Although each member of the Birling family and Gerald Croft have had contact with Eva Smith/Daisy Renton during the previous two years, none of them is aware of the others´ involvement in the tragedy until the day of the inspector´s visit. He makes them aware of the part they have played in her tragic end. The characters each react differently to the news and to the degree of responsibility which they should bear.

The first person to have contact with Eva was Arthur Birling. He had employed her at his works until September 1910. At first when the inspector had asked him about Eva he couldn´t remember her until the inspector showed him a photograph of her. He then remembered her and explained about his involvement. Eva had been involved in a dispute over low wages and because she had been one of the ring leaders in the strike, he had dismissed her.

When told of the consequences of his actions, that Eva was out of work for two months and desperate for money, Arthur Birling showed no remorse. He explained that:

"The girl had been causing trouble in the works.

He was backed up by Gerald Croft whereas Sheila and Eric disapproved.

We don´t hear of Daisy looking for a job again. Within a few weeks she is back in the Palace Bar which is where she meets Eric. She is thinking again of becoming a prostitute to earn a living. He is drunk and insists on going home with her and threatens to make a row unless she lets him in. He sleeps with her on this occasion and another two or three times. She then discovers she´s pregnant but refuses to marry Eric because she knew he didn´t love her.

Although she is the chairwoman of a charity that is supposed to help people, her attitude is hypocritical because she doesn´t help people who genuinely need it. She tells Eva to "go and look for the father of the child. It´s his responsibility". She thinks Eva´s case isn´t a deserving one and that people should sort out their own self-inflicted problems instead of putting the responsibility on others. She is smugly complacent and believes she has done nothing wrong. As she tells the inspector, "I accept no blame for it at all". She has a clear conscience and is convinced of the justice of her position, "I did nothing that I´m ashamed of or that won´t bear investigation" she declares. Evan though she is a strong character as we have seen and stands up to the inspector she is so narrow minded that she is led into condemning her son for Eva´s death. She also takes the blame away from herself by blaming Eva herself and even Arthur for starting it all. She never takes responsibility for her own actions and at no point blames herself.

Some topics in this essay:
Sybil Birling, Arthur Birling, Eva Arthur, Sheila Birling, Daisy Gerald, Birling´s Eva, Palace Bar, JB Preistley, Gerald Croft, Sheila Gerald´s, arthur birling, gerald croft, refused help, arthur sheila, tried help financially, responsibility actions, accept blame, believed help, eric sexual, sheila eric, refuses accept,