the bottom of the page, you will see that Priestly has tried to make the audience or the reader continue leave a cliff-hanger.
In my opinion many people are to blame for the death of Eva Smith and Mr. Birling, Sheila, Gerald, Mrs. Birling and Eric play a part in her death.
Mr. Birling, the first to be questioned by the inspector, he told him what he had done to Eva Smith, Eva Smith and others asked for a raise and went on a strike, Mr. Birling then fired all the workers involved in the strike, I think Mr. Birling should certainly feel guilty, but he is not to take full blame because he did what any other factory owner would do.
Sheila was the next to be questioned, Eva smith who worked at Milwards after getting fired from the factory was enjoying her time there, until Sheila and her mother came in, Sheila got Eva sacked because Eva was better looking than her which is very inappropriate, she threatened Milwards if they did not have her sacked which was also childish and this made a big impact on her.
Gerald who treated her the best had no real fault in her death; he is only guilty for taking advantage of her and although knowing there will be no future between them thus leaving her depressed and heart broken.
Later on, she went to Mrs. Birling charity community; this was in my own thought was the most tragic, ironic and major factor towards Eva’s Death. Mrs. Birling denied Eva’s appeal for money, which Eva was going to use to support the baby, and in doing this Mrs. Birling led to the death of Eric’s possible wife, Eric’s Child her own grandchild and of course Eva Smith which was thing done and is very tragic but of course five people led had something to do in the painful death of on girl – Eva Smith.
