Intend to compare and contrast the three main characters of the play: Mrs Birling, Sheila and Eva Smith

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                       GCSE ENGLISH COURSEWORK

In this essay I intend to compare and contrast the three main characters of the play: Mrs Birling, Sheila and Eva Smith. I will analyse how other characters in the play comment on each others behaviours. I will single out quotes which clearly illustrate my points, which also reflects the character’s personality and what they are really like. Mr Birling will react to something differently than Sheila would react to:

 “As if a girl of that sort would refuse money!”

        This suggest to the audience that she doesn’t expect a girl like Eva t refuse money, because she thinks she is greedy for money and doesn’t care about anything else, and you can see the dramatic difference in personality to how Sheila reacts to something. Sheila at a stage in the play doesn’t know who Eva Smith is but still shows pity “oh how horrible! Was it an accident?”

This shows that she is very considerate to others and as I have mentioned before she’s also honest.

        Sheila and Eva Smith are similar in many ways. From what we have read in the play based on the judgement of these characters, we are assuming that they are honest, because Sheila shows honesty in the ways she acts, and proves Mrs Birling’s theory wrong about Sheila being dependant on other people money.

        

Eva never actually appears in the play, we get a full understanding of her character, just as we do for the others at the end pf the play, Eva Smith is unfortunate in the play, and she gets caught up in a chain of bad events.

        Sheila was going to become a part of aristocracy by marring Gerald Croft. Eva Smith was also having an affair with Eric, Eva again shows honesty when Eric offers her money, but she refuses to take it because she found out that Eric was stealing money from his father, she shows dignity and makes it clear that she sticks to her principles.

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        Due to Eva’s social list views although she could be promoted and have more money it would be unethical to her; therefore it would be more prudent to have the money shared among her colleagues.

        However Mr Birling doesn’t share the same views with Eva, her actions thought to be rebellious and destabilising for the workers of the company, because of this she is dismissed. Mrs Birling in the play repeated show no pity to the character of Eva Smith, who was in desperate need of money at a most difficult time of her life, she refuses to give ...

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