Revised Open Prompt #4

1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

            People affect other people: that is a fact of life.  An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley examines how little things can affect others through Eva Smith.  Although Eva Smith never appears in on stage, interactions with her define other characters.  Priestley uses this to push how British values failed those at the bottom of society.

            When Inspector Goole shows each member of the Birling family how they contributed to Eva Smith’s suicide, their reaction defines them.  Mr. and Mrs. Birling’s denial and anger exhibit the broken old beliefs.  Because Eva Smith was a working girl, Mr. and Mrs. Birling have no sympathy for her plight. Even though she was pregnant with their grandchild, they are more upset that their son gave her money than for the role they played in her death. These reactions indicate Priestley’s views on the fading British social order.  Horror and guilt plagues Sheila and Eric Birling showing the audience that there is still hope for them, the next generation.  Reactions to Eva Smith’s death put the characters into categories: those who uphold the strict British social order and those who dare to care for the less fortunate.

Eva Smith may not be real in the context of the play.  She is given multiple names and she never comes onto the stage.  The doubt of her existence only broadens Priestley’s message: Inspector Goole says, “…there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths” (Priestley).   Eva Smith’s faceless character puts the Birlings’ responsibility for her death on everyone. Whether Eva Smith is a person or an idea, she is pertinent to the play.

Anyone could have been Eva Smith.  Society failed to help her, and because of that she died.  The Birling family is defined by how they treated Eva Smith, a character who never appears on stage, yet Eva Smith’s anonymity aids Priestley’s in critiquing all British values.