Eva Smith/Daisy Renton

What is significant about Eva's name?

• It's a name her mother gave her because she liked it

• It's a name that represents her as a someone descended from Eve and therefore she represents every woman

• It's one of the most common names of the era and so she represents all working class women

• She was named after blacksmiths and therefore an important profession at the time

The Inspector introduces Eva to the audience through his narrative of what happened to her. He uses blunt language to describe her suicide. Which of these quotations and analysis points is accurate?

• 'burnt her insides out' the repetition emphasises how painful her death must have been so that we feel sympathy for her and the working class, which she represents.

• 'burnt her outside in' the graphic imagery emphasises how painful her death must have been and therefore we feel sympathy for her and the working class, which she represents.

• 'burnt her inside out' the graphic imagery ensures the family and audience cannot escape realising the devastating impact our lack of responsibility can have on the most vulnerable in society.

• 'burnt her upside down' the graphic imagery ensures the family and audience cannot escape realising the devastating impact our neglect and lack of responsibility can have on the most vulnerable in our society.

Mr Birling reveals to the audience that Eva was what kind of a worker?

• lazy he was going to 'fire her'

• hard working and dependable he was going to 'promote her'

• absent. She rarely 'turned up'

• enthusiastic he was going to give her a 'recommendation'

He fires her for being a 'troublemaker' who led the others on strike over pay. What does he say in relation to her request for more money?

• 'I refused, of course'. 'Of course' is a significant hedge because it suggests he expects everyone to agree. He is a capitalist and wishes to maximise profit. Eva represents those who suffer at the expense of capitalism.

• 'I refused, naturally '. 'Naturally' is a significant hedge because it suggests he expects everyone to agree. He is a capitalist and wishes to maximise profit. Eva represents those who suffer at the expense of capitalism.

• 'I refused, so what?' Mr Birling is antagonistic and Eva represents those who suffer because their factory bosses don't understand them.

• 'I refused, of course'. 'Of course' is a significant hedge because it suggests he doesn't expect people to agree. He is a capitalist and to maximise profit and Eva kills herself because of this.

Sheila has Eva fired because she does what at the shop assistant and isn't what? What does this reveal about Eva?

• 'laughed' and 'plain, grumpy, creature' this reveals that her fun personality and prettiness leads to the mistreatment which is unfair.

• 'grimaced' and a 'beautiful, stunning, woman' this reveals Sheila was right to dismiss her as she was definitely rude and unattractive

• 'grinned' and a 'headstrong, fascinating woman' which shows that she can cope if she was fired from Milwards

• 'smiled' and a 'plain, miserable, little creature' this reveals that her beauty is a reasons she is mistreated and, as we don't know really why she smiled her friendliness is also a cause! This seems very wrong!

As a result of Mr B and S's mistreatment we next see her where and working as what?

• The palace bar and a prostitute

• The market and a fruit seller

• The palace bar as a barmaid

• The market as a prostitute

Gerald acts as though he's the hero as he saves her from Alderman Meggarty. What does this reveal about Eva's position?

• That prostitutes were generally used only by middle class men

• That respectable men were right to mistreat prostitutes because of the job they do and that these men should still be respected

• Many middle class 'respectable' men used prostitutes and felt they could treat them disrespectfully. Society has double standards as it rejects prostitutes but so called 'respectable men' that use them.

• That Gerald was a hero and that he treated Eva Smith like any other woman

Both Gerald and Eric admit that they didn't love her. Gerald states: ‘I didn’t feel as she felt about me’ and Eric states: ‘I wasn’t in love with her or anything-but I liked her’ . Learn these examples. Why are they significant?

• They show that they both did have some feelings for her and so were justified in their actions.

• They reveal working class women often fell for upper class men and Eva was no different. Because she was working class she should have been aware of this and not allowed herself to be with them.

• They reveal Eva was the kind of woman that slept with multiple men and therefore deserved everything she got.

• They show that wealthy men take advantage of a young working class woman for their own pleasure, without considering their possible feelings. They objectify her (treat her like an object), with no valid reason emotionally to do so.

Gerald says that Eva was three things, which reveals her loving and kind nature and makes us more sympathetic to her treatment:

• young and silly and disrespectful

• old and ugly and unkind

• young and pretty and warm-hearted

• young and beautiful and kind

Mrs Birling treats Eva as though all working class women are the same and have no morals. However structurally she is proven wrong when we discover the truth from Eric. She uses the dismissive phrases:

• 'As if a girl of that class would feel anything about being used'

• 'as if a girl of that class would ever have morals'

• 'As if a girl of that sort would ever not marry an upper class man'

• ‘As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money’