1912

• rigid class system providing little social mobility within society, those who belonged to a class were confined and restricted by this - most significantly lower classes as symbolised through eva who was unable to advance herself within society without drastic consequences
• rigid divide was a continuation of the Victorian era's fixed social structure
• society divided into upper, middle and working-class with upper class making 5% of population - poverty was rife around early 20th century, 25% of population lived in poverty while 10% lived below subsistence
• driving force behind poverty was underpayment of workers - priestley creates eva as an indictment of this inhumane treatment of working classes
• birlings classify as miccle class as they had a servant - edna
• link to play

  priestley critical of lack of social mobility in 1912, creates eva as emblematic of inhumane treatment the lower classes had to face due to restrictive class system. he also constructs mr birling as a pompous unlikeable character to vilify individuals who perpetuate this rigid system