Eva Smith is the main character in An Inspector Calls, as it is her suicide that makes the Inspector come to visit he Birlings, we never actually see or hear from her, just monologues from the other characters experiences. As Eva is only ever mentioned in the play, and never speaks, it means there are no quotes from her. However because she is the main character, the other characters have plenty to say about her. Eva has connections to all the Birlings and Gerald, as they are all responsible for her suicide at the beginning of the play. Eva first works for Mr Birling, in his factory, before asking him for a pay rise with all the other workers. Mr Birling sacks her as she is the ringleader of the work strikes. Eva then gets a job in a dress shop where she meets Sheila Birling, but is fired again after Sheila unjustly complains about her, using her social status to get rid of Eva. Eva Smith then bumbs into Gerald Croft whilst trying to find a job in a bar, he rescues her from an Alderman trying to get into her pants. Then after seeing she had nowhere to go, Gerald offers her one of his friends apartments, then proceeds to keep Eva- also known as Daisy Renton now-as his mistress. This carries on for a few months before Eva realised Gerald's engagement to Sheila, and( cos she doesn't want to be a home wrecker) she moves back into her back bedroom and breaks things off with Gerald. Eric Birling is the next person to find Eva, he meets her at a bar, when he is drunk (cough cough resident alcoholic). Then, to put things bluntly, he follows her home, and forces himself on her. Officially, he rapes Eva, and this is consequentially the only thing a character does that is in fact against the law. Eva realises that the money Eric was giving her was stolen, and that she is pregnant with Eric's child, after sending him away for the stolen money. This leaves Eva alone with an unborn child and no income. Terrified and losing hope, she comes to the last place for help, a woman's charity in Brumley, whose head is Mrs Birling. At first, Eva tells a fake story to her, and introduces herself falsely as Mrs Birling. This- and her class- is what causes Mrs B to be prejudiced against Eva from the start, and she is consequently turned away from help. Now alone in the world, with no money, no source of income, and soon to have a child, Eva Smith takes her own life by drinking disinfectant, and thus her story ends, the body of Eva Smith lying on a cold table.
Key Points about Eva Smith:
She was capable of being a leader- Mr Birling says, "She'd had a lot to say-far too much- so she had to go." This shows that Eva was not afraid to stand up for things she believed in, such as higher wages
'Now she had to try something else' - the something else that the Inspector refers to is prostitution, showing how much she lacked a source of income, and was ready to do anything for some cash.
'She was very pretty and looked as if she could take care of herself'- This quote said by Sheila shows how wrong first impressions can be. Sheila judged Eva by her appearance, thinking she would quickly find another job, but we know that is not true