Eva Quotes : Hypocrisy

Question 1

“a girl of that sort
would (not) ever refuse
money” //
“impertinence (in
claiming to be Mrs
Birling)” // “one of the
things that prejudiced
me against her

Answer 1

Mrs Birling is prejudiced against Eva’s story due to
her class, rather than against Eva as an individual.
She even admits to this when pointing out Eva’s
“impertinence” (in claiming to be Mrs Birling) as
“one of the things that prejudiced me against
her”. The use of the noun “impertinence” is loaded
with connotations of class prejudice, implying that
Mrs Birling sees herself as superior to Eva.
Therefore, those living in poverty have no way to
escape it as they cannot challenge their exploitation.
Eva’s attempt to strike saw her fired and even the
institutes meant to help those in her position are
prejudiced against her.

Question 2

“a girl of that sort
would (not) ever refuse
money

Answer 2

Mrs Birling claims that “a girl of that sort would
(not) ever refuse money”, as she assumes that due
to her lower-class origin, she is inherently greedy.
Despite this, Eva is presented as a moral force,
who never takes stolen money and won’t marry Eric
just for his wealth. This is in contrast to Eric, who
steals money, and the Birlings, who arrange Sheila’s
marriage for financial gain; in the name of “lower
costs and higher prices”

Question 3

“very pretty” and having
“big dark eyes” //
“leave after a strike”
and “said something
about the shop too”

Answer 3

Gerald tries to alleviate his and the other characters’
responsibility by claiming that Eva was many
different girls, rather than the same one. This is
despite him providing the evidence they were all the
same when he linguistically echoes Sheila,
describing Eva “very pretty” and having “big darkeyes”. Furthermore, he recalls her telling him she
had a job that she had to “leave after a strike” and
“said something about the shop too”. This makes
it profoundly clear that the characters are denying
the Inspector’s accusations for their own benefit
– so they can continue to live their materialistic lives
without taking responsibility or trying to change.