Eng lit. Inspector Calls Characters (Inspector+ Eva Smith

Inspector: He is described on his entrance as creating "an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit. He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking. " He works very systematically; he likes to deal with "one person and one line of enquiry at a time." He is a figure of authority. He deals with each member of the family very firmly and several times we see him "massively taking charge as disputes erupt between them. He seems to know and understand an extraordinary amount: He knows the history of Eva Smith and the Birlings' involvement in it, even though she died only hours ago. Sheila tells Gerald, "Of course he knows." He knows things are going to happen - He says "I'm waiting... To do my duty" just before Eric's return, as if he expected Eric to reappear at exactly that moment He is obviously in a great hurry towards the end of the play: he stresses "I haven't much time." Does he know that the real inspector is shortly going to arrive? His final speech is the view of a socialist. He leaves the family with the message We are responsible for each other and warns them of the fire and blood and anguish that will result if they do not pay attention to what he has taught them.

Eva Smith: The Inspector, Sheila Gerald and Eric all say that she was "pretty." Gerald describes her as "very pretty - soft brown hair and big dark eyes." Her parents were dead. She came from outside Brumley: Mr Birling speaks of her being "country-bred." She was working class. The Inspector says that she had kept a sort of diary, which helped him piece together the last two years of her life: However, in Act 3 we begin to wonder whether Eva ever really existed. Gerald says, "We've no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl. Birling adds, There wasn't the slightest proof that this Daisy Renton really was Eva Smith. Yet the final phone call, announcing that a police inspector is shortly to arrive at the Birlings' house to investigate the suicide of a young girl, makes us realise that maybe Eva Smith did exist after all. What do you think? Think about Eva's name. Eva is similar to Eve, the first woman created by God in the Bible. Smith is the most common English surname. So, Eva Smith could represent every woman of her class.