In the time the play is set, there was a very big divide between those in society that were wealthy and those that were not. In those days money was everything and most people were extremely superficial. Money meant power and power meant everything. Those people with money, such as the Birlings, only worried about themselves and felt that money made them invincible.
Priestley wrote this play to make people see that no matter how rich you are, you still have a social responsibility to take care of others in society, no matter how rich of poor they are. He also wrote it to prove to people that everyone’s actions had consequences, and that it didn’t matter if you lived in the biggest, grandest house, you still had to take responsibility for your actions and not live a sheltered, protected life. He uses Eva Smith and her life to illustrate the life of millions in Britain and to prove to the Birlings, as well as his readers, that their actions do have consequences, even if they don’t see them. During the 1930's Priestley became very concerned about the consequences of social inequality in Britain, and in 1942 Priestley and others set up a new political party, which argued for public ownership of land, greater democracy, and a new "morality" in politics. The party merged with the Labour Party in 1945, but Priestley was influential in developing the idea of the Welfare State, which began to be put into place at the end of the war.
Eva Smith is a prime example of a consequence that nobody saw. Eva Smith was a hard-working lower-class girl whose life was affected by all of the Birling family at different times and in different ways. Eva was a ‘lively, good looking girl’ who was ‘country-bred’ and a good worker.’ Eva’s life was that of an average working girl. Working hard for every penny and appreciating every minute. Eva wanted to get herself a better life, since she had no parents and no home. She worked hard whether in a factory or in a shop. She tried her best to keep a smile on her face and was ‘a very pretty girl.’ Eva was a very courageous girl with a lot of determination. She was honest, brave and lonely, due to the fact that she had no friends or family to turn to. Eva expected very little from life as it had treated her so badly already and was unselfish, caring and charming.
Eva first entered the Birling’s lives when she worked in Mr Birling’s factory. Eva was a ‘hard worker’ But, after ‘causing trouble’ and being ‘one of the ringleaders’ when she organised a strike for better pay and better working conditions for all of Mr Birling’s employees, she was sacked. When Mr Birling sacked Eva he assumed that she would ‘get into trouble’ or ‘go on the streets’. But Eva proved Mr Birling wrong and got herself an even better job, working as a shop assistant in Milwards’, a very popular department store among the richer people in society. Eva finally feels that she has found herself a proper job, where she can really make a go at life, when Shelia Birling (a long time customer) comes to Milwards to try on a previously ordered dress. Eva, who is working at the time, watches as Sheila tries on the dress. When Sheila sees Eva smiling she is even more aggravated, and insists ‘she be sacked or I’ll tell mother to cancel our account here’. Milwards have no choice but to sack her. Sheila, at the time felt no remorse for what she had done ‘she was very pretty and looked as if she could take care of herself. I couldn’t be sorry for her.’
This came as a big shock to Eva who felt that she was doing really well at Milwards. In her devastation, Eva tried to forget her old life and renamed herself Daisy Renton. Gerald admits that he too had known Daisy Renton. He had met her at the local Variety Theatre - known to be the haunt of prostitutes - and had 'rescued' her from the unwelcome attentions of Alderman Meggarty, a local dignitary. When he found out that Daisy was almost penniless, Gerald let her stay in the flat of a friend of his and she became his mistress. He ended the affair when he had to go away on business, giving her some money to see her through for a few months. Once again, Eva’s life seemed to be going from bad to worse. Eva had no penny to her name and decided to go to the ‘Women’s Committee’ Mrs Birling was the chairwoman and persuaded the committee to turn down the girl's appeal on the grounds that she had the ‘impudence’ to call herself Mrs Birling and because she believed that the father of the child should bear the responsibility. Eva says the girl refused to let the father of the child support her because she believed money he had given her previously to be stolen, yet Mrs Birling is proud of refusing the girl aid. She claims that she did her duty and a girl of her type would ‘never refuse money’ and sees no reason at all why she should take ‘any blame for the girl's death.’
Distraught at her hopeless life she returned back to the ‘Variety Theatre’ bar where she had met Gerald. Here she met Eric Birling. Gerald had got drunk and had accompanied her back to her lodgings. He almost turned violent when she didn't let him in, so she relented and they made love. When he met her two weeks later they slept together again and soon afterwards she discovered that she was pregnant. She did not want to marry Eric because she knew he didn't love her, but she did accept gifts of money from him until she realised it was stolen. Eric admits that he had taken about £50 from Mr Birling's office - at which Mr and Mrs Birling are furious.
Work for working class women was very hard and tiring. But for working class women, a job was crucial. There was no social security at that time, so without a job they had no money. There were very few options open to women in that situation: many saw no alternative but to turn to prostitution.
Sheila Birling on the other hand would never have to work. Being the daughter of a respectable businessman, Sheila’s life is extremely privileged. Sheila does not have to work at all and can spend her days shopping and being a reputable young lady. She is described at the start as "a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited." Sheila had a very good upbringing and was brought up to believe people of a lower status were worthless. Sheila is firstly perceived as being spoilt, young and naïve. Sheila’s life is very comfortable and secure Even though she seems very playful at the opening; we know that she has had suspicions about Gerald when she mentions ‘last summer, when you never came near me.’ This perhaps suggests that Sheila was not as naïve or shallow as first appeared.
At the beginning of the play, Sheila is portrayed as ‘young’ and excitable. But as the play progresses, Although she has probably never in her life considered the conditions of the workers, she shows compassion immediately when she hears of her father's treatment of Eva Smith: "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people." Already, she is starting to change.
Sheila is horrified by her own part in Eva's story. She feels full of guilt for her jealous actions and blames herself as "really responsible." She is very insightful: she realises that Gerald knew Daisy Renton from his reaction; the moment the Inspector mentioned her name.
As the play progresses, she is the first to realise Eric's part in the story. Significantly, she is the first to wonder who the Inspector really is, saying to him, 'wonderingly', 'I don't understand about you.' She warns the others "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves" and, near the end, is the first to consider whether the Inspector may not be real.
Sheila is curious and proves that she is more than a pretty face. She genuinely wants to know about Gerald's part in the story. It's interesting that she is not angry with him when she hears about the affair: she says that she respects his honesty. Continually through the play she becomes more mature.
She is angry with her parents in Act 3 for trying to "pretend that nothing much has happened." Sheila says "It frightens me the way you talk:" she cannot understand how they cannot have learnt from the evening in the same way that she has. She is seeing her parents in a new, unfavourable light. At the end of the play, Sheila is much wiser. She can now judge her parents and Gerald from a new perspective, but the greatest change has been in herself: her social conscience has been awakened and she is aware of her responsibilities.
This play was written by Priestley in 1945 but was set in 1912. Priestley did this so that he could use actually historical knowledge and events like the sinking of the titanic and WW1 to strengthen his message – that we are all responsible. The Inspector wanted each member of the family to share the responsibility of Eva's death: he tells them, "Each of you helped to kill her." However, his final speech is aimed not only at the characters on stage, but at the audience too:
"One Eva Smith has 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 chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do."
The Inspector is talking about a collective responsibility, everyone is society is linked, in the same way that the characters are linked to Eva Smith. Everyone is a part of "one body"; the Inspector sees society as more important than individual interests. The views he is propounding are like those of Priestley who was a socialist.
He adds a clear warning about what could happen if, like some members of the family, we ignore our responsibility:
"And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, when they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish."
This play carries a powerful message to society and this message continues still to this day and will most likely still be applicable for years to come. The message is telling us that we are not only responsible for ourselves, but for everyone around us and that our actions do not only affect us but everyone around us. Everyone else is ‘all intertwined with our lives and what we think and say and do.’
