Eric Flashcards
Context
Eric is the son of Mr and Mrs Birling and Sheila is his sister. Eric is employed by his father Birling and Co. and is instantly portrayed as having a drinking habit by Priestley (perhaps attempting to drown his sorrows).
The stage directions dictate that Eric is in his “early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive” and demonstrates his naivety. Priestley uses Eric as symbolic of redemption; no matter the atrocities committed in the past, he has the capacity to change and improve.
● Priestley presents Eric in a sympathetic light through Eric’s opposition to Mr Birling’s capitalist and individualistic attitudes.
● The audience’s feeling of sympathy for Eric is increased by the evident lack of a good role model as a father.
● Priestley portrays society’s norms as the reason for the immoral behaviour of Eric (his rape of Eva) - he is simply following in the footsteps of other men.
● Eric is presented as naive and ignorant of the true extent of the suffering of the lower-class.
● Remorse and regret is clearly shown by Eric while he accepts responsibility for his actions, yet he rejects taking sole responsibility for her suicide.
● The character of Eric can be seen as a source of optimism; anyone can change for the better.
Key quotes
10) Act Three: Eric – “I was in a state when a chap easily turns nasty- and I threatened a row”
11) Act Three: Eric – “you killed her- and the child she’d have had too- my child- your own grandchild- you killed them both – damn you, damn you”
16) Act Three: Eric- “You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all. And I can’t see it like that. This girl’s still dead, isn’t she?”
Lack of responsibility and authority
Priestley portrays Eric as too weak to be able to stand up to the way his father treats the lower classes. Eric knows and understands it’s immoral, wrong and ridiculous but sits by and conforms. It is important to understand why Priestley presents Eric as continuing to abide by the social conventions of exploiting those in the lower-classes and failing to meaningfully oppose this system.
Priestley demonstrates Eric’s discomfort towards his family’s lifestyle and privilege, through the stage directions “not quite at ease”. These foreshadow Eric’s attitude throughout the entire play; he is not quite at ease with his father’s behaviour, nor is he quite at ease with his own. Eric is eager to be done with talk of their engagement as he realises the ridiculousness of the toasts for a marriage which is merely a transaction. Even though he disapproves, he is portrayed as powerless to do anything. This is evident as Eric interrupts his father’s engagement speech and protests “[not too rudely] Well don’t do any (speechmaking). We’ll drink to their health and have done with it.” ➔ Although Eric interrupts through the stage directions, he does it “[not too rudely]” as he doesn’t have the power to challenge his father directly yet is not quite at ease with the capitalist purpose of his sister’s marriage.
Symbolism
Priestley uses Eric as symbolicof redemption; no matter the atrocitiescommitted in the past, he has the capacity to change and improve. Priestley presents Eric in a sympathetic lightthrough Eric’s opposition to Mr Birling’s capitalist and individualisticattitudes
A02 analysis
in that state when a chap easily turns nasty”
Priestley demonstrates Eric’s subconscious attempts to distance himself from his actions by switching from first person to third person as he refers to himself as “a chap” rather than ‘I’. Eric’s trivialisation of such violence of a possible rape, through the colliquial use of “a chap” is an attempt by Eric to soften the harshness of his actions.
“I threatened to make a row”
Eric’s violent language, “I threatened”, is softened through the euphemistic use of “a row” . Priestley demonstrates Eric’s attempts to convince himself that his actions were to a lesser extent of immorality than they actually were
Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?”
“you said yourself she was a good worker”
Eric questions “why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?” as he believes that the capitalist system ought to be fair to both employers and employees. He puts forward a moral form of capitalism, pointing out to Birling, “you said yourself she was a good worker” , implying that she should be financially rewarded for this.
