Eric Birling key quotations and analysis

“Early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive.”

• Comfortable to have opinions

Stage direction - Eric suddenly guffaws

• Conveys immaturity

“I don’t know - really. Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh.”

• First impressions are very significant. The first impression of Eric is that he is slightly drunk

• Drunk and has the sudden urge to laugh which can be an indication of guilt

Sheila - “You’re squiffy.”

• This indicated that Eric is dependent on alcohol

• Also implicates that this is the capitalistic way of living afforded this type of lifestyle completely juxtaposing the hardship, struggle and poverty faced by the working class

“You’d think a girl had never had any clothes before she gets married. Women are potty about ‘em."

• This is Eric’s perception of the upper class women in the capitalistic society, not the women like Eva who had to stitch up their own clothing as they didn’t have enough money to buy new ones

“yes I remember - (but he checks himself)

• First sign that Eric has a secret (Eva Smith)

• As well as emphasising the generation gap between him and Mr Birling as he does'n’t confide in him

“And as you were saying, Dad, a man has to look after himself -”

• Throwing his father’s capitalistic views back at him in front of the Inspector showing he disagrees and doesn’t believe in his father’s beliefs.

Mr B - “It’s a free county I told them.”

“It isn’t if you can’t go and work somewhere else.”

• Socialist views

• Will to shed the idea of the “perfect family” later revealing the generational gap

“He could. He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out. I call it tough luck.”

• Socialist

• Priestley is encouraging compassion, social responsibility and calling for a fairer society

• Directly disagrees with Mr Birling’s business operations indicating that there is hope for the future

• More sympathetic to the working class compared to Mr Birling

“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages. We try for the highest possible prices.”

• Workers went on labour strikes in demand of higher wages

• Eric is challenging his father’s views which could imitate the class wars of Capitalism VS Socialism

“And I don’t see why she should have been sacked just because she’d a bit more spirit than the others.”

• Priestley could be replicating or foreshadowing the suffragettes movement where women are beginning to gain a voice within the patriarchal society

“You said yourself she was a good worker, I’d have let her stay.”

• Emerging socialist

• Hope for the future through the younger generation

“That might have started it.”

• Eric can is beginning to see “the chain of events” connecting people

“I’m sorry - but you see - we were having a little party - and I’ve had a few drinks, including rather a lot of champagne - and I’ve got a headache - and as I’m only in the way here - I think I’d better turn in.”

• Attempting to deflect or escape from being interrogated by the Inspector

• Dashes are shown to display a dis joined, guilty and uncomfortable atmosphere

Mrs Birling - “She said that the father was only a youngster - silly and wild and drinking too much… some drunken young idler”

• Hints of the identity of the father

“(bitterly) You haven’t made it any easier for me, have you, mother?”

• Rhetorical questions that can also imply how big of an emotional distance there is between the older generation and younger generation of the Birlings.

“(miserably) Can I have a drink first?”

His whole manner of handling the decanter and then the drink shows his familiarity with quick heavy drinking.”

• Shows he is dependent on alcohol

“In the Palace bar. I’d been there an hour or so with two or three chaps. I was a bit squiffy.”

• Where Gerald also met Eva

“I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty - and I threatened to make a row.”

• This can also be a mere representation of how the upper class lost control of their pretences when they are drinking.

• Aggression

• Upper class people using their privileges whilst abusing the power over the working class

• Threatened to take away the roof of her head for his own desires, portraying the greed of the upper class

“And I couldn’t remember her name or where she lived.”

• No detail as to what had happened when he raped Eva, whereas Eva in the traumatic event would never be able to forget, possibly portraying the carelessness of the upper class as well as reiterating the idea of socialism, and how the upper classes actions effects the working class

“Yes. And this time we talked a bit.

• Short sentences may had been used to show Eric’s feeling of guilt of what he had done

“… she thought she was going to have a baby. She wasn’t quite sure. And the she was.”

• Short sentences reinforcing Eric’s guilt of raping her, exploiting her as many other Capitalists did when faced with the working class

“She didn’t want me to marry her… In a way, she treated ,e - as if I were a kid.”

• Signifies Eric’s immaturity

• Stole £50

“(miserably) I got it - from the office -”

• Though his whole family had committed a moral crime of letting greed shower judgement, jealousy over empathy, Eric has committed another legal crime

“Because you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble - that’s why.”

• Generational gap

• Eric's segregation from his parents is complete and the younger generation have broken apart from the older generation.

“But how did you know that?”

• Starting to question the Inspector’s knowledge - Omniscient

“(nearly at a breaking point) Then - you killed her. She came to you to protect me - and you turned her away - yes and killed her - and the child she’d have had too - my child - your own grandchild - you killed them both - damn you, damn you”

• Hyphens - Accusations of murder

• Repetition of “you killed” shows how much agony and pain Eric is in

• This quotation portrays the abuse of power the Capitalist had

• The dangers of capitalism as it is indicated that everything was put down to money.

“My God - I’m not likely to forget.”

• Admits he has learnt his lesson

“But don’t forget I’m ashamed of you as well - yes both of you.”

• Generational gap that is now imitating the class wars of Capitalism and Socialism as the younger generation has learnt about what their social responsibility is

“You told us that a man has to make hi own way… we weren’t to take any notice of these cranks who tell us that everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together.”

• Confronting Mr Birling of his hypocrisy

“You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all… This girl’s dead isn’t she?”

• Rhetorical question is used to highlight the consequence of the upper classes negligence towards the working class, may sometimes lead to death

“The money’s not the important thing. It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.”

• Openly socialist and accepting his social responsibility

“… the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her - and that’s what matters.”

• Socialistic morals

• Collective responsibility

“I don’t see much nonsense in it when a girl goes and kills herself.”

• Clear division between the socialists and capitalists