Eric Birling Flashcards
‘(Not too rudely) Well, don’t do any. We’ll drink their health and have done with it’
Portrays Eric as a member of the family who is on the periphery of the family not having much control and differing from his father largely. He is presented as naturally being more concerned with morality and socialism but also holds some capitalist values due to his upbringing. He introduces the idea of fair capitalism.
- (not too rudely) —> adverb —> ‘rudely’ alongside ‘not’ implies that he acts in a polite and suggesting manner at the start of the play. This portrays him as differing in views from his father but being unable to express them —> does not have the power or confidence to fully challenge his father.
- ‘don’t do any’ —> in this, he refers to his father’s long speech and pompous nature. However, Eric opposes this with a direct and blunt nature. This portrays him as differing from his father.
- This is also shown through ‘have done with it’ —> colloquialism —> portrays him as not using as much etiquette as his family. Portrays him as distanced and an informal character. This is partly due to his intoxication throughout the play.
- However, he may also be direct due to his own personal beliefs where he views his sisters marriage as a social transaction for his father’s own social benefit. —> he may react in this manner which appears uncaring and blunt to show his disapproval of his father’s fixation on social benefits.
‘You’d think a girl never had any clothes before she gets married. Women are potty about ‘em.’
- portrayed as a young man who falls into believing social conventions and acting with gender inequalities and stereotypes.
- ‘you’d think a girl never had any clothes before she gets married’ —> uses this to ridicule Sheila’s obsession with materialism and superficial garments. This serves to create tension between the siblings portraying his distanced relationship from others in his family.
- ‘girl’ and ‘women’—> noun —> however, he generalises not only Sheila but all women and ‘girls’. This portrays him as carrying the same stereotypical views of women that were held in the Edwardian era. In this, he is portrayed as a typical young man of the Edwardian era in his stereotypical nature and ridiculing nature of women.
- ‘women are potty about them’ —> colloquialism —> ‘potty’ —> refers to them being obsessed or crazy about clothing. This feeds into Eric’s beliefs that women are obsessed with their looks and the superficial.
‘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’.
- ‘why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?’ —> ‘?’ —> portrays a certain curiosity and arguement active nature —> opposes his father. Perhaps he does this so openly to indicate his intoxication and lack of awareness of the time. However, it shows an underlying alignment to socialist values before the Inspector even walks in. —> differs from his father —> believes capitalist system should be unbiased portraying it from a moral perspective.
- ‘I don’t see why she should have been sacked’ —> opposes to his fathers reasoning and rationale presenting his inclination towards socialism over capitalism. Also, he sympathises with Eva in this juxtaposing his father’s strong capitalist ideologies. This can foreshadow his break away form his parents ideologies as a member of the younger generation.
‘That - well, I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty - and I threatened to make a row’
- ‘-‘ —> anacoluthon —> can allude to his lack of recollection as he struggles to remember the events that unfolded over his time with Eva. However, it can also represent a level of regret over his actions. Portrays him as more willing to accept responsibility compared to his parents. This is similar to Sheila portraying the young generation as more accepting of change.
- ‘in a state when a chap easily turns nasty’ —> noun —> ‘state’ —> refers to his condition implying that he was completely out of control and severely intoxicated. Portrays his social issues and ome of his key down falls as a character.
- ‘chap turns nasty’ —> colloquialism a d 3rd person description —> perhaps this shows his guilt since he tries to distance himself form his actions. This illustrates his guilt over his ‘nasty’ and hostile nature. This shows his violent tendencies and exploitation of women but also his regret for this.
- ‘threatened to make a row’ —> verb —> ‘threatened’ —> connotes to a warning —> indicates that he was willing to be violent. This along with ‘row’ which is colloquial for an assault indicates his violent and domineering nature. Also, in his inclination towards violence it portrays him as unsophisticated and animalistic unlike his families etiquette.
- ‘row’ —> noun —> also infers that he may have sexually assaulted Eva Smith. Portrays his toxic masculinity and dominance —> exploitation of the lower class and abuse of women. Adheres to ideas that women are inferior and exploits this belief.
