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Eva Smith In An Inspector Calls

1464 Words6 Pages

In the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ by JB Priestley, Eva Smith is, in my opinion the most important character. Despite her not speaking or being shown even once in the entire play, she is arguably even more important than Inspector Goole, who is used by Priestley to convey his own opinions on society, and the divide between rich and poor. In this essay, numerous points which explain why Eva Smith is the main character, and therefore the most important character in the whole play will be highlighted. Foremost, nobody is willing to take responsibility for what allegedly happened to Eva Smith. This is an important reason for why she is so important. Evidence supporting this claim is when Mrs. Birling finds out about Eva Smith’s death, and her involvement …show more content…

In conclusion, Eva Smith is the most important character in the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ for all of the above reasons. Undeterred by the fact that she never speaks, or is even shown in the entire play, she is undoubtedly the main character. Priestley makes her put a spotlight on all the issues that he is so strongly opposed to. Eva brings out the lack of guilt of the upper class, and their refusal to accept responsibility for what they have undoubtedly caused. She is an example for the sociopolitical divide of the rich and poor – the upper and lower class. She serves as a metaphor for oppressed people, and epitomizes the treatment of women and the corruption of many men in the early 20th century, that Priestley was still seeing in the middle of the century, when he wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’, and that we sometimes still see taking place now, in the 21st century. He uses each character as a metaphor, the Birlings to represent the upper, capitalist class and the Inspector almost being the literal image of Priestley, sharing his socialist views, and objection to oppression. However, Eva Smith represents all the poor lower-class people who are regarded as cheap labor, all the oppressed women who had no choice but to do what they were told, and exposes the upper-class. No other character in the play delivers the same messages as her, and this makes her the most important

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