Eva Smith/Daisy Renton

Eva Smith/Daisy Renton is the two names given to the girl who suffers at the hands of the Birlings and Gerald.


Eva Smith/Daisy Renton is arguably the most important person in the play, even though she doesn't appear on stage and has no dialogue.  This is because the action centres around her.  If she hadn't interacted with each Birling and Gerald, then the story wouldn't have happened and there would be no need for the Inspector to come calling.

A brief timeline of her life (as it intersected with the Birlings and Gerald):

• Mr Birling sacked her from his factory for a leading a strike for better pay

• She was sacked from a dress shop after Sheila unjustly complained about her

• She became Gerald's mistress

• She was made pregnant by Eric

• She applied to a charity for help, but Mrs Birling refused that help

• She committed suicide by swallowing disinfectant

Each of the Birlings and Gerald play a part in her life and each contribute to the appalling situation she finds herself in before she commits suicide.  The Inspector doesn't lay the blame at any one feet, but believes they're all responsible for her downfall.

The way she's describe to the audience makes us feel empathy towards her:

• "Big dark eyes"
• "Soft brown hair"
• "Fresh and charming"

The reason these descriptions are so important is because they make her appear young and innocent, marking what happened to her all the more harder to comprehend.  Also, her name - 'Smith' - is one of the most common western names, meaning that she could literally be anyone.  She becomes a metaphor for the working class in the early twentieth century, as she is used and abused by the upper classes and left for dead when served her purpose.  The name 'Smith' only heightens this metaphor.

The ultimate goal of Eva is to show that basic interactions with people can unduly influence others.