Eva Smith

• Who is the character that does not appear onstage in the play but is central to the action?

  Eva Smith, Daisy Renton, and “Mrs. Birling”
• What role does Eva/Daisy play in the narrative of the play?


  She is the absent figure around which the action spins.
• How is Eva/Daisy characterized in relation to the other characters?


  She is a stand-in for the girls that Arthur, Sybil, Sheila, Eric, and Gerald have wronged.
• What was Eva/Daisy's employment situation?


  She worked for a low wage.
• Why did Arthur Birling fire Eva/Daisy?


  He fired her for going on strike and asking for higher wages
• How did Eric and Gerald's relationships with Eva/Daisy differ?


  Gerald cared for her, while Eric's relationship was more vexed and required him to steal money for her.
• What does it mean if Eva/Daisy is not one person but rather a set of people?


  This makes her no less substantial as an organizational principle for the work.
• What themes does Priestley demonstrate through the character of Eva/Daisy?


  He demonstrates how selfish, economically motivated, or jealous behavior can ruin people's lives.
• What lesson must each character learn in relation to Eva/Daisy?


  Each character must learn about their individual responsibility for her fate.