The Death of Eva Smith in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

The Death of Eva Smith in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

In “An Inspector Calls” by J.B. Priestley the responsibility for the

death of Eva Smith is shared between the whole Birling family

including Gerald Croft. They each contributed with one small thing

that when put together drove Eva smith to suicide.

The first in the chain of events, which led to Eva’s death, was when

Mr Birling sacked her from his factory. Eva Smith was a good worker

so Mr Birling put her in charge of a group of workers, this increased

Eva’s confidence in herself and her abilities, which helped her become

a ringleader in a group of girls who wanted a higher wage. They asked

for more money and Mr Birling refused, if he increased their wages he

would have to increase the cost of the clothes too and that would not

have gone down well with business.

“Well, it’s my duty to keep labour costs down

and if I’d agreed to this demand for a new rate

we’d have added about twelve percent to our labour costs.”

So the girls went on strike. Eventually the girls had to give up the

strike and Mr Birling let them get back to work except for the

ringleaders whom he sacked for being a nuisance and causing trouble in

the factory.

“Well, we let them all comeback- at the old

rates except for the four or five ringleaders,

who’d started the trouble. I went down myself

and told them to clear out.”

If Mr Birling had given the girls a second chance or punished them in

a different way Eva smith’s suicide would probably have been

prevented. Mr Birling was too stuck up in his own business and class

to think about the feelings of the girls he fired. Althou...

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pregnant and convinced everyone else on the committee to refuse to

help her too.

“Remember what you did, Mrs Birling. You turned her

away when she most needed help, You refused her even

the pitiable lit bit of organised charity you had in your

power to grant her.”

If Eric had not got Eva pregnant she would not have needed the help

that Mrs Birling refused. If Mrs Birling had helped Eva she would not

have felt so useless and would probably still be alive. Although Mrs

Birling was not entirely responsible for Eva’s death she contributed

the final event that drove her to suicide.

In writing the play “An inspector Calls” Priestly is telling us that

we all have a certain responsibility for each other no matter what

age, race, gender or class we are we are all equal and

responsible.