After being so unlucky Eva decided it was about time she made a fresh start and decided to change her name to Daisy Renton. At this point she was extremely poor and hadn’t a penny to her name, still she had dignity and appeared not one to degrade herself, she appeared a better person than the thieves and prostitutes she was forced to be around. Then one day by stroke of chance after being rudely intimidated at a local dingy bar she met Gerald, he rescued her from almost certain poverty and got her a place to stay and gave her a bit of money. She apparently latched on to this man for he seemed kind and caring to her. He was her salvation as Sheila says out of sarcasm, “you were the wonderful Fairy prince”. All Gerald really did was exploited and abuse Eva and as he says she was his mistress, he never really loved her he was very fond but not true love, whereas Eva was overwhelmed with how he saved her. Gerald treated her as a mere mistress to have sex with. When Gerald became bored and the relationship became inconvenient she was kicked back onto the streets, Eva took this with dignity and was “very gallant” she knew it wouldn’t last. She said she had been her happiest in the time she spent with Gerald although I believe she must really have been angry, just to proud to admit it.
She went away for a while to remember her good times but soon returned, just as poor as ever with no friends, money and an overall sense of worthlessness still no-one would help and even when she requested aid it was turned down, Then once again she met one of the characters from the play, Eric once again at the palace bar, she was involved in prostitution and Eric made love to her a few times with no love involved. Then she found she may be pregnant with his child.
She didn’t want to marry him as she knew they weren’t in love, this again I think shows dignity. Eric proposed to give her some money, sort of to get rid of her, about 50 pounds which was a lot of money in them days. Eric then stole this money from his father’s office. But Eva wouldn’t accept the money she felt she didn’t need his charity and still had some dignity, pride and respect for herself. Although that was the last of Eva the next thing we here is how she was dead.
Overall Eva seems an, as the inspector says, “A pretty, lively sort of girl, who never did any one any harm.” Every one she came into contact with mistreated her and unfairly treated her taking a girl's whole life and neglecting it.
I think whether or not the girls were all the same people is insignificant, the main point is how every small event can change a persons life, no matter if your the poor street scum or societies finest. The book makes a statement about the people of the world and how inconsiderate they can be. And as the inspector states consider all the Eva and John Smiths of this world.
Eva's letter
The Inspector tells Mr. Birling that Eva Smith/Daisy Renton “left a letter…and a sort of diary”. The letter could be to her nearest relative or to Gerald Croft. Write - as you imagine Eva would have done - the letter and diary entries (between 1910 and 1912) for the key events in her life, from her starting to work for Birling & Co. to her suicide.
(*Dated by Titanic's maiden voyage.) The diary is also mentioned on pages 179 and 193.
Eva Smith’s Diary
15th September 1910
I have returned to working for long hours, in a dirty workplace and for hardly any money, and to be quite frank with you I am sick and tired with it. So I and everyone else have gone on strike. To be honest I really don’t know how long we can last but it really has to be done. We need to have a fairer wage than have right now and if this is the only way we can do it then so be it. So when Mr. Birling realises what we are doing and why we are doing it, then hopefully he will raise our wages 255 per week and seen as he is filthy rich, he cannot say that he can't afford our demands on a pay rise, we deserve every single penny of it. Men like him always crack under pressure. Men like him think that if they lose a little bit of pride then they lose everything. If I can prevent this then I have the power and nobody can stop me. Only I can stop myself if I want to stop that is.
28th September 1910
You never guess what the horrible old man did he only went and sacked me. When we agreed to go back to work he stopped us and told us that he didn’t want some troublesome, ringleader toffs working in his factory and told us we can work elsewhere! I am going to see about a job that is being advertised in a clothes shop. Dressing up rich, snotty cows in all these lovely dresses, which they will grow out of when they lose even more weight is my idea of fun. But none the less I really need the money.
30th December 1910
I have just been sacked again. I don’t know the exact reason why but I think it has got something to do with a customer that I was helping the other day. This customer (I do not know her name) had just put on a dress but she said it didn’t suit her but I thought she looked lovely and I said so with a smile on my face but she thought I was laughing at her which I wasn’t. So I don’t know if she has anything to do with me getting the sack or not but I think so. The boss at the clothes shop would not give me any reason for giving me the sack only that she found someone more suitable.
1st January 1911
Today I am really confused. I saw this man, he was called Gerald and he was looking at me. I kept glancing over to see if he was still looking at me and he saw me glancing and he came over and asked me to leave with him so I did. He took me to what looked like a country house but was in fact a country inn and he brought me quite a few drinks. It was really nice to have someone nice to talk to, especially after what Joe Mergerty has been trying to do to me. For the past two months Joe has been trying to get me drunk and trying to seduce me to go back to his just so he can have sex with me. I keep telling him no that I don’t want his drinks and that I really do not want to go to bed with him but he will not listen to me.
I told Gerald all about me but I changed my name from Eva Smith to Daisy Renton. I told him about how I lost both of my parents and also how I lost both of my jobs. I really didn’t want to tell him everything so I kept everything vague. Now after I changed my name (I changed it so that Gerald didn’t know my real name) I really do not want to be Eva Smith anymore. I just want to be Daisy Renton.
