GCSE English Literature- An Inspector Calls- Eva Smith

It can be argued that Eva Smith is the most significant character in the play. Her presence is felt throughout the play, evoking a range of emotions: gut-wrenching, sorrow, anger, heartache, sadness, and anxiety. Despite not being physically present on stage, her impact is profound, and important lessons are learned as a result.

Eva’s name is symbolic:

‘Eva Smith’

The name ‘Smith’ was common among the working class during the 20th century, representing the masses. The noun ‘Eva’ symbolises Eve, the first woman on earth, creating a biblical link. This signifies women and although it is believed by Christians that Eve tempted Adam to eat the apple, therefore corrupting him, in contrast, Eva was exploited by men, showing how men took advantage of their power and status in those times and violated women, as they were seen as the weaker gender.

She changed her identity:

‘Daisy Renton’

The name ‘Daisy’ is a flower- a common flower in the UK again, representing the mass number of women. Daisy is delicate and beautiful- a reminder that these women are not to be exploited for their beauty and tenderness, rather to look after them and treat them delicately.

The name ‘Renton’ is derived from the word “rent,” which was a euphemism for prostitution. Eva, facing desperation, turned to prostitution to survive. In Christianity, prostitution is considered a sin, leading to Eva being stigmatized and her social status declining further. However, it’s important to consider the double standards at play. The men who paid Eva and other prostitutes at the time were often upper-class, many of whom were married. Their actions were not viewed with the same disdain, as it was expected for married men to have mistresses.

She felt the need to be cleansed:

‘ A lot of strong disinfectant’

The inspector reveals that Eva drank ‘a lot of strong disinfectant’ revealing that Eva wanted to kill herself. However, the question of why she killed herself in this way comes to mind. The noun ‘disinfectant’ has connotations of cleanliness and purity. She felt disgusting after being exploited and taken advantage of by Eric. She wanted to cleanse herself from the corruption.

Graphic imagery:

‘burnt inside out’

This not only illustrates the suffering this death caused but also symbolises the painful life she lived, ultimately as a result of being exploited by the Birlings. This represents the capitalists exploiting the working class, especially women. The violent verb ‘burnt’ indicates how she felt extremely worthless, she did not want her body to remain. The verb also has religious connotations, associating with hell. Eva Smith was living in hell, she saw no way out, which led to suicide. Priestly used this language to persuade and evoke sympathy in the post-war audience of 1945 for the working class as Eva Smith is a symbol representing the working class.

Priestley was a strong supporter of women’s rights and often featured female characters prominently in his plays and novels. “Time and the Conways” is a notable example of this. His socialist beliefs led him to advocate for women’s rights in society. The character of Eva symbolises the women’s rights movement: she was punished for standing up for women’s rights, exploited by men for their own sexual needs, and viewed as a threat by older women, leaving her without any support.

Mr Birling exploits Eva:

‘(unhappily), give thousands, yes thousands—‘

The heartless response by Mr Birling is shocking. The hyperbole of, ‘give thousands’, repeating ‘thousands’ just shows how heartless he is. It shows how Mr Birling, a capitalist, do not feel any empathy for the working class. They do not perceive them as humans. Priestley, through Mr Birling, shows how dangerous it was for working-class women. Living with this ideology and having no protection. It emphasises the dire need for the Labour Party as they set up trade unions and protection for workers.

Eva is a victim of the abhorrent capitalist mindset. She is a working-class woman, making her an easy target for exploitation. According to Mr. Birling in the play, Eva’s initial mistake was asking for higher wages. During the early 20th century, the feminist movement began, but it was heavily criticized, leaving strikers vulnerable to exploitation instead of protection.

Mrs Birling’s mistreatment:

‘A girl of that sort would not ever refuse money’

Priestley portrays how poverty is a symptom of capitalist corruption through the mistreatment and prejudice of Mrs Birlings. Although she is a ‘prominent member’ of a charity organisation’, unfortunately, this is not to help the destitute women, rather it is to gain influence and higher status in society. Wealthy women were able to stand in higher positions in society, such as the councils or committees.

Mrs. Birling uses her upper-class position to exert control over Eva Smith, a working-class woman. She objectifies Eva by calling her “a girl of that sort,” implying that she has no class and generalising her as greedy. The noun, ‘sort’ illustrates that she thinks lowly of the working class, upholding a degrading tone.

Context:

The poor were viewed as immoral. Once again, Eva defies this stereotype as she rejects Eric’s money, saying “she wouldn’t take anymore” after finding out it was stolen. She also refuses to marry Eric, as he states “she said, I didn’t love her.”

The poor were viewed as immoral. Once again, Eva defies this by refusing Eric’s money, saying, “she wouldn’t take anymore” after finding out it was stolen. She also rejects Eric’s proposal of marriage, as Eric stated, “she said, I didn’t love her.”

Priestley emphasises that she was forced to immoral actions as she was dismissed twice, leaving a bad reputation on her name for not being able to stay in jobs. This then led her to prostitution as she needed to survive. This snapshot symbolises how the capitalists who run the country drive the poor to immoral actions as they have no other option.

Priestley’s message is that is the socialists were governing the country then, Eva would not have been in such a sorry situation. Eva’s strike would have been protected by the trader unions. Should she have been fired unfairly, she would have been provided for by the government and she wouldn’t have been in poverty in a socialist society due to the policy of wealth distribution.

For more paper 2 revision, have a look at GCSE English Literature-Unseen Poetry and An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley- Inspector Goole

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