Eric Birling

“why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?”

he believes that the capitalist system ought to be fair for both employers and employees

“(involuntarily) My God!”

• Eric’s emotional response to Eva’s death demonstrates his innate morality through the stage directions

• the use of the adverb “involuntarily” demonstrates the moral nature of Eric as could not supress his emotional reaction

• Eric would not choose to reveal his emotions within a patriarchal society which condemns feminine traits - it is involuntary

“in that state when a chap easily turns nasty”

• Priestley demonstrates his subconscious attempts to distance himself from his actions by switching from first person to third person

• Eric’s trivialisation of such violence of a possible rape, through the colloquial use of ‘a chap’ is an attempt to soften the harshness of his actions

“I insisted - it seems”

• the use of the verb ‘insisted’ implies that Eric may have physically overwhelm Eva’s resistance

• Priestley’s use of the ambiguous verb phrase ‘it seems” reveals Eric’s attempt to forget his immoral actions, and distance himself from his guilt

supporting quotes

• “you don’t understand anything. you never did. you never tried”

• “you killed her - and the child… your own grandchild”

• “she wasn’t the usual sort.. she didn’t know what to do”