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Summary Grade 9 Eva Smith essay
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Throughout the play, Priestley conveys his ideas about society and his strong feelings about change throughcharacterisation. Eva Smith, in particular, is a character we never meet even though the whole play is centred around her
and her life. Her life is presented through the eyes of the Birling family. Although she is not there to share her story, the
audience never perceive her in a negative light despite Mr and Mrs Birling criticizing her in order to defend themselves. As
the audience, we feel that Eva smith has been treated unfairly and her death was not justified.
Priestley presents Eva Smith as a confident and independent “young girl” who is always inclined to do the right thing. We
learn that Eva Smith lost both parents so moved to the city for work. During Mr Birling’s interaction with the inspector we
discover that she was a “good worker” who he was “keen” to promote. The adjective “keen” indicates that Mr Birling was
eager to promote her, creating an image of a girl who worked harder than the others. This highlights that she took pride in
her work and deserved more, which makes it more surprising that Mr Birling declined her request for “more money.” Eva
Smith knew her worth and was not afraid to be forward with her demands – she is not afraid to stand up to “hard-
headed” businessmen like Mr Birling. Priestley supports how people from lower class backgrounds understand that they
have to work hard to reap benefits – unlike Sheila and Eric. Sadly, Mr Birling doesn’t see it this way and therefore exhibits
the ignorance of upper class during the 1910’s which Priestley felt strongly about. As well as being strong willed, she is
seen to possess a strong sense of moral integrity. When Eva finds out that Eric had been giving her stolen money “she
wouldn’t take anymore.” Although she was in such a distressing situation, she knew it was wrong so refused. This
indicates that she had very strong opinions and ethics which she adhered to. It also emphasises how the upper-class,
particularly Eric, does not have a moral compass to know right from wrong. This is ironic as these are the people in the
Edwardian era with the most ‘power’ and therefore should be encouraging change. It once again paints the upper-class in
a bad light which only strengthens Priestley’s argument; the young Birlings at one end of the spectrum who were born
into wealth whereas Eva, being lower class, had to fight harder to earn a living which reinforces her independence and
confidence as she had no one to rely on.
Priestley is determined to make the audience feel sorry for Eva Smith by the way the Inspector gradually reveals her story
to the Birlings. In Act 2, we encounter the most shocking scene in the play when Mrs Birling refuses to help Eva when she
needed it the most, despite her being the head of the Brumley’s Women’s Organisation. The harshness of Mrs Birling’s
reaction towards Eva is then juxtaposed with the Inspector’s description of Eva being “friendless, almost penniless,
desperate”. The use of the emotive adjectives creates a sense of pathos around Eva; the triplet which is structured using
commas emphasises the hopelessness of Eva’s character, as it forces the inspector to pause his speech to make his words
more powerful. Furthermore, the first two adjectives end in the suffix ‘less’ which highlights how she is short of the
necessities in life much like the lower-class population in the 1910’s. Later, in the play, we discover through Gerald's
interrogation that he knew Eva as “Daisy Renton.” This characterisation by Priestley in regard to the naming of the girl is
significant in evoking subconscious feelings in the audience. Although ‘Daisy’ elicits positive connotations in that it’s a
pretty flower, this is juxtaposed by ‘Renton’ which was a euphemism for prostitution in the early 20th century: it refers to
the way in which she has to rent her body in order to earn a living. This makes the audience feel that Eva’s life has been
very unfair in spite of her efforts to become successful. Further to this, ‘Daisy’ has connotations to many – daisies tend to
grow in multiples. This indicates that Eva is not alone in this situation and that many people in the lower classes had to
deal with similar mistreatments; moreover, highlights the sheer amount of people that faced injustice.
Priestley uses Eva Smith to represent the whole of the lower class during the Edwardian era. Priestley does not reveal the
identity of Eva Smith as an individual. By showing Eva’s photo to all the characters individually and never to the audience,
it allows Priestley to use her as a symbolic representation of the oppressed working-class people. During Inspector Goole’s
final speech, he reminds the Birlings that “There are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths left
with us.” The repetition of ‘millions’ amplifies the message that there are still a lot of people which we can help and
change the lives of. The use of the common surname ‘Smith’ is significant as it was one of the most common surnames in
Britain, and so the metaphorical implication by Priestley is that Eva is a symbol of the whole lower class in Britain that
were disadvantaged and suffering. The use of the metaphor “taught in fire, blood and anguish” hints that if the capitalists
do not change their ways, they will learn it through bloodshed and violence. Inspector Goole’s predictions are correct –
Britain did experience two world wars. Eva Smith is used to challenge the capitalist mentality and show the significance of
how actions can affect people. A cyclical structure is also used to highlight this, at the start there is a girl who committed
suicide and at the end the Birlings receive a phone call reporting the same thing. Perhaps this shows how capitalists did
not learn from their mistakes. This dramatic ending leaves the audience shocked and wondering how the Birlings will react
and highlights the significance of Eva’s character through the decisions that the Birlings make.
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