Who is most responsible for Eva Smith's death? How does Priestley use her death to make a political point?

Haydn Alwahab

Lower 5 10/05/03

20-Century Drama Assignment:

Who is most responsible for Eva Smith’s death? How does Priestley use her death to make a political point?

The opening scene to the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ is vitally important as this is where the audience is introduced to the different characters, where their actions, expression, the way they speak, their appearance. All these affect the audience’s impression of the character. The playwright J B Priestley creates in the first scene a dramatic impact, for us to get a certain prejudice against the character of Mr. Birling through dramatic irony. In the first scene we learn to a great extent the personality traits of the different members of the family. This plays a major role in the plot because we find all the members of the family treated Eva Smith in the way they thought were suitable; Mr. Birling as usual shifts the blame of her death unto other characters. The playwright has written this play to make a political point, and gain support for his socialist ideas from the audience. In this essay I intend to show who was most responsible for Eva’s death and why and to suggest how J B Priestley uses this play to make political point.

At the time the play was written, the world was going through a very important political phase. It was first performed a week before World War Two ended and set before World War One. J B Priestley wrote this play as he saw an urgent need for social change and used the play to express his desire for social equality. The time span between the dates used (1912-1945) is to make us aware of what has happened and learn from mistakes that were made in history. Priestley purposefully wrote the play in hindsight, as this was very effective at looking at the mistakes Mr. Birling (a conservative upper class gentleman) made, especially when he talks of the three issues; war which is never going to happen, the Titanic which will not sink and the miners who will not strike. All these issues did took place and the audience have known of these facts. J B Priestley has written this play to send a message to the people of the middle-class in Britain to educate them on the difficulties suffered by the working class.

Priestley presents the character Mr. Birling to the audience as very pretentious and arrogant. He uses dramatic irony when Mr. Birling talks of the three issues. This gets a carefully constructed image of Mr. Birling through to the audience, that both his ideas and political analysis are misguided.

At the beginning of the play, Mr. Birling is giving a speech at the table including the three issues, when his maid Edna interrupts him, and she tells him an inspector has arrived. The inspector enters and introduces himself as Inspector Goole. The timing of the entrance is crucial, as this reveals that behind the dining table, this prosperous middle-class family are very sinister. Priestley uses the inspector to show the audience how hypocritical and arrogant the upper middle class men and women were. He portrays his message to the audience through the inspector. He then begins questioning all of the characters present on the table about the death of a young girl called Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.

Mr. Birling had employed Eva Smith at his works until September 1910. At first when the inspector had asked him about Eva he couldn’t remember her until the inspector showed him a photograph of her. He then remembered her and explained about his involvement. Eva had been involved in a dispute over low wages and because she had been one of the ringleaders in the strike, he had dismissed her.

The inspector explains to Mr. Birling Eva’s situation, and the consequences of his actions; she was out of work for two months and desperate for money. ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Mr. Birling had employed Eva Smith at his works until September 1910. At first when the inspector had asked him about Eva he couldn’t remember her until the inspector showed him a photograph of her. He then remembered her and explained about his involvement. Eva had been involved in a dispute over low wages and because she had been one of the ringleaders in the strike, he had dismissed her.

The inspector explains to Mr. Birling Eva’s situation, and the consequences of his actions; she was out of work for two months and desperate for money. Mr. Birling shows no remorse. Instead he tries to justify his actions: “ The girl had been causing trouble in the works” then he says, “I was quite justified”. Gerald Croft defends him; however Sheila and Eric both disapprove. Mr. Birling is also discomforted by the way he is being challenged by the inspector and is especially bitter when he suggests to Mr. Birling that he is using girls for cheap labour and getting his profit from this exploitation. To Arthur Birling, as to others of his kind, workers were there to do a job and it was not his responsibility to look after their welfare. He firmly believed that he was being fair to his workers by paying them the going rates. Eva was getting “twenty two and six” which compared well with a bricklayer’s labourer who got eighteen shillings and a police constable who got twenty seven shillings a week. So from his perspective he was not underpaying his workers by the standards of 1910, because most employees took advantage, setting the average pay very low for the working class. He considered it his duty to keep labour costs down and stamp out any unrest among his workforce. However, Priestley wanted the employers to change their ideas about their employees.

