Concise and well written detailed analysis of characters, that will ensure you that grade 9.
Includes: Eric Birling, Eva Smith, Gerald Croft, Mr Birling, Mrs Birling, Sheila Birling and Inspector Goole.
An inspector calls characters
Eric Birling
o Priestley uses Eric as symbolic of redemption; no matter the atrocities committed in the past, he has the capacity
to change and improve
o Priestley presents Eric in a sympathetic light through Eric’s opposition to Mr Birling’s capitalist and individualistic
attitudes
o The audience’s feeling of sympathy for Eric is increased by the evident lack of a good role model as a father
o Priestley portrays societies norms as the reason for the immoral behaviour of Eric as he is simply following the
atrocious example set by other men
o Eric is presented as naïve and ignorant of the true extent of the suffering of the lower class
o Remorse and regret is clearly shown by Eric while he accepts responsibility for his actions, yet he rejects taking
sole responsibility for her suicide
o The character of Eric can be seen as a source of optimism, proving anyone can change for the better
o He is facetious, impetuous, reckless, progressive and remorseful
o The upper classes internal corruption and hypocrisy is acknowledged by Eric, as he knows class systems are
immoral, wrong and ridiculous but still conforms
o Eric is portrayed by Priestley as repentant and remorseful for his immoral actions
o Priestley portrays Eric as only partially accepting responsibility for the death of Eva smith
Eva Smith
o Eva symbolises the suffering of the lower classes
o She is a victim of a patriarchal society and the class inequality which is apparent throughout the social hierarchy
o We never find out Eva’s true identity, this ambiguity enables her to become a universal symbol of oppression
o She is a microcosm symbolising all the poor, as her common name suggests
o She is the embodiment as Priestley represents the horrific mistreatment of the poor and the prejudice they
suffer due to their social class
o Priestley uses her as a symbolic representation of the oppressed working class people
o She is strong-willed, purposeful, resourceful and endearing
o Priestley uses the character of Eva smith to inflict guilt upon the Birling’s to make them repent, change and
ultimately accept responsibility for their actions
o Priestley deliberately uses graphic language to describe the gruesome death of Eva in order to awaken the
privileged upper class audience to the suffering of the working classes
o Priestley is able to use Sheila as evidence of the divisive nature of social class and how it creates undeserved
privilege and undeserved persecution present through the character of Eva smith
o Eva smith’s value to the male characters is merely hedonistic (pleasure-seeking) way of fulfilling their lustful
desires, which presents the ways in which they do not value her as an individual
o Eva is female and working class, and therefore this makes her among one of the most inferior demographics in
society evident by her sexual exploitation
o Priestley portrays Eva as a victim of this patriarchal society’s classist prejudice and lack of social responsibility as
she is essentially killed by capitalism
o Priestley uses Eva as a vehicle for exposing the harmful individualism of capitalism
o Priestley uses the character of Eva smith to dismiss the contemporary beliefs concerning the causes of poverty as
she subverts the typical poor stereotype as Priestley aims to counter the negative stereotype of the lower class
as Eva smith is the stark contrast
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