Eva Smith: Symbol of the Working Class
Eva Smith isn't just one character - she represents millions of working-class women trapped by poverty and exploitation. Her "common name" deliberately shows how ordinary people like her were invisible to the wealthy Birlings, treated as disposable rather than human.
The contrast between Eva and the Birlings couldn't be starker. Whilst she's described as having "dark eyes" and being "fresh," suggesting purity and innocence, the family sees her as beneath them. Mr Birling's prejudice shows when he assumes "a girl of that sort would never refuse money" - revealing his classist assumptions about working-class morality.
Priestley uses Eva's story to highlight the hypocrisy of capitalism. The Birlings live comfortably by keeping "lower costs, higher prices" whilst Eva dies "in misery and agony." Her final resort to prostitution ("renting herself to men") shows how exploitation pushes desperate people into impossible situations.
Key Point: Eva's death isn't just personal tragedy - it's Priestley's critique of a social system that destroys the vulnerable whilst protecting the privileged.