Although Arthur Birling set Eva Smith’s tragedy in motion I do not think he was to blame for her death, because he was just behaving as any other manufacturer at that time would have done even though it was too inconsiderate. However, I did dislike his attitude when he found out about her death. He was too concerned about keeping the story quiet to protect his position in society and his knighthood. Also he shows no remorse for his actions. Arthur Birling´s attitude that “a man has to mind his own business and look after himself” was precisely what JB Priestly was fighting against when he wrote this play. He believed that we should all help each other and take responsibility for our actions.

After being dismissed, Eva was out of work for two months and was desperate for money. She luckily got a job as a sale assistant in a clothes shop, Milwards. It was here that Sheila’s involvement took place. She and her mother had been valued customers at Milwards and used this to her advantage to get Eva dismissed. Sheila had complained about Eva for laughing at her when she tried on a dress. What had perhaps annoyed her even more was that Eva looked better in the dress than she did. Sheila in a fit of jealousy demanded that Eva Smith would be dismissed; otherwise she would persuade her mother to close their account. Unlike her father Sheila felt extremely guilty for having Eva dismissed. As she says “I felt rotten about it at the time and now I feel a whole lot worse”. Eva´s second dismissal left her in a worse state than her first and she became hopeless. Sheila has been the cause of this further deterioration but I feel less inclined to blame her because of her remorse. Whereas Mr. Birling sacked Eva quite boldly and unremorseful and never gave her a second thought, Sheila´s action was the result of a fit of temper and she regretted it immediately. She seems genuine when she says, “It’s the only time I´ve ever done anything like that, and I´ll never, never do it again to anybody.”

This is the reaction JB Priestley wanted to get from his audience. He wanted people to feel sympathy and care for each other and take responsibility for their actions.

On reflection, perhaps Sheila does deserve more blame than her father. Although Sheila shows more remorse than Mr. Birling, her reasons for getting Eva sacked are less valid. Mr. Birling saw Eva as a ringleader of troublemakers who could disrupt his production and exploitation of cheap labour. Sheila however got rid of her for a far less important reason caused by her own temper, jealousy and spoilt behaviour. She used her power to get Eva dismissed.

Gerald Croft becomes involved with the girl at this stage but she has now changed her name to Daisy Renton in an attempt to start a new life. She is needy and considers prostitution. We should not condemn her for this because she had no parents and there was no welfare state in those days for her to turn to, so it was probably a choice between starvation and prostitution.

Gerald first met Daisy in a bar at the theatre. He saw Alderman Meggarty (a well-respected person in society) harassing her and went to her rescue. He took her for a drink and a meal because he pitied her and he learnt she was desperate and so let her use his friend’s rooms. She then became his mistress and they were together for the whole summer of 1911. He finished with her and cast her aside because of his relationship with Sheila Birling

Although he was probably fond of Daisy, there was never going to be any future in the relationship because of the class differences. Gerald was the son of Lord and Lady Croft and would be expected to marry someone of similar social standing. This was more important in the early 1900´s. Even Arthur Birling feels socially inferior and boasts about a possible knighthood to increase his own importance.

Being rejected by Gerald was probably more hurtful to Daisy than the dismissals inflicted on her by Arthur and Sheila Birling because there were strong emotions involved. Daisy was in love with Gerald and being thrown out by him left her not only homeless but heartbroken. She had also been cared for by Gerald and enjoyed quite a luxurious lifestyle (to her). She therefore had more to lose than previously. The drain on her emotions would have left her with less fighting spirit so her future looked even bleaker.

Gerald also had tried to act heroically; he seems to be the least at fault because he had given her a home and allowance even though he hardly knew her. Out of Eva’s appreciation caused love, which was inevitable so the whole situation of Gerald leaving Eva was bound to have happened.

Sheila although disgusted that Gerald has had an affair with Eva Smith/Daisy Renton handles the matter maturely; “ I don’t dislike you as I did half an hour ago, Gerald. In fact, in some odd way, I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before.”

