Eva Smith example essay topic

Dear Miss Renee Zelwegger, I must start by thanking you, on behalf of the London Stage Productions Corporation, for taking part in my latest production. The title of the play is to be 'An Inspector Calls', a remake of the original popular classic first staged in 1946. It's set in 1912 around the Birling family, who live in the industrial town of Bromley. Arthur Birling, owner of Birling & Company and head of the Birling family, is a prosperous manufacturer, and as a result the family are fairly well-off.

The family are sitting in their living-room, enjoying a celebration of Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft. Gerald is the son of the owner of Crofts Limited, Birling & Co's 'friendly rivals'. However their spirit is soon to be dampened as there is a knock at the door. It's an Inspector Goole, who is investigating the suicide of a young working-class woman named Eva Smith. Eventually it's revealed that every member of the family have in some way contributed to the death. The moral message of the play is not to be selfish, and social attitudes aren't always morally correct.

This means that although it may be accepted in society, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's right, for example racism in the 1950's and 1960's. It shows how one person's actions can affect another person's feelings. J.B. Priestly also intended this play to be a modernized morality play, exploring the difficulty of putting your religion into everyday practice. At the start of the play, Sheila is 'very pleased with life', as she is young, attractive, and has just got engaged. I would imagine that her rich background would mean that she has had rather a sheltered lifestyle and a good education. Her involvement with the death of Eva Smith came when she has her fired for a petty reason. She accuses Eva of laughing at her whilst trying on a dress, and is angered by this.

She then becomes jealous when Eva tries the dress on and looks stunning in it, and uses her high status in society to have her sacked. Eva's excuse for this, which is revealed later in the play, is that she was in a bad mood on the day. Sheila's response to the news that she helped push Eva to the limit is one of the few encouraging things to emerge from the play. She becomes genuinely upset when she hears of Eva's death.

When she heard from the Inspector that she played a part in her death, and was shown a photo of her, her distress was evident by the way that she ran out sobbing. She is prepared to admit that she made a mistake, and also appears keen to alter her behaviour. In Act Two, friction begins to form between Sheila and Gerald. Sheila also refuses to believe that she is the only one to blame, and she becomes more aware of the situation and of the things happening around her. She gets more and more agitated about the fact that no-one else realizes that no matter what they say the Inspector will find everything out, revealing some home truths along the way. She also says "He's giving us the rope - so that we will hang ourselves".

The Inspector is cunningly coaxing answers out of each of them. When she learns of Gerald's affair with the girl Sheila breaks off the engagement and, keeping calm and mature, clearly shows that she won't be rushed into accepting the ring back when the Inspector has left. She is not as angry with Eric because he did try to help Eva get back onto her feet, but when Eva realized he'd been stealing the money he'd been giving her she refused to accept any more from him. Sheila is especially angry, however, with her parents' attitude towards Eva. They pretend that they cannot be accountable for her death as they think that they are in a different class to her. Sheila gets the impression that her father considers people like Eva Smith not as actual human beings but as just a cheap workforce, and she is utterly disgusted by this.

When she learns of how her mother shunned Eva when she was pregnant and went to her mother for help she gets even angrier, as she doesn't feel that Eva deserved to be treated like that. Sybil Birling denied Eva Smith the very help that she so desperately needed to keep her and her baby. In Act Three, Sheila's happiness has been completely destroyed, as has her faith in her family. She now sees her family not as the loving caring people she thought they were, but cold-hearted, unforgiving, arrogant snobs. She can't accept her parents' attitude, and is both amazed and concerned that they " ve learned nothing from the episode.

During the play, Sheila persists in discovering the truth behind Eva's death, whilst her family are interested only in avoiding the blame. Sheila is also now aware that the Inspector is surrounded by mystery, and she realizes that there is no point in trying to hide anything from him. She believes that although he may be a hoax the family have still behaved in an entirely unsuitable manner. Sheila learns about her responsibilities to others less fortunate than herself, others such as Eva Smith, and her readiness to learn from her experiences is of great contrast to Mr and Mrs Birling. Remember whilst you are playing this character that it is set in 1912, and they spoke and acted differently in those days. Society was massively different too, so Sheila's outspokenness towards the end would have been frowned upon.

You will be wearing a costume that dates from that period, but don't worry, you won't look frumpy. I look forward from hearing from you in the near future. Yours Sincerely Darling Rachel Reu by.