“Except the four or five ring-leaders... And this girl Eva Smith was one of them”.
Mr Birling as a businessman refused to raise the wages from twenty-two and six to twenty five shillings a week. Mr Birling decided to exonerate the four ringleaders from his factory so Mr Birling went down to the factory and sacked all four ringleaders including Eva Smith personally. In my own judgement I think Mr Birling could have prevented sacking Eva Smith and met her and her fellow workers demands. Mr Birling shows no affection and takes no responsibility; he denies guilt which shows that his attitude towards Eva Smiths death is negative. Mr Birling is therefore to blame.
MS SHEILA BIRLING
The second person to come into contact with Eva Smith was Sheila Birling when Eva was working at Milwards department store. Sheila, an attractive girl in her early twenties was pleased in life and rather a bit excited. Sheila is very intelligent, probably the most clever in the play and she seems to have gentle feelings which could make her feelings agitating. Eva Smith had fortuitously found a job in the Milwards department store. She didn’t stay for long though, soon afterwards Eva was inadvertently sacked from the store, Eva couldn’t really say why but she discovered that someone had made a complaint against her. This is shown in act one where the Inspector questions Sheila.
Sheila fully explains what had happened between her and Eva Smith; this is shown in the part where Sheila says:
“I’d gone in to try something on…” In this part, Sheila says that she went to Milwards one day and decided to try on a dress, she had put it on and she didn’t look at all pleasant the dress terribly didn’t suit her. The assistant Ms Francis asked Eva Smith to model the dress and it suited her remarkably well. This is shown in the part where Sheila says:
“It just suited her. She was the right type for it, just as I was the wrong”.
Sheila filled with jealousy and envy; she was in that mood where she could set off a huge row. What made it worse was that, Eva Smith had smirked when Sheila had tried the dress on which therefore implicated that Eva was mocking Sheila. Sheila got very angry and went to the manager to complain; she used her upper-class status as an advantage and told the manager that if Eva Smith wasn’t discharged from their store she would never return as their customer. This is shown in the part where the Inspector says:
“So you used the power you had, as a daughter of a good customer and also of a man well known in the town, to punish the girl…” Of Course as Sheila was a very valuable customer Milwards sacked Eva Smith. Sheila had shown a lot of unfairness in equality and discrimination to the lower class (poor) and less privileged. Although, Sheila was more responsible for the death of Eva Smith she took that complete bit of responsibility. Sheila had learnt her lesson and she was remorseful but it still didn’t cancel out what she did because of how horrid it was. Therefore Sheila is also partly to blame.
MR GERALD CROFT
Gerald Croft was the next person to come together with Eva Smith, although she introduced herself as Daisy Renton. Gerald Croft is a handsome gentleman who is about thirty, somewhat too masculine to be a dandy but very much the simple well-bred young man-about-town. Gerald seems to be quite smart and he knows a lot when it comes to business and industries. Gerald Croft, who is affianced to Sheila Birling, had met Eva Smith or Daisy Renton as she called herself in the palace music hall specifically in the stalls bar. Gerald describes this bar as:
“A favourite haunt of women of the town”, this is shown in act two. Gerald evidentially doesn’t think much of this bar but, he mentions in act two that he dropped in because it was a long dull day. Gerald then noticed a girl who stood out from the rest because according to Gerald Croft the other women were:
“Dough faced woman”. Gerald describes Eva Smith as:
“Very pretty-soft brown hair and big dark eyes”. Gerald notices that she was being bothered by someone, according to Gerald it was:
“Old Joe Meggarty, half drunk and goggle eyed”. He had Eva Smith wedged up into a corner. Gerald called this man:
“A notorious womaniser”.
Gerald reacted swift and got rid of Meggarty by telling him some twaddle about the manager wanting to see him. Gerald then asked Eva Smith to let him take her away from the rotten palace bar, she agreed at once. Gerald took her to the county-hotel where there was peace and tranquillity. Gerald and Eva started to make conversation and they started talking about each other. Gerald then made the county people get Eva some food. Two nights afterwards, they met up again by arrangement, this time Gerald discovers that Eva Smith was penniless and didn’t have enough money to rent a room. Gerald decided to give Eva a room and some money. Gerald then made Eva his mistress (which means they made love). Gerald mentions that:
“It was inevitable”.
