Eric Flashcards
I don’t know – really. Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh.
These are the first words that we hear from Eric in the play. Often the first impression we have of a person can be very significant. We see Eric slightly drunk. Sheila replies to these words with the claim that he is ‘squiffy’ which he denies. He does indeed have alcohol problems which cause him to having sexual relations with Eva Smith and fathering a child with her.
Well. Don’t do any. We’ll drink their health and have done with it.
Mr Birling claims speech making is difficult to which Eric replies he should then not do a speech at all. In other words he attaches no importance or interest in hearing any potentially profound celebratory words to mark this event emanating from his father. He just wants to keep things simple, drink and then move on. Again we see the importance of drink to Eric.
Well. Don’t do any. We’ll drink their health and have done with it.
Mr Birling claims speech making is difficult to which Eric replies he should then not do a speech at all. In other words he attaches no importance or interest in hearing any potentially profound celebratory words to mark this event emanating from his father. He just wants to keep things simple, drink and then move on. Again we see the importance of drink to Eric.
ll the best! She’s got a nasty temper sometimes – but she’s not bad really. Good old Sheila!
These words that Priestley plants in Eric’s mouth are very interesting and have been overlooked by others.
What about war?
Despite Eric’s flippant and slightly rude behaviour due to him being slightly drink and despite not being the most intelligent of people eve the relatively simple Eric asks his father about the war after Mr Birling says that his business is going to do well even though there were some problems recently.
I left’em talking about clothes again. You’d think a girl had never any clothes before she gets married. Women are potty about ‘em.
Eric seems to have a very superficial view of women which ties in with his generally immature personality. In fact he admits later on that Eva treated him as if he ‘were a kid’. We can get a little glimpse as to why she might have thought that way.
“In his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive”
Eric acts as dramatic irritant to his father challenging his
ideology – contradicting him / interrupting / asking questions.
“Then- you killed her. She came to you to protect me- and you turned
her away-yes, and you killed her-and the child she’d have had too- my
child- your own grandchild- you killed them both- damn you, damn
you-”
As his attack on his mother continues, his language becomes
more violent as he repeats ‘killed’ three times. The effect on the
reader is highly shocking as this language completely contrasts
with the polite, euphemistic language of earlier in the play.
Priestley effectively uses the semantic field of heaven and hell
when Eric describes what he did to Eva Smith: ‘that’s the hellish
thing. Oh - my God!’
“(shouting) And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her- and
that’s what matters-”
Eric’s character develops - stage directions, e.g. ‘uneasily’ /
‘unease’; ‘suddenly guffaws’ – by the end ‘shouting’
“And that’s when it happened. And I don’t even remember- that’s the
hellish thing.”
Eric uses a euphemism to describe his sexual assault on Eva
Smith: ‘that’s when it happened.’
