Eric Flashcards
Eric
How is he presented as not fully mature at the start of the play?
Stage directions describe him as “half shy, half assertive”.
- Adjective “shy” connotes nervousness/lack of confidence.
- Contrasts to “assertive”; implies confidence/dominance.
- This creates sense of confusion; implies he’s secretive.
Eric
Why does Priestley portray Eric in a negative light in the beginning of the play?
- To show that the Capitalist patriarchal society is not trustworthy.
- Encourages audience to reject the Capitalist ideas that Eric appears to be representing.
Eric
How does the use of the word “half” suggest hope?
- “half” is repeated to emphasise that his character is not fully formed.
- This indicates there is room for him to change.
Eric
Why is he purposefully aligned with alcohol?
-To foreshadow later revelations of his drunken behaviour the night he met Eva.
Eric
What is the importance of the quote “in that state when a chap easily turns nasty”?
- Determiner “that” shows that Eric is appealing to a commonly shared belief that his listeners have been drunk and understand what “that state” is.
- Lack of responsibility; alcohol used as excuse for implied rape of Eva.
Eric
Why is third person of “a chap” significant?
- Third person allows him to distance himself from Eva’s rape.
- “chap” suggests friendliness. Allows him to position himself as a friendly young man who doesn’t take responsibility for his behaviour that is solely due to the effects of alcohol.
Eric
Which quote is used to show Eric admitting his guilt?
“And that’s when it happened. And I don’t even remember - that’s the hellish thing.”
- Use of short sentence and hyphen exaggerates his distress.
- Lack of information shows he can’t even bring himself to admit.
Eric
What is the significance of Eric and Mr B’s weak relationship?
- “not the kind of father a chap can go to when he’s in trouble”.
- “chap”- makes himself a victim; doesn’t accept responsibility.
Eric
What are Eric’s short-term solutions which reinforce his immaturity?
- Asks Eva to marry him
- Provides her with stolen money.
- Doesn’t see the long-term consequences of his criminal behaviour.
Eric
Which quote shows Eric accepting collective social responsibility?
“we did her in all right”
- “we” - plural personal pronoun to emphasise that not only his mother is responsible, but all of them.
- Symbolic of Priestley’s socialist view of collective responsibility for the welfare of Eva and other vulnerable members of society.
Eric
Which quote shows Eric echoing the language of the Inspector?
“It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters”.
- Accepts Priestley’s socialist message.
- Makes him receptive to message “we are all members of one body”.
