Eric Flashcards
Lacking confidence
At the start of the play Eric is very unsure of himself. He tries to speak up but is often talked down by his father. His behaviour is awkward and stilted.
“I don’t know - really. Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh.
The stage directions describe Eric as being ‘half shy, half assertive’ and this comes across in his dialogue. He is awkward and unsure of himself. Here he cannot explain his sudden laughter.
Assertive
Like Sheila he can be assertive as well. Even early on in the play he tries to stand up to his father.
“No, I mean about this girl - Eva Smith. Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices. And I don’t see why she should have been sacked just because she’d a bit more spirit than the others.”
At the start of the play, Eric shows that he can be assertive. Here he questions his father’s decision to sack Eva Smith. He backs up his point with a well-reasoned argument. His father quickly shouts him down though.
Emotional
Eric’s experience with the Inspector causes him great emotional turmoil, unlike some of the other characters.
“(bursting out) What’s the use of talking about behaving sensibly. 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? Nobody’s brought her to life, have they?”
Eric suddenly shows how he has been affected emotionally by Eva’s death. He asks the stark question ‘This girl’s still dead, isn’t she?’ He is clearly distressed and understands the gravity of the situation, he can’t understand why the others don’t.