He was really nice and he got me some delicious food.
3rd January 1911
It has now been a couple of nights since me and Gerald first met up and we decided to meet up again. The worst thing was when he saw where I lived. He now new that I lived in a little backroom and also that I was penniless. But he didn’t leave me. In fact he was very generous and he took me to some very nice and clean little sets of rooms. He gave me the key to one and asked me to keep an eye on them and he told me I could live in them and he gave me some money. He was like the most important person in my life. He was my knight in shining armor.
March 1911
Today I was in my usual place in the palace music hall and a fat oaf I later learned was Joe Meggarty was trapping me between his own fat body and a corner. I couldn’t escape until I saw a gentleman who I have never seen before in the palace bar and he had a kind face. He moved towards me and Joe and whispered something in his ear I couldn’t quite hear what it was but it seemed to make the fat, drunk man standing in front of me go away, for which I was very grateful. This man told me he was named Gerald Croft. I told him my name well I told him my name was Daisy Renton but I didn’t tell him what I was doing in the palace bar but he may have realised as the palace is known for being filled with girls of the town. We made a great bond and stayed together for the rest of the night talking for a long time. He bought me food and drinks and I felt the best I had in a long time.
I met Gerald again today and I accidentally let it slip that I was desperately poor and was about to be evicted from my well I wont call...
1st September 1911
It is now the first week of September and Gerald and I have been seeing a lot of each other over the past six or so months and it has been absolutely brilliant. The problems between us started at the end of august. I don’t know why but Gerald has finished it with me. He had gone away for a couple of weeks and it was obvious that it was coming to an end and so he ended it. I was hurt and very upset but when one person wants to break up with you then you can’t stand in their way. All the time Gerald and me were together nothing else could hurt me. It was the best time of my life. We agreed that I should move out of the rooms. But he insisted on giving me a leaving present. It was quite a bit of money. He said ‘it should last me until the end of year’. He also asked me what I was going to do next but I refused to tell him and that was that. I went away for a couple of months. I wanted to be on my own in a nice, quiet, secluded place. Just so I can make my feelings for Gerald last that little bit longer.
Wednesday 4th September, 1911
I don’t know what I’m going to do without Gerald. He was my only reason for living. I’m so stupid for thinking that he could possibly like a girl like me as anything other than a poor girl that he took pity on. I’m not the same as him, he’s extremely rich and he chooses to marry any girl he likes who is from the same class as him. Not me, what do I have to offer him?
Friday 10th October, 1911
I love the seaside; it’s really helping me to clear my head. Those were the best six months with Gerald that I have ever had and probably will ever have but I know I’ve got to try and put it behind me. I think I will have to return to the palace because the sum of money Gerald has given isn’t lasting as long as I would have hoped.
Thursday 2nd November, 1911
I went back to the palace last night and met a boy called Eric, he was a bit drunk but he seemed OK. He bought me a drink, and because I have demoralized myself to the state where I now have to support myself by picking up men in the palace bar. I hate this life and would gladly swap it for the one when all I was poor and hungry. I must get out of this life I have humiliated and demoralized myself far too far and I can’t go along with it much longer I need a different way of supporting myself.
10th November 1911
I meet this lovely young man his name is Eric and he is absolutely lovely. We meet in this bar called the Crystal Palace. I was sitting on my own and Eric came over to me and asked me if I wanted a drink. I didn’t have much money so I agreed. He brought me a drink and then he came and sat with me. An hour or so later Eric offered to walk me home so I accepted. I thought he was just going to walk me home and that was that but when we got to my house Eric asked if he could come in. I said no but he barged past me and dragged me inside. He then proceeded to have sex with me. I was saying no at first but then i started to enjoy it. He left then and said he would come back in a couple of days.
12th November 1911
Eric came back and he was even more violent than the last time. He came in and I made him something to eat. He then asked me to have sex with him again and I said no. But he forced himself on me again. He really hurt me this time. I have got some bruising on my legs and I am bleeding from my insides. It really hurts.
30th January 1912
I haven’t seen Eric since that incident in November. I am glad about that. But I have never been so unlucky in my whole entire life. I have been unlucky all my life but never have I had such bad luck as this. At this point of my life things should be getting better not worse. I’m PREGNANT.
It was when I met Eric at the Crystal Palace Bar. Well he had a few to many and I told him no but he said he would make a row so I gave in. I think it happened that second time that we met up. He arranged to meet me at the bar on the understanding that there was to be no more funny business and that I would cook him some food and then he would go home. I arranged to tell him at the crystal bar about a month after we last met up. I told him that I was pregnant and he looked really shocked.
I didn’t want him to marry me and I told him that and he asked me why and I told him it was because he didn’t love me.
He gave me some money. I think it was just to keep me going but then I stopped and thought about it. I refused to take his money. What am I going to do?
2nd February 1912
Today I went to an organisation for some help but they just turned me away. I have nobody to turn to anymore. I finished with Eric so he isn’t around anymore. I just don’t know what to do.