"But each of you helped to kill her." Do you agree with the Inspector"s words or do you think some of the characters are more responsible for Eva"s suicide than others? Discuss.

             The play "An Inspector Calls" was written in 1945 within a week of World War Two ending but set in the year 1912. The author, J B Priestley set the play in a large suburban house. In 1912 there was a big division between the social classes; a poor working girl such as Eva Smith would have a hard life. There was no Welfare State to support those who could not work. This meant that f you could not work then you would starve or went to the workhouse. At the other end of the social scale if you had wealth then you had a relatively easy life.

             Mr Birling is a successful factory owner, ex Lord Mayor of Brumley and a local magistrate. He believed he was a fair employer paying only what he had to and no more. "They were averaging neither more or less than is paid generally in our industry." If asked for a raise he would say it was his duty to keep cost low and prices high. ".lower costs and higher prices." Eva Smith an employee was sacked with other colleagues, seen as a ring leader for going on strike. Mr Birling wasn"t concerned in what will happen to the girls he fired; of Eva, he said, " have you any idea what happened to her after that? Get in trouble? Go on the streets?".

             Arthur Birling, like many other industrialists of that time was blind to the consequences of his actions as well as events happening around him. He was certain that there would be no war and that the Titanic was invincible and could never sink. ".the Titanic-she sails next week.and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.".

             Using every opportunity to flaunt his social status, Mr Birling was more worried about him self and his status that the girl who had died. He found it important to avoid a scandal and was concerned about this that anything else.