Eva Smith

• What does Eva symbolize in the play?

  She symbolizes oppression experienced by women and the lower classes in early 20th Century society.
• How do the actions of the characters contribute to Eva's fate?

  All characters' actions collectively lead to her suicide.
• Why was Eva fired from her job with Mr. Birling?

  She was fired for striking in favor of fairer wages.
• What role did Sheila play in Eva's dismissal from Milwards?

  Sheila was instrumental in Eva's dismissal from Milwards.
• Who were the two men Eva had relationships with?

  Gerald and Eric.
• What was the reason for Eva's rejection by Mrs. Birling's charity committee?

  She was rejected because of her pregnancy outside of wedlock.
• How did Eva commit suicide?

  She drank disinfectant.
• What does Eva's character represent in terms of social issues?

  She represents the suffering of the lower classes and the need for a welfare state.
• What is the significance of Eva's name in relation to the Biblical Eve?

  Eva's name references Eve, symbolizing life and the paradox of her suicide.
• How does the name "Smith" contribute to Eva's character?

  It symbolizes the everyday people of Britain and their universal story of poverty and suffering.
• What does the Inspector mean by saying “there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths”?


  It emphasizes that Eva's story is representative of many common people's struggles.
• Why does Eva change her name to Daisy Renton?

  To demonstrate her need to change her life direction to survive in a hostile society.
• What does the name "Renton" imply about Eva's situation?

  It is derived from "rent," a euphemism for prostitution, indicating her desperate circumstances.
• How does society view prostitution in the context of Eva's character?

  Prostitution is seen as sinful and not a legitimate job, leading to stigma against Eva.
• What does Eva's death signify in relation to the other characters' actions?

  Her death indicates the consequences of the characters' immoral actions and capitalist attitudes.
• What does the use of disinfectant in Eva's suicide symbolize?

  It symbolizes cleansing and purification from the exploitation she suffered.
• What is the central figure around which all the action in the play spins?

  Eva Smith
• How does Eva Smith's name symbolize her role in the play?

  Eva is a reference to Eve, the first woman in the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden, and Smith is a common working class name, symbolizing that Eva represents the oppression of women and the lower classes
• What is the significance of Eva Smith changing her name to Daisy Renton?

  The name change demonstrates how Eva felt the need to change the direction of her life in order to survive in a society that is hostile towards people like her, and the name "Renton" is derived from the verb "rent", which was a euphemism for prostitution
• How does Eva Smith's death symbolize the consequences of the other characters' immoral actions?


  Eva's suicide is a necessary indicator of the fatal impact of the characters' careless individualism and capitalist attitudes, as her desperate situation led her to see suicide as the only way to end her suffering
• What method did Eva Smith use to commit suicide?

  Eva killed herself by drinking a lot of very strong disinfectant
• What symbolic meaning does Priestley convey through Eva's method of suicide?

  The use of disinfectant to commit suicide suggests connotations of cleansing and purification, as the sexual abuse and exploitation Eva suffered left her unclean and violated, and she needed to be purified
• Why does Priestley use graphic language to describe Eva's suicide?

  Priestley uses graphic language to describe Eva's gruesome death in order to awaken the privileged upper class audience to the suffering of the working classes, and to emphasize and dramatize the suffering they caused to make the characters feel greater guilt
• Why does Priestley never reveal Eva Smith's true identity?

  Priestley does not reveal Eva's identity so that she can be used as a symbolic representation of the oppressed working class people, rather than an individual, allowing the audience to give her the face of whoever they may have personally impacted
• How does Priestley use the parallel between Sheila and Eva to comment on inequality in society?

  Priestley establishes parallels between Sheila and Eva to demonstrate that a woman's life depends entirely on the family she is born into, as Sheila's life is easy because she is upper-class while Eva's life is full of suffering due to being lower-class, showing how class determines privilege and persecution
• How do the male characters in the play exploit and objectify Eva?

  The male characters see Eva merely as a tool or object to fulfill their lustful desires or business interests, as evidenced by their descriptions of her as "cheap labour" or a "good sport", and their sexual exploitation and abuse of her
• How does Gerald's relationship with Eva/Daisy demonstrate his misogynistic objectification of her?

  Gerald's lustful, predatory description of Eva/Daisy as "young and fresh and charming" and his view of her as an object or possession shows his misogynistic objectification, and his "rescue" of her from the Palace Bar is merely a substitution of abusers
• What are the key ways in which Eva Smith symbolizes the oppression of women and the lower classes?

  • Eva represents the oppression that both women and the lower classes experienced in early 20th Century society
  • Her suicide demonstrates the fatal impact of the characters' careless individualism and capitalist attitudes
  • Her name "Eva Smith" references Eve from the Bible and a common working class surname, symbolizing her as a universal symbol of oppression
  • Her change of name to "Daisy Renton" shows how she felt the need to change her life to survive in a hostile society, with "Renton" being a euphemism for prostitution
• How does Priestley use the character of Eva Smith to convey his social and political message?


  • Eva symbolizes the suffering of the lower classes and the need for a welfare state
  • Her death is used to highlight the injustice and inequality among the social classes
  • Priestley keeps her identity ambiguous so she can represent the "millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths", encouraging the audience to reflect on their own impact
  • The parallels between Eva and Sheila demonstrate how class determines privilege and persecution, allowing Priestley to condemn the class system
  • The male characters' exploitation and objectification of Eva reflects the patriarchal nature of society at the time
• What is the significance of the Inspector's message that "there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths"?

  This message suggests that Eva's story of poverty and suffering is the universal story of the common people, and that the narrative of working class lives are told and controlled by the upper classes