When the Inspector arrives, he tells them of the suicide of a young girl called Eva Smith. ... Mr Birling had her dismissed from his factory for demanding a small increase in wages; Sheila ordered her to be dismissed from her job in a shop simply because of her pride; Gerald Croft kept her as his mistress before leaving her suddenly; Eric Birling also had an affair with the girl and stole money to keep her living; and Mrs Birling used her influence to deny help to Eva Smith when she needed it most, driving her to suicide. ... Her egotistical personality is displayed by her jealousy of Eva. She...

• Word Count: 4496
• Approx Pages: 18
• Grade Level: High School

This is shown when Sheila refers to Eric as 'squiffy' and Mrs. ... The audience knows that the joke was harmless and might wonder what Eric has to worry about. ... When Eric and Sheila find out what their parents and Gerald contributed to the demise of Eva, they are shocked: 'Well I think it's a damn shame.' ... Therefore, the only way for the Inspector to avenge Eva Smith was to make the people in question feel guilty. ... Just before the Inspector leaves he turns the blame onto the whole of society by mentioning that the problem did not lie with just Eva Smith and on...

• Word Count: 4696
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: High School

He claims that the Birling's have something to do with the suicide of a young girl called Eva Smith. ... The protagonist of the play is Eva Smith - although she is never actually seen. ... This adds greatly to the guilt of Sheila and Eric but once again, not Mr and Mrs Birling. ... Once the full extent of the situation is known then Birling thinks his conscience is clear and blames Eric, but as he reveals that the Inspector took me by surprise', his conscience obviously isn't clear. ... Gerald is non-committal as ever, but Sheila and Eric appreciate the irrelevance of the...

• Word Count: 3387
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School