To what extent was each character responsible for Eva’s death Essay Example

has done and 'felt rotten about it at the time' and now feels a lot worse. Her reaction to the truth is somewhat emotional; she doesn't keep her feelings within her and lets is all out about how responsible she is and can accept her responsibility, 'if I could help her now I would. ' Sheila is really feeling the guilt by the time the inspector is interrogating her and wants to help the investigation in any way she can. Sheila learns from this ordeal dearly as she realises what a mistake she has made and that she would do as much as she can to help out in the investigation.

She is ashamed of her parents and not proud of herself at all and has learnt not to punish others as a result of your own feelings; in Sheila's case, jealousy. Sheila is like the inspector in the way that he uses intuition and is very perceptive and is able to analyse the situation she learns that it's important. Even though she had bad parenting, she is different and is able to criticise her parents. Eric on the other hand is very responsible for Eva's death.

Technically Eric is the one that helped her most but also possibly the one that hurt her most and most responsible.Like Sheila, Eric is a child that has had bad parenting and there was a lot of pressure on him that when he was older he was the one to take over the factory but he didn't show any interest in doing so whatsoever. Eric first met Eva when he was at the palace bar, he liked the look

of her and they had a few drinks. After that they both went to the lodgings and they made love.

He 'wasn't in love with her or anything- but liked her- she was a good sport-'Eric is very immature and quick to make decisions. He doesn't think before acting.Eva is pregnant with Eric's baby' at this point he has stolen money from his father's office and presented it to Eva as she didn't have a job. This suggests Eric is still immature and hasn't learnt from his mistakes and still acts without thinking about the consequences; just acts impulsively. Eric's reaction to the truth is contrasting to his fathers; Eric owns up to his mistake and accepts that he is at fault and that he had a responsibility but neglected it, therefore adding to the trauma Eva goes through.When it comes to the attention of Eric and the rest of the family that the inspector wasn't real, Eric still realises it doesn't alter the fact they all helped kill her, He is able to accept the responsibility and capable of learning from mistakes.

'Whoever that chap was, the fact remains that I still did what I did. ' All in all Eric has grown morally and will think before acting in the future. He realises he is part of a community and everything he does, reflects on others.Like Sheila, though he had bad parenting, he is still able to accept responsibility in what has happened.

Mrs Birling is very responsible for Eva's death. Eva went to Mrs Birling's charity for help but was rejected and the charity was the last bit of hope Eva had.

Mrs Birling thinks that she is people like Eva and is better than them. She thinks that because she is of different class she cannot have feelings, she was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd, for a girl in her position. And she also thinks that because her family is of different class, that they can't relate to her or understand why she committed suicide.

'I don't suppose for a second that we can understand why the girly committed suicide, girls of that class? ' Mrs Birling could have made a huge difference in Eva's life as she could have taken her into her charity and provide her with shelter and a stable lifestyle but no, she lacks in understanding and she doesn't see things from others point of view and isn't empathetic towards Eva.When the inspector leaves she still acts naive and unsophisticated trying to portray that she knows he wasn't really and inspector all along and thought that she was the only one that didn't give into him, 'I was the only one of you that didn't give into him' She is proud of herself but Sheila knows Mrs Birling is hiding the facts and that Mrs Birling is denying her involvement and the truth. Mrs Birling's ability to learn from her experience is appalling, she tease her own children about giving in.She still doesn't realises that although the inspector wasn't real, she is still responsible for driving Eva to her death and she is grateful of Gerald for finding out the inspector is a fraud and thanks him, ' And I must say Gerald, you've argued this very

cleverly, and am most grateful. ' Like Mrs Birling, Mr Birling is very irresponsible and immature. He is also very responsible for Eva's death he is the owner of the factory Eva worked at.

He didn't care for his workers at all, just about himself and he sacking Eva started the chain of events which led to her death.The factory workers voice was Eva, she is the one who organised the strike to get a wage rise and as a result of this, she was sacked as she was thought of as a trouble maker. Birling does not care about what will happen to her now, all he cares for is himself and his image and protecting his knighthood, 'A man has to mind is own business and look after himself and his own. ' When it comes to the attention of Birling that his actions had been the start of the chain which led Eva to her death, all he could do was deny any involvement in it and rejects all responsibility.Still can't accept any responsibility'.

As he was mayor previously and is expecting knighthood very soon he thinks that he can use his status to his advantage and that if he talks of his status, he can get out of trouble. Birling is very controlling and very protective of his family too. When the inspector is interrogating his family, he is very eager to keep them out of it and doesn't want to get them involved. Like Mrs Birling, he too is unable to learn from the experience and is delighted when he realises that the inspector was not real.

Birling think that he

has been let off the hook and he doesn't feel threatened anymore. He unlike Eric and Sheila doesn't realise that although the inspector wasn't real, the fact remains that they sis what they did. 'I'm convinced it is, no police enquiry, no one girl that this ha all happened to-no scandal' Like Mrs Birling he mocks the children about giving in to the inspector and feels proud of himself for not fully giving in and feels he is right when in actual fact he is setting a bad example to his children, being a bad role model.Out of all the people involved in the chain of events, Gerald is the least responsible and is originally setting out to help her but like the others doesn't think of the consequences and ends up hurting her even more and driving her to suicide. Gerald met Eva in the palace bar.

He saw her being harassed by megharty and helped her out, he was just what she needed, a knight in shining armour to rescue her from her life. She had no one else who she loved or loved her back, he cared for her and made her feel loved. Gerald and Eva developed quite an intimate and close friendship, Gerald knew it would not last, and so did Eva.Gerald didn't feel the same way about Eva as she did about him and was just flattered by the attention he was getting.

Eva was turned out of her room at the palace and Gerald put her up in a place which his friend had lent him and made her take some money too. At this point he thinks

he is doing the right thins and is feeling proud of him but hasn't thought of any of the consequences just like the others.When his family and the inspector find out that he is involved, he tries to deny any involvement. 'Where did you get the idea that I know her? He doesn't want it to get out that all this shad happened between the two of them. He wants to keep this relationship with Eva and is now at a point where he knows what he done is wrong even though he originally set out to help her.

It takes time for the truth to sink in for Gerald as he isn't like Eric and Sheila and not as perceptive or intuitive as them. 'Sorry-I-well, ive suddenly realised-ive taken it in properly, that she's dead! ' Gerald is feeling guilty and it has hit him that the inspector may not be real, and after a bit of investigation he is sure that it wasn't a real inspector.Gerald takes the news to the rest of the family and like Mr and Mrs Birling he thinks that he can forget about what has happened and about what he has done and that he can move on, but he can't; though he tries to, he can't. Gerald accepts he has done wrong by Eva and accepts what he has done, he's learnt honesty is important and knows he must be honest for his relationship with Sheila to proceed and become successful.

In conclusion Sheila and Eric have learnt the most from this experience and there will be a change in their life for the better.Though they had

bad parenting, they have still grown into mature children and are able to learn from their mistakes unlike their parents which have learnt the least and are still the same immature selfish people they were before the incident which brought on Eva's death occurred. This play was written by J. B priestly and was written to show that every person is part of a community and everything they do has an effect on others. He also wrote it to show everyone is responsible fro one another and has a responsibility to look after them.