Eric Birling Flashcards
“eric is in his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive.”
"not quite at ease" possibly thinking about Daisy/Eva last supposed woman in his life got her pregnant, stole money for her, then she disappeared. -suggests he feels guilty about it
“half shy, half assertive.”
oxymoronic
-is he just drunk
-or is he still navigating his masculinity as a young man
“eric suddenly gaffaws. his parents look at him.”
“guffaws”
- verb describes sudden laughter- unexpected
- drunk behaviour- is constantly drinking his guilt away
- awkwardly laughing when a couple are showing affection
- could have eva on his mind
- presents him as being anxious, tense or nervous
- alternatively, it could indicate he struggles to see couples show affection for each other if he is feeling guilty about forcing himself into Eva’s home
“he could have kept her on instead of throwing her out. i call it tough luck”
“could”
weak modal verb
-not disagreeing with his father with much conviction
-links to him being “half shy, half assertive”
-at this point of the play, he is still unsure of what he believes in, but is hinting at more socialist values- only slightly
-generally shows that he doesn’t have the same capitalist views as his father
mrs birling: “no. of course not. he’s only a boy.”
“boy”
he is in his early twenties
-noun suggests he is childish, irresponsible and that she doesn’t take him particularly seriously
“of course”
- alternatively, this makes eric come across as deceptive
- hiding his alcoholism
“(miserably) Could I have a drink first?”
lacking in confidence
vulnerable
respectful
“(miserably)”
- deeply unhappy
- cared about her to some extent
- could be feeling guilty about sleeping with a working class woman
- or feeling guilty about getting her pregnant and not supporting her
- or because he stole from his father
“drink”
- he finds it difficult to speak about eva, too painful
- immense amount of guilt
- inside his head
“she didn’t want me to go in but that- well, I was in that state where a chap easily turns nasty- and i threatened to make a row.”
“easily” adverb
- normalising violent behaviour towards women
- forcefully and aggressively coerced Eva into sleeping with him
- used his power to take advantage of a working class woman
“chap” noun
- upholding gender stereotypes
- sexist
- used Eva as an object after the end of his night out
“threatened”
- presents him aggressive
- possibly caused by his alcoholism
“she didn’t want me to go in but that- well, I was in that state where a chap easily turns nasty- and i threatened to make a row.”
“easily” adverb
- normalising violent behaviour towards women
- forcefully and aggressively coerced Eva into sleeping with him
- used his power to take advantage of a working class woman
“chap” noun
- upholding gender stereotypes
- sexist
- used Eva as an object after the end of his night out
“threatened”
- presents him aggressive
- possibly caused by his alcoholism
“and that’s when it happened. And i didn’t even remember- that’s the hellish thing. Oh- my god- how stupid it all is.”
“it” pronoun
- ashamed to acknowledge his actions
- regretful;
“hellish thing”
- his drunkness is “hellish”
- implies that it is torturous, or the worst possible thing
“my God”
- blasphemes
- fairly extreme in those days
- his guilt sets him apart from the birling couple
“i wasn’t in love with her or anything- but i liked her- she was pretty and a good sport.”
“in love with her” flippant attitude
“but i liked her”- similar to a child picking a toy
-predatorial, preying on someone who is vulnerable
“pretty”
-objectifying her and judgemental based on appearance
“good sport”
- women are expected to be subservient and submissive
- euphemistic- hiding how he threatened her
- disguising his darker and malicious side
- “sport” doesn’t care about her- just a game for his own sexual gratification
“(nearly at breaking point). 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-.”
“breaking point”
- facade is crumbling down
- repressed emotions
- now left with his loveless Birling family
- heartbroken for his unborn child
“my child”
taking accountability
constant dashes:
- hysterical and impulsive
- emotions are overflowing
- genuine
“damn you”
-experiencing anguish
ALTERNATIVELY
“you”
-putting all the blame on his mother
-only accepts the child when it benefits him
“the money’s not the important thing. It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.”
“not”
- now outright rejecting his father’s views at this point in the play
- adopting a more socialist line of thought
- Priestley using eric as a character to show that it is possible for the upper class to change their ways for the good of society
- highlights the injustice of class inequality as he had tp resort to stealing from his own father’s business to support Eva (no support or welfare for the working class)
- what more could be done on a nation-wide scale?
“you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble- that’s why.”
- priestley exposing the imperfections of middle class family life: doesn’t feel much love from his parents
- always drinking and miserable