‘I wasn’t in love with her or anything - but I liked her - she was pretty and a good sport -‘
- ‘wasn’t in love with her or anything’ —> portrays him as a sensual man —> not emotionally invested but full of lust. This would have been appealing to the Edwardian audience —> lust is one of the 7 deadly sins.
- ‘pretty’ —> adjective —> connotes to her appearance and physicality. He appears to be obsessed by this portraying him as superficial and sensual.
- ‘good sport’ —> lexical field of pleasure —> noun —> ‘sport’ —> refers to her as something similar to a hobby or something done to pass the time. In this, he almost objectifies her as a hobby or something trivial indicating how he does not Care for her emotionally.
‘Said I didn’t love her - and all that. In a way, she treated me as if I were a kid’
- ‘I didn’t lover her - and all that’ —> ‘that’ —> term —> very ambiguous and vague. Suggests that he was nor paying too much attention to her. This can portray him as submissive of her and conversations about love —> indicates his immaturity and lack of emotional intelligence concerning love.
- ‘treated me as if I were a kid’ —> refers to him being infantilised. This can link to his immature and childish nature as well as his lack of responsibility as a child since it has resulted in him still being still irresponsible and similar to a child.
‘(Nearly at breaking point) Then, you killed her. She came to you to protect me - and you turned her away…-my child - your own grandchild - you killed them both - damn you -‘.
- ‘(breaking point)’ —> illustrates his emotional fragility —> can show some of his care towards the proletariat. This indicates his opposition to his parents since he is not dismissive of death and is more caring.
- ‘you killed her’ —> in this, despite his sorrow and less resistance to accepting responsibility, he still does mimic his parents in some respect by deferring blame onto his mother.
- ‘damn you, damn you’ —> this is an insult to his mother indicating his dislike of her —> this illustrates the dysfunctional nature of him within his family. Also, in his repetition, it further reinforces his dislike of his mother.
- ‘-‘ —> anacoluthon —> illustrates the extent of Eric’s fragmented mental state and emotional turmoil over the outcomes of his actions. It also indicates his lose of al sanity and feeling of extreme remorse over his actions.
After Inspector leaves
‘Eric laughs rather hysterically, pointing at him. (laughing) Oh - for God’s sake! What does it matter now whether they give you a knighthood or not?’
- ‘Eric laughs rather hysterically, pointing at him’ —> adverb —> ‘hysterically’ —> indicates his over display of emotions and uncontrolled manner. This can indicate his loss of respect for his father also shown by the verb ‘pointing’. In this, he ridicules his own father and the voice of capitalism indicating how he differs from his father seeing social gain as less valuable. In this, he opposes his father, However, is now more open about it and his challenging nature towards his father.
- ‘for God’s sake’ —> exclamation of annoyance —> indicates how he is losing patient with his father and sees his father as holding the wrong priorities.
- ‘whether they give you a knighthood or not’ —> differs from his father. Prioritises morals and the truth over social gain.
‘ The money’s not the important thing. It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters. And I still feel the same about it’
- ‘money’s not the important thing’ —> explicit mention that ‘money’ and capital gains are not his priority —> serves as his break away from capitalism by him as a member of the younger generation. Adjective —> ‘important’ —> illustrates his priority being placed away from money and his focus being on the suffering of the lower class. More caring of the proletariat and lower class.
- ‘all’ —> adjective —> re-introduces the idea of collective responsibility. Shows his belief in it and social responsibility. In this, he mimics the inspectors indicating a closer alignment with him compared to his father. This shows his more open inclination towards socialism and away from capitalism.
‘I still feel the same about it’ —> his emotions of regret and sorrow remain the same. This demonstrates his remorse as not fleeting and implies that Eric will remain changed in the future by his actions.
‘And it doesn’t alter the fact that we all helped to kill her’.
- ‘doesn’t alter the fact’ —> very direct in his manner here. This mimics the nature of the Inspector since he is very blunt and accepts responsibility. He also prevents digression similar similar to the Inspector.
- ‘we all’ —> plural noun ‘we’ and adjective ‘all’ both demonstrate his acceptance of the blame and responsibility that he and his family should accept. In this, he tries not to absolve himself of responsibility and is open about his beliefs on social responsibility. This indicates a change in his nature compared to the start of the play.
