Who Or What Is Most To Blame For The Death Of Eva Smith?

Who or what is most to blame for the death of Eva Smith?

“An Inspector Calls” is a play written by J. B. Priestley. This play is based in 1912 in a small county called “Brumley” and is about how each of the Birling's had a part to play in the death of Eva Smith. In this essay I will be discussing the sackings of Eva Smith and how they are different. The relationships she had and how they affected her emotionally as well as physically and the troubles she faced due to society and expectations of women in those days.

The sackings of Eva Smith was the starting point of the chain of events that follow. In act one we discover that Eva Smith had been sacked from Mr Birling’s factory - Birling and Co. Eva Smith was described as a “lively good-looking

girl” and was a “good worker”. In-fact Mr Birling was just about to give her a promotion. Later that year Eva Smith and some other women - named the “ring-leaders"-asked for a pay rise from twenty-two and six shillings to twenty-five shillings. Mr Birling refused of course to “keep labour cost down” and to remain a competitive business. So they decided to go on strike, the strike lasted one or two weeks and sooner or later everyone flooded back to the works. Although Mr Birling sacked all of the ring-leaders (which included Eva Smith) for starting “the trouble”. Mr Birling maybe could have handled this situation better by maybe increasing their hours or workload but really his actions were just about the same as any other business man at that time. When Eva Smith was sacked it was not a personal attack, there were a few others put out of work as well.

At the beginning of december Eva Smith was lucky enough to get her hands on another job at Milwards, due to an outbreak of influenza. Milwards was a department store which the Birling’s shopped in often. Eva Smith adored her new job she enjoyed “being amongst pretty clothes”. However Eva Smith did not last long at Milwards due to a complaint made by an unhappy customer - Sheila. Sheila and Mrs Birling were shopping in Milwards looking for a dress for Sheila. The dress that Sheila picked out for herself didn't flatter her at all, and Mrs Birling pointed this out, but Sheila wouldn't listen and went ahead and tried it on. Soon she realised that she looked awful in this and in the background she could see young Eva Smith smirking with the assistant. Sheila admitted she was in “a furious temper” so with that she went to the manager exclaiming “if they didn't get rid of that girl, i’d never go near the place again," so the manager felt obliged to sack Eva as the Birling family were consistent customers. After Sheila’s actions she “felt rotten about it” showing she regrets what she had done. Sheila was very sorry and ashamed of what she had done whereas Mr Birling didn't regret anything. When Sheila got Eva sacked it was much more personal and petty however Mr Birling’s actions weren't personal and were not any different to what any other business would do.

Eva Smith had a couple of relationships which affected her majorly in different ways. As she had just been sacked from both her jobs, Eva was left penniless, it looks like becoming a “woman of the town” was inevitable. One evening when Eva was hanging about the Palace bar, Gerald also happened to be there. Eva soon caught Gerald’s attention as she was not a “hard eyed, dough faced” women like the rest of them. Soon the pair collided due to a drunken man pestering young Eva. Gerald realised Eva was new to this business and also saw this was not out of choice, he took her out of the situation as soon as possible. Eva then told Gerald about herself he could tell Eva was lonely as “all she wanted was to talk” and have a “little friendliness”. Gerald then offered her a room and soon after Eva became his mistress.Gerald had know became “the most important person” in her life although Gerald was described as her “Fairy Prince” which reinforces the fact that him and Eva could never be due to their difference in social status. After 5 months Gerald finally ended their affair, Eva was “very gallant about it” but obviously very hurt inside. Kindly Gerald gave Eva enough money to tide her over for the rest of the year. However Eva spent the money rather unwisely as she took a trip to the seaside to make her and Gerald’s relationship together “last longer”. I think Gerald’s actions, though very kind, were a bit senseless as he showed her a life she could never possibly have and left her broken-hearted. A better solution may have been to give Eva a job at his Fathers company, still showing Eva care and friendship without breaking her heart.

Eva soon found herself back in the Palace bar again, and this time Eric happened to be there, drinking to escape his father. Instantly Eva stood out as she was not like any of the other “fat old tarts” that populated the bar. Eric was “a bit squiffy” that evening and began talking to Eva. Soon Eric made it back to her lodgings for that night and threatened to make a scene in her stair if she didn't let him in. Eric assaulted her that night as well as getting her pregnant against her will. When Eric woke up he couldn't remember what he had done the night before, which shows that Eric was drunk. Soon after Eva approached him with the news - she was having his baby. Eric was in a “hell of a state about it” and contributed fifty pounds. Soon Eva figured out that the money Eric was giving her was stolen (from his fathers office) and refused to take any more of it. Eric’s actions were selfish and self-centred showing no respect for Eva Smith although afterwards he was very apologetic, but was it to late.

After Eva’s recent news she applied for help, however her case is immediately prejudiced.

“The Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation” offered help in many forms to women who were in distress, the chair of this organisation was Mrs Birling. Due to recent events, Eva changed her name to Mrs Birling as it was the first name that popped into her head . As soon as the chair - Mrs Birling - heard this, she immediately prejudiced Eva’s case, saying Eva was using her name “quite deliberately” and with “gross impertinence”. Eva pretended to have been left pregnant by her husband who had deserted her, she made this up due to the way society and other people viewed pregnant women - you must be married to have a child. Sooner or later Mrs Birling finally got the truth about Eva’s current situation. The father was “silly and wild and drinking too much” and there “couldn’t be any question of marrying him” she told Mrs Birling that the money the father was giving her was stolen and she wouldn't take any more of it however Mrs Birling claimed it was “a lot of nonsense” and “as if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!” Mrs Birling clearly made her decision about Eva’s case based around society in those days and expectations of

women.

Society was very strict in those days, especially when it came to women.

Society would affect women in every class, often ladies of the higher class would not have much say on who they were to wed. Eva Smith also had a very hard time due to society as, being pregnant without a husband in those days was unheard of. If you were assaulted by a male, that was also the females fault, men also used lower class women as a mistress as they were definitely more available to use than an upper class women. Many people (including Mrs Birling) based their decisions and opinions off of society. Over the years society and the way people look at others (women, men, upper class, lower class etc…) has changed majorly. In some ways society did play a crucial roll in driving Eva to commit suicide, people based their decisions off this and definitely would have treated other women/men differently than they treated

Eva.

To conclude I believe that the thing most responsible for Eva Smith’s death was society. I believe this because after the sackings, relationships and her appeal for help, society was the biggest influence over almost everyone’s decisions in the play. If Eva was higher up the social scale would she still have been treated in the same way? Eva would not be as accessible or as easy to dispose of for Gerald and Eric, they certainly would not have done this to a women of the higher class such as Sheila. So Eva would not be so depressed as well as stressed for her unborn child. Mrs Birling certainly made her conclusion about Eva based around society, if Eva was somebody of the higher class they would definitely offer more support and assistance than they would to someone lower. In this day and age I hope we have overcome this stereotyping however I do realise that this went on in the early nineties. Are there still characters such as Eva Smith in the world today, going through the same torment as Eva did. When will our world really realise our mistakes?