Quick Scoop: Palace Bar Incident Unraveled The older man who wedged Eva/Daisy into a corner at the Palace Bar is Old Joe Meggarty. This moment comes from J.B. Priestley's play An Inspector Calls , where the Birling family confronts their roles in Eva Smith's tragic downfall.

Scene Breakdown

Mrs. Birling vividly recalls the repulsive encounter during the Inspector's interrogation: "Old Joe Meggarty, half-drunk and goggle-eyed, had wedged her into a corner with that obscene fat carcass of his". Eva, working in a dress shop after prior mistreatment, faced this harassment at the seedy Palace Bar, a place symbolizing moral decay for vulnerable women like her. Gerald Croft later "rescues" her, sparking their brief affair, but this incident underscores early abuses she endured.

Story Context

In An Inspector Calls (first performed 1945), Eva Smith (also called Daisy) represents exploited working-class women in 1912 Edwardian England.

  • Timeline of Eva's ordeals : Fired by Mr. Birling for unionizing, rejected by Sheila Birling out of jealousy, harassed by Meggarty, briefly protected then abandoned by Gerald, shunned by Mrs. Birling's charity, and assaulted by Eric.
  • Meggarty's role : As a local alderman, his predatory actions highlight upper-class hypocrisy, with the Birlings quick to condemn while ignoring their own faults.

Priestley's socialist message shines through—Meggarty embodies unchecked privilege pre-WW1, contrasting the Inspector's call for collective responsibility.

Forum and Trending Buzz

Online discussions often quiz this detail in GCSE lit circles, with some mix- ups naming Tom Buchanan (from The Great Gatsby) due to similar phrasing. Reddit threads on cut content from games like Baldur's Gate nod to "Daisy" but miss the play's core. No recent 2026 scandals revive this—it's timeless classroom fodder.

"Old Joe Meggarty... wedged her into a corner" – a line that still shocks readers today.

TL;DR : Old Joe Meggarty is the culprit; key scene from An Inspector Calls exposing class predation.

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