Eric Birling Flashcards
The description of Eric Birling.
“In his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive”
Has socialist views
“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest
possible prices”
I dojt kmow
“it isn’t as if you can go and work somewhere else.”
Doesn’t agree with his Fathers choice.
“He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out. I call it tough
luck.”
Going against his father.
“I’d have let her stay”
He was drunk
“Well I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty- and I
threatened to make a row”
Implying that he drank so much that he blacked out.
“And that’s when it happened. And I don’t even remember- that’s the
hellish thing.”
Didnt see her in a romantic way/marrying way but only as a one night stand thing
“I wasn’t in love with her or anything- but I liked her- she was pretty
and a good sport-
Showing how mature Eva was compared to Eric
“she didn’t want me to marry her. Said I didn’t love her- and all that. In
a way, she treated me- as if I were a kid. Though I was nearly as old as
she was.”
Doesn’t see his Dad has a fatherly figure
“You’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble-
that’s why.”
Eric is angry at Mrs Birling, talks about how it was his child and her grandchild. She killed the child
“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-”
The empathises on the ‘our’ shows his suspicions
“He was our police inspector all right”
Aggressive stage direction, and he is sharing out the blame
“(shouting) And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her- and
that’s what matters-”
