Eric Birling

• "(Eric suddenly guffaws)"

  Eric enters the play with a guffaw that he can't explain, showing his social awkwardness immediately and introduces the idea that he is slightly more insecure and on the outside in the family. He lacks Gerald's easy self-confidence and so drinks to ease himself into situations
• "Because you're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble"


  He seems unsupported by his father which we find out particularly when the truth emerges of his embezzlement as he felt he couldn't go to his father for help after finding out he had got Eva Smith pregnant
• "What about war?" "Yes, I know- but still"


  Eric is assertive even though he can be unsure of himself, and we often find him challenging his father's political views
• "It's not a free country if you can't go and work somewhere else"


  He is quick to respond when he finds out how his father fired Eva showing the difference in social views in the generation gap