Eric Birling

Profile

Full name: Mr Eric Birling

Age: ‘early twenties’

Role: Birling’s son

Ideology: Capitalist → Socialist

Characteristics

• Irresponsible

‘You’re squiffy’ - Sheila to Eric

‘I didn’t even remember - that’s the hellish thing’

Other Quotes:

‘not quite at ease’

‘half shy’ ‘half assertive’

Alcoholism

• The way he goes for a drink shows ‘his familiarity with quick heavy drinking’
• He shows up the the party ‘squiffy’
• He often gets a drink even before the Inspector arrives

Representation

Eric represents all “respectable” upper middle class men in Edwardian times

• Most men were like Eric, just in secret
• He lacks self control
• He took advantage of Eva
• He is an alcoholic

Remorse

‘the fact is I did what I did’

• Eric accepts responsibility and shows his guilt

Anger:

• The audience feel sorry for him as he yells at Sybil saying ‘You don’t understand anything’
• ‘my child - you’re grandchild - you killed them both’

Video

Alternative Interpretations

• Takes no responsibility for his own actions - forces himself on Eva and says he has forgotten ‘it seems’ he behaved badly. ‘a state where a chap turns nasty’ - distances himself from the action and generalises all men like this
• Denies that it isn’t theft - ‘not really’ - as he intended to pay it back
• Symbol of the future of capitalism - capitalism = theft
• Personifies capitalism as theft
• Clearly kept most of the stolen money for himself as Eva couldn’t have possibly spent all that money in the short period of time
• Agreement with the Inspector may be because of his drunkenness
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