The Birling Family and Gerald are all one body. They all do their part so the body can function normally, just like the inspector said at the end of the play before he departed “we are members of one body. ” (Pg. 56). Eva Smith aka Daisy Renton is a hidden tumour that the Birlings or Gerald want to keep as a dark secret. The Inspector is like the Doctor who exposes the tumour and gets them to admit they all have done something wrong to contribute to the illness. The first person to be interrogated is Mr Birling, the father of the family.
We learn that Eva Smith had worked for him at his factory two years ago. He fired her for starting a strike for more pay. Mr Birling thought he did the right thing and denies that this had anything to do with her death, “I was quite justified”. (Pg. 17).
His attitude towards the girls’ death gives us the impression that he is snobby and doesn’t care about anybody socially below him; thus he likes Gerald because he comes from a rich family. His daughter, Sheila Birling, is the next person to be interviewed. She got Eva Smith fired at Milwards, which served as a second job for the girl.
She was jealous of Eva’s prettiness and when she pulled up a dress; it looked better on her, “you might be said to have been jealous of her. ” (Pg. 24). Then, as Sheila turned around, she saw Eva laughing and she mistook it, thinking she was laughing at her. She complained to the manager, using her social importance to get the girl fired “And so you used to power you had… to punish the girl just because she made you feel like that” (Pg. 24). Sheila is very selfish and stuck up; she probably got it from her parents. When she was accused, she took full responsibility, showing us she has the potential to change.
