Eric
Character in Context
It’s crucial to have an understanding of the character Eric Birling, to have a greater sense of the message of the play An Inspector Calls. Eric is the son of Mr and Mrs Birling and Sheila is his sister. Eric is employed by his father Birling and Co. And is instantly portrayed as having a drinking habit by Priestley.
The stage directions dictate that Eric is in his “early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive” and demonstrates his naivety. Priestley uses Eric as symbolic of redemption; no matter the atrocities committed in the past, he has the capacity to change and improve.
Priestley presents Eric in a sympathetic light through Eric’s opposition to Mr Birling’s capitalist and individualistic attitudes.
The audience’s feeling of sympathy for Eric is increased by the evident lack of a good role model as a father.
Priestley portrays society’s norms as the reason for the immoral behaviour of Eric (his rape of Eva) - he is simply following in the footsteps of other men.
Eric is presented as naive and ignorant of the true extent of the suffering of the lower-class.
Remorse and regret is clearly shown by Eric while he accepts responsibility for his actions, yet he rejects taking sole responsibility for her suicide.
The character of Eric can be seen as a source of optimism; anyone can change for the better
Innately moral
Priestley portrays Eric Birling as able to make the distinction between right and wrong throughout the play. It is important to understand why Priestley presents Eric in this favourable fashion.
Eric’s emotional response to the news of Eva’s death shows that he has morals. Priestley demonstrates this through the stage directions “[involuntarily] My God!”
Priestley’s use of the adverb “[involuntarily]” demonstrates the moral nature of Eric as he could not suppress his emotional reaction; it is involuntary.
Eric would not choose to reveal his emotions within a patriarchal society which condemns feminine traits such as excessive emotion as the disorder ‘hysteria’.
Here, Priestley attempts to convey the message that emotion is human and thus necessary for society to improve. Furthermore, he wants the audience to react Eric did and feel instinctively emotional.
Eric’s reaction to her death is contrasted with Mr Birling’s who Priestley describes in the stage directions as “rather impatiently” and dismissing her suicide with “yes yes. Horrible business”.
Here, Priestley makes the distinction between the older and younger generation and their differing attitudes to the lower classes.
Socialist Views
Priestley portrays Eric to have personal views which are inherently socialist. It is important to consider why Priestley exhibits Eric has possessing these views (despite his atrocious act of raping Eva).
Eric condemns his father’s capitalist view of his workers and challenges this through the question “why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?”
It is clear that Eric is able to empathise with the lower-classes and can recognise the need for better workplace rights and even more desperate need of ridding society of the practice of exploiting labourers.
Priestley presents Eric, with the capacity for empathy and emotion, which therefore separates him (and Sheila) from the other characters, who are unable to experience such emotions.
This is done to demonstrate Eric as morally superior and as a character, which the audience should align themselves with.
Aware of hypocrisy and corruption
The upper-class’ internal corruption and hypocrisy is acknowledged by Eric, explicitly, throughout the play. It is important to understand why Priestley demonstrates Eric as not completely naive, but aware of levels of corruption in society.
Eric initially sees Mr Birling’s hypocrisy in the determination to achieve “lower costs and higher prices”, yet, denying Eva and his employees a higher wage.
Eric exclaims his discontent with such hypocrisy as “why shouldn’t they try for higher wages” as “we try for the highest possible prices”
He realises that there is no meritocracy and that a “good worker” does not constitute better treatment, but that capitalism exists fundamentally to exploit workers and create profit.
Eric recognises how his father is hypocritical in hiding his views from Inspector as he “[Laughs bitterly] I didn’t notice you told him that it’s every man for himself”.
Eric lets out a “bitter” laugh because he realises Mr Birling’s hypocrisy, yet, there is no humour to be found in the morales capitalism, which his father abides by.
Reluctantly conforms to the Class System
Priestley portrays Eric as too weak to be able to stand up to the wau his father treats the lower classes. Eric knows and understands it’s immoral, wrong and ridiculous but sits by and conforms. It is important to understand why Priestley presents Eric as continuing to abide by the social conventions of exploiting those in the lower-classes and failing to meaningfully oppose this system.
Priestley demonstrates Eric’s discomfort towards his family’s lifestyle and privilege, though the stage directions “not quite at ease”. These foreshadow Eric’s attitude throughout the entire play; he is not quite at ease with his father’s behaviour, nor is he quite at ease with his own.