Who is Held Responsible for Eva Smith's Death in An Inspector Calls In this essay I will explain who I feel is most responsible for Eva Smith's death, by examining each character's contribution to the tragedy. I will also illustrate to what extent her death can be blamed on the society she lived in. In 1912 the society in which Eva Smith lived was very strict with a class system that split England up into wealthy and poor people with no classes dividing them. The sailing of the titanic was one of the feature points for that year. The navy was unchallenged and there were no help from the state to support the poor, no DHSS or NHS and the average life expectancy was around 46. There were advances in technology mass media being one, the developing of motorcars was introduced but only available for those who were rich enough to afford one. Trade unions had also started to gain power in the society, there were strikes from coal miners about work costs and conditions and the campaign for women’s rights had begun. I will demonstrate what I think Mr Arthur Birling had to do with the death. He is a pompous, self-serving business man who seems to have a high opinion of himself. Mr Birling states ‘for lower costs and higher prices’. From this quote you can tell that all he is interested in is his business, money and himself and couldn’t care less about anyone or anything. He also says ‘I gather that there is a very good chance of knight hood’ this also tells us he is snobby and vain, and thinks his stature and class make him the best and his knighthood is what he really cares about. When the Inspector starts to ask him questions about E... ... middle of paper ... ... feel that I have shown that everybody in the Birling household and Gerald Croft were partly to blame for Eva Smith’s death. As well the society in which she lived plays a major part in her tragedy. I think that throughout the book the author is trying to put this idea across in his amazing portrayal of what could happen if we do not act as a community but as individuals. Her death was provoked by a chain of events that started with her getting sacked from two jobs then being deserted, used for sex, and then to be turned away from a helping charity. These events built up enough pressure to make her kill herself, as she did not have anything left to aim for, no job, money, turned away from help and no one to love. If Mr Birling hadn’t of sacked her in the first place, then none of these other events would have happened.
The history of welfare systems dates back to ancient China and Rome, some of the first institutions known to have established some form of a welfare system. In both of these nations, their governments created projects to provide food and aid to poor, unemployed, or unable families and individuals, however these were based on “moral responsibility.” Later in history, in 1500’s England, parliament passed laws that held the monarchy responsible for providing assistance to needy families by providing jobs and financial aid. These became known as “poor laws” (Issitt).
money,he shows that money is so powerful and important among people that it takes on several
life, and in it he attempts to explain that which has evaded and mystified even
Do you agree that Eva Smith is presented as a victim in the play ‘An
"And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don't need to know any
makes each of them aware of the part they had played that lead to her
technology and how a man should live. He says 'A man has to make his
Gerald finds out at the end of the play when he takes a quiet stroll
An Inspector Calls is a play with lots of political messages as well as social messages. J. B. Priestley believed in socialism and he used large amounts of his plays to try and convince people to his way of thinking. It was written in a time when Britain was ruled by a Labour government and socialist policies were seen to be a good way to go. It was a common way of thinking at that time so Priestley's aim for the play was to influence the unconvinced in society.
He tried to portray the world through the terms of compassion and hope, but at the same time “he was profoundly disturbed by the brutality of totalitarianism and the savagery of war,”
had a lot to say - far too much - so she had to go'. I don't see that
and Arthur Birling, a man who has worked his way up from being one of
Written in 1947, J.B. Priestley's didactic murder-mystery, An Inspector Calls, accentuates the fraudulent Edwardian era in which the play was set. Britain in 1912 was inordinately different to Britain in 1947, where a country annihilated by war was determined to right the wrongs of a society before them. In 1912 Britain was at the height of Edwardian society, known as the "Golden Age". A quarter of the globe was coloured red, denoting the vast and powerful Empire and all Britons, no matter what class they belonged to were proud to be British - the "best nation in the world".
Walsh, M., Stephens, P and Moore, S (2005)Social Policy and Welfare, Cheltenham, Stanley Thrones Publishers Ltd
Character Analysis of Sheila in An Inspector Calls Sheila is unlike any other character in the play - she is far more. conscientious and more sensitive than any of the others, and she does. not express her opinion as frequently or forcefully as her parents. When Sheila hears of the death of Eva Smith she is genuinely shocked. by the news, and despite the fact that she does not know her, she is still upset.