ERIC BIRLING KEY QUOTES ANALYSIS Flashcards
“I don’t even remember - that’s the hellish thing”
Eric
CLUES: Verb “remember”
Hyperbole “hellish”
*Here he is talking about his encounter with Daisy Renton and how he doesn’t remember well what he did with her.
*The verb “remember” shows how Eric may have done activities like this many times, he then gets embarrassed about it and tries to forget it. This portrays him as a pleasure-seeking man, and selfish to an extent.
*The hyperbole of “hellish” shows how Eric expresses deep remorse for his actions. This could explain his change of character later in the play.
“She wouldn’t take any more and she didn’t want to see me again”
Eric
CLUES: Daisy = Moral
Alliteration of “w”
Repetition of “she”
*Contrasts the typical Edwardian view of women, in particular, prostitutes, whose only intentions are supposed to be ‘stealing ‘ money and being immoral.
*This illustrates Daisy as a moral woman and even though she was a prostitute, she was an honest one, who would only take honest cash, not cash which Eric had stolen.
*Alliteration of “w” in “wouldn’t” and “won’t” and the repetition of “she” emphasises the view that someone like Sybil would have on Daisy when in reality, it’s the opposite.
“And the child she had… you killed them both”
Eric
CLUES: Anger within Eric
Violent verb “killed”
*Takes place when Eric finds out his mother rejected giving aid to Daisy
*shows the infuriating anger within Eric when he realises that his mother used her influence against him. This shows how it feels for lower-class individuals and when they are exploited by influence.
*The violent verb “killed” shows Eric’s disgust at the treatment of Daisy at the hands of his mother. This is also supported by him being accusatory with the pronoun “you”.
