eric

• Eric Birling is the son of Mr and Mrs Birling, employed by his father's company, and is portrayed as having a drinking habit by Priestley
• Eric is described in stage directions as in his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive, demonstrating his naivety and symbolic of redemption
• Priestley presents Eric in a sympathetic light through his opposition to Mr Birling's capitalist and individualistic attitudes
• Eric is portrayed as naive and ignorant of the true extent of the suffering of the lower class
• Eric shows remorse and regret, accepting responsibility for his actions but rejecting sole responsibility for Eva's suicide
• Eric is depicted as a source of optimism, showing that anyone can change for the better
• Eric is portrayed as innately moral, able to distinguish between right and wrong throughout the play
• Eric's emotional response to Eva's death demonstrates his morals, shown through the stage directions "My God!"
• Eric's emotional reaction is involuntary, indicating his moral nature as he couldn't suppress his emotions
• Eric condemns his father's capitalist views and challenges them, showing empathy for the lower classes and the need for better workplace rights
• Eric is aware of the upper class' corruption and hypocrisy, recognizing the exploitation of workers and the flaws in capitalism
• Eric reluctantly conforms to the class system, unable to stand up to his father's treatment of the lower classes
• Eric's discomfort towards his family's lifestyle and privilege is evident through the stage directions "not quite at ease", foreshadowing his attitude throughout the play
• Eric is portrayed as a character who initially has morals but later demonstrates immoral behavior, showing that anyone is capable of immorality
• Eric's upbringing and lack of care or compassion from his parents are suggested as reasons for his behavior, condemning him to treat others callously
• Eric's behavior is influenced by his father's lectures and values, shaping his views on women and the lower classes
• Eric's immoral actions are normalized due to societal norms and the perception of women in 1912 society
• Eric's narration about his actions towards Eva is unreliable, influenced by his upbringing and societal norms
• Eric's narration about what he did to Eva is likely to be unreliable, as he may be biased to make himself look less bad, allowing the audience to interpret the story as they wish
• The use of the pronoun "it" in Eric's narration allows the audience to fill in the gaps about what he did to Eva, manipulating them into perceiving Eric as redeemable
• Priestley manipulates the audience's perception of Eric to favor him and serve as a medium for socialist ideas and converted capitalists
• Priestley uses euphemistic language like "that state when a chap easily turns nasty" to substitute for Eric's admittance of being drunk, normalizing his lack of restraint and prompting the question of his actions if sober
• Throughout the play, the audience is encouraged to consider whether Eric's actions reflect his true character or if society has conditioned him to behave in a certain manner
• Eric is portrayed as repentant and remorseful for his immoral actions towards Eva, with Priestley presenting Eric as experiencing genuine regret
• Priestley portrays Eric as only partially accepting responsibility for Eva Smith's death, evading full responsibility by comparing his actions to the use of prostitutes by Mr. Birling's "respectable friends"
• Eric's attempts to divert blame away from himself, whether to immoral men or his intoxication, cause him to be perceived as avoiding responsibility, similar to the older generation
• Priestley presents Eric in direct opposition to Mr. Birling ideologically, with Eric challenging and opposing Mr. Birling's opinions and capitalist attitudes throughout the play
• Priestley portrays Eric as standing up for worker's rights and exposing the corruption and exploitation of capitalism, contrasting him favorably with Mr. Birling
• Eric and Sheila are aligned in appreciating the Inspector's message, showing the difference between the younger and older generations in their attitudes towards others and suggesting the need to work together for societal improvement
• Priestley leaves the play on a dramatic cliff-hanger, prompting the audience to consider their own moral responses and decisions in light of the characters' actions
• Priestley's study on attachment in 1964 aimed to identify stages of attachment and find a pattern in the development of an attachment between infants and parents
• Participants in Schaffer and Emerson's study on attachment were 60 babies from Glasgow
• The babies of parents/carers who had 'sensitive responsiveness' were more likely to have formed an attachment in Schaffer and Emerson's study on attachment
• Attachment is a strong reciprocal emotional bond between an infant and a primary caregiver
• Priestley encourages the audience to consider the consequences of different attitudes held by different characters in the play
• Priestley intends for the audience to compare their own attitudes to that of the characters in the play, causing the audience to view the physical manifestations of their own set of beliefs
• Priestley deliberately portrays Eric's relationship with Eva as inter-class, going against tradition
• Eric's abuse of Eva and violence towards her is hidden through his use of euphemisms like "that's when it happened" and "I was in a state where a chap easily turns nasty"
• Eric's vague language implies that his actions were likely to be rape, revealing his guilt and desire to avoid facing what he did
• Eva's role evolves from partners to a more maternal relationship with Eric as she treats him as if he were a kid