Then in the early days of September, Gerald went away for several weeks on business and before he went, he broke the relationship off with Eva Smith. Eva then went to the seaside with the last money Gerald had given her; she did this to make the happiness last longer. Although Gerald didn’t love Eva Smith he had made her content for a period of time. Gerald had guiltily built up a relationship with Eva although he knew he didn’t really love her then he had broken it off when she was very cheerful with her life. Gerald took full responsibility and felt guilty for what he had done. He was very sorry but it didn’t cancel out what he had done, therefore Gerald is partially to blame.
ERIC BIRLING
After Eva and Gerald Crofts relationship broke up and she came back from the seaside she was unable to find a job. She decided to visit the palace bar again where she met and eventually became friends with Eric Birling. Eric, who is in his early twenties, is not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive and with a drinking problem. Eric is the son of the family and he doesn’t seem very clever. Eric met Eva when she was vulnerable (after she broke up with Gerald). Eric first converged with Eva Smith sometime in November. Eric was in the palace bar for at least an hour where he met and began to talk to Eva Smith. This is shown in the instigation of act three. Eric then buys Eva a few drinks; this is shown in the part where Eric says:
“I began talking to her, and stood her a few drinks”.
After a while Eric got drunk and Eva Smith was:
“A bit chiefly” as she had put it. Eric then mentions that he had insisted on going to her lodgings. Eva Smith asked Eric not to come in but Eric was drunk and threatened to make a row. Eric went in and made love to Eva Smith and he says that:
“I didn’t even remember”. This shows that the sex didn’t mean anything to him.
After a fortnight they encountered again but this time they talked and got to know each other more. Then they made meaningless love again. The next time they met Eva Smith told Eric Birling that she was pregnant. Eric said he was:
“In a hell of a state”. Eric then stole, borrowed as he put it fifty pounds out of his fathers (Arthur Birlings) office and gave it to Eva Smith. Eva Smith took the 50 pounds but after she found out that it was stolen she refused to take any more. This shows that Eva Smith was good-hearted, moral, humble, righteous and well disposed.
I think that Eric caused the most depression and dejection in Eva’s life but, he was sorry and regretful for what he did. But I think that it is too late to cry when the head is off. So Eric is also partly to blame for the death of Eva Smith.
MRS SYBIL BIRLING
When Eva Smith became destitute and had no way of supporting her unborn baby child and herself. She went to ‘The Brumley Woman’s Organisation’ for help. The chairperson was Mrs Birling, about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband’s social superior. Eva smith came to Mrs Birling when she was completely distressed and vulnerable. Eva Smith had come for help for her and her unborn baby’s life. Eva Smith had as Mrs Birling said:
“Impertinently made use of our name”, this quotation is found in act two and it means that Eva Smith had made use of Mrs Birlings name as her own identity. Mrs Birling then showed a brutal, merciless, inhuman, and cold-hearted manner, she refused help for Eva Smith and her baby. Mrs Birling told Eva Smith to go and find the father of the baby which was Mrs Birlings own son. This last profound push by Mrs Birling shattered Eva Smiths fragile heart into tiny little pieces. She couldn’t handle it anymore so she committed suicide by drinking disinfectant. I think that Mrs Birling was absolutely disregarding and ill mannered. I think Mrs Birling is like this because she doesn’t care for anyone but herself and because of her ignorance. Mrs Birling isn’t sorry and regretful; all she cares about is her own status in life. Therefore Mrs Birling is also to blame for how she treated Eva Smith.
CONCLUSION
In my own opinion and judgement, I think that all of the Birlings and Gerald Croft are equally to blame in the death of Eva Smith. All of them took a hideous part in Eva’s death and without one or the other the death of Eva Smith could have possibly not happened at all. No matter how sorry they are they can’t change the fact that Eva and her baby are dead. The older characters show less affection and deny guilt however; the young characters show a lot of affection and regret fullness. The young ones seem to have learnt a lesson and the elders haven’t. One by one the Birlings and the family used Eva like a toy and treated her with great insolence until; Mrs Birling gave her that last push and convinced her to commit suicide.
In this play what JB Priestley tries to convey to the readers and audience is that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. No one should be treated differently than others. The message JB Priestley is trying to show is that people shouldn’t show any discrimination to the poor and less privileged and there should be a balance in equality.
In this play the Inspector (Inspector Goole) is a very strong character and gives a supernatural feeling to the audience and readers. The Inspector has a confident spirit and scares the Birlings and Gerald Croft into confessing. The Inspectors intention is to serve justice and teach the Birlings a lesson they will never forget. To strengthen his intentions the Inspector says:
“If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night”.
This ultimate quotation displays the confident thought of the inspector that if the people don’t stop being prejudice and discriminating people of other class, race, faith etc. then they will suffer for it in hell.
