Eva smith characterisation

• Priestley uses the name Eva as a reference to Eve, the first woman in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. Eve is from Hebrew 'to live' and therefore Eva's suicide is paradoxical, as the source of living has given up on existence
• She is a symbol all those living. Eva is the representation of all humanity, but especially women and those living in poverty.
• Eva's death is a necessary indicator of the consequences of the other characters' immoral actions. her suicide allows the characters and the audience to understand the fatal impact of careless individualism and capitalist attitudes
• Priestley's use of disinfectant could have connotations of cleansing and purification that come with disinfectant. The sexual abuse and exploitation the Eva suffered at the hands of Gerald and Eric left her unclean and violated. Therefore she needed to be purified which also has religious undertones
• Priestley does not reveal her identity as a specific individual. Therefore this allows him to use her as a symbolic representation of the oppressed working class people
• Priestley portrays Eva as a victim of this patriarchal society's classic prejudice and lack of social responsibility. Priestley uses Eva as a vehicle for exposing the harmful individualism of capitalism
• Priestley uses her character to exhibit the failure of a capitalist society in providing for the working class majority, rather than just the elite few
• Priestley campaigned for the Labour Party after World War Two. And Priestley believes that with the Labour Party Eva would not had to resort to prostitution and the National insurance act was one of the Labour party's policies in 1946. therefore in a socialist society, Eva wouldn't have been in poverty due to the policy of wealth redistribution. Therefore she acts as the evidence foe the need for socialism
• Priestley explores the detrimental effect of the class system through portraying distance parallels between Eva and Shelia
• Priestley portrays Eva Smith as a victim of the prejudices and individualistic attitude of the capitalist society of early 20th century Britain
• through the character of Eva Smith Priestley depicts the collective suffering of the lower classes at the hands of the upper classes, therefore arguing the need for a socialist reform