responsibility an inspector calls

Who, in your opinion, is the most responsible for Eva Smith’s death? An Inspector Calls was written by JB Priestley as a means of illustrating the flaws in the society of 1945 and the consequences that these flaws could bear. Priestley exemplifies this message most notably through the characters in the play. For example, although Eva Smith may not necessarily be a ‘real’ character, she is used as a representation of the entire working class community. This is central to the play because it means that how the characters accept responsibility for her suicide is a reflection of their social principles. In the following paragraphs I will investigate each character’s involvement in Eva Smith’s suicide and conclude by stating where the responsibility for her death lies. The character that, in my opinion, holds the least responsibility for Smith’s death is Gerald Croft. Although Mr Croft’s involvement in Eva Smith’s life was sizeable, we can establish that she had been ‘happier than ever’ for the months that they were seeing each other. This can also be backed up by the fact that when Mr Croft had to break the affair up, she was ‘very gallant about it’ and ‘didn’t blame (him) for it’. From when he saved her from the aggressive drunken clutches of Alderman Meggarty in the Palace Bar, to breaking off the affair serenely, Croft maintained a heroic figure throughout. It could be interpreted that dropping her suddenly from a high to a low is more villainous than heroic, however there is evidence in the play to suggest that even after the affair Eva Smith remained affirmative. This was undoubtedly due to the positivity that Croft had offered her during the summer months. Consequently, I believe that he is the least responsible for Eva’s suicide; the reason being the joy he bestowed her during the affair. One of the characters with a more negative effect in Smith’s life is Sheila Birling. After being the cause of her being fired from her job at a department store and