Daisy does not look for a job again. Within a few weeks she is back in the Palace Bar (a place for prostitutes) where she meets Eric. She is thinking again of becoming a prostitute to earn a living. He is drunk and insists on going home with her and threatens to make a row unless she lets him in. He sleeps with her on this occasion and another two or three times. She then discovers she is pregnant but refuses to marry Eric because she knew he did not love her. Also she thought of Eric as a child, knowing he was young and foolish she realised it would not be a good idea to marry him.

Although it has been a casual affair, Eric has become quite fond of Daisy and wants to take some responsibility. Despite being from a wealthy family, he is regarded as a child and has very little money of his own and is forced to steal to provide for her. When Daisy finds out where the money has come from she refuses to accept any more and ends contact with him.

As soon as Mr. Birling knows that his son has stolen money from his accounts, he is furious. He tells Eric that he should have asked asked himself (Mr. Birling) for help, but Mr. Birling was not the type of father you could ask for help as expressed by Eric.

Although both Gerald and Eric have had sexual relationships with Daisy, Gerald had genuine feelings for her and looked after her, for a time whereas Eric,

“Just used her for the end of a stupid drunken evening, as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person.”

He also got her pregnant which in those days was far more serious than today. Daisy now had a baby to think about as well as herself and there was no welfare state to help. Also while she was pregnant, she couldn’t work as a prostitute or get any other job. This would mean she would be homeless and starving. I personally feel that Eric was most responsible and his actions could be justified by his parent’s upbringing.

Eric is regretful for what he has done, but that does not excuse his behaviour. Although he was not entirely to blame for her suicide, he must take much of the responsibility because he used her. However, he did not rape her; she was offering her services as a prostitute. Also, she could have married him, it was her choice not to. He tried to help her financially but she refused to accept any more stolen money. Maybe Daisy was too honourable.

Eva Smith/ Daisy Renton, now pregnant and with no money, turned to the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation. Mrs. Birling and other ‘upper-class’ women like her used these sorts of organisations to show themselves as very compassionate and caring people within society. Mrs. Birling was an important figure within the organisation. When she interviews Eva Smith/ Daisy Renton she is disgusted when she calls herself as Mrs. Birling, she feels working girls are too low to deserve the name. Eva Smith had only given herself the name of her child’s father was so. Mrs. Birling (Sybil Birling) then interrogates Eva calling her a liar and refusing to accept her story. People like Eva Smith needed advice, care and attention, however Mrs. Birling provided none of these. Eva Smith then tells her “the father was only a youngster-silly and wild and drinking too much. There couldn’t be the question of marrying him- it would be wrong for them both. He had given her money but she didn’t want to take any more money from him” this was because it was stolen. Mrs. Birling refused to believe her story and was prejudice against Eva: “As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!” She then uses her power within the organisation to get the other members to refuse her help.

Although Mrs. Birling is the chairwoman of a charity that is supposed to help people, her attitude is hypocritical because she does not help people who genuinely need it. Also the help she would have given Eva would not have been at her expense. She tells Eva to “go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility”. She thinks Eva´s case is not a deserving one and that people should sort out their own self-inflicted problems instead of putting the responsibility on others. She is smugly complacent and believes she has done nothing wrong. As she tells the inspector, “I accept no blame for it at all”.

Out of the Birling family I feel most disgusted by Eric’s actions, firstly because of his drinking, which leads to more and more problems. He then forcefully made love to Eva although he had not raped her. He did however threaten to make a row. He did in a certain way force Eva to have sexual intercourse with him. Furthermore he then does not face up to his problems he steals money from his father’s accounts, then when she does not accept the stolen monies, he leaves her. I feel Eric Birling was the guiltiest of Eva committing suicide because he laid on her the burden of a baby and did not face his responsibilities.

I feel this play had a political motive. J B Priestley was a renowned socialist, this play was written at a time the Labour party emerged and the welfare state was being created. This play had a purpose and that was to influence the audience on socialist ideas. The playwright presents Mr. Birling (the conservative) as a disliked character; on the other hand the inspector (a socialist) is presented as a more compassionate and caring character. The other political motive was to change the ideas of middle-classed people in Britain at the time, and J B Priestley warns if we do not try to help each other more wars, and problems, will occur.