Discussion Topic
The responsibility of Eric Birling and Gerald Croft for Eva Smith's death in An Inspector Calls
Summary:
In An Inspector Calls, both Eric Birling and Gerald Croft bear responsibility for Eva Smith's death. Eric's irresponsibility and theft led to her financial and emotional distress, while Gerald's affair with Eva, followed by abandoning her, further contributed to her downfall. Their actions, along with those of other characters, collectively led to Eva's tragic end.
How responsible is Eric Birling for Eva/Daisy's death in An Inspector Calls?
Eric Birling has many faults. He steals money from his father, is a drunkard and a philanderer. However, of all of the party guests that night, he is probably the least responsible for the death of Eva Smith/ Daisy Renton. It is when he finds out that the young lady he has been seeing is pregnant he at least tries to make a gesture to help – however feeble and inadequate. Mr and Mrs Birling hold the father of the girl’s child responsible until they learn he is their son. Eva/Daisy had refused his help as she suspected that he was stealing the money he was giving to her to support her.
Eric is different from the others in that he did attempt to make Eva/Daisy’s plight a little better. He is repentant of what happened to the girl and clearly learns a lesson from the incident –
‘It’s what...
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happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.’
How much is Gerald Croft to blame for Eva Smith's death in An Inspector Calls?
Like all the Birlings, Gerald Croft is complicit in Eva Smith's death. (He knows her by the name of Daisy Renton.) He meets her when she is down and out, unable to get a job because she has been fired twice due to the Birlings. Arthur Birling fires her from his factory for requesting a small raise. Eva is lucky enough to bounce back from that and get a job in a department store, but Sheila believes she is being rude and uses her family clout to have her fired, even though the store manager thinks Smith is a good worker.
At this point, Eva/Daisy (her name changes point to her as an everywoman) turns to prostitution and is glad to become Croft's mistress to be fed and housed. He plays with her as long as he is infatuated and then leaves her enough money to survive for a year and forgets about her. He shares the blame for her death because he takes advantage of her misfortunes for his own pleasure. She is a tool he buys with his money and uses, then discards when he gets tired of her. He might have helped her find a new a job or realized he was taking advantage of her misery and lack of options, but it never crosses his mind that she is anything but a convenience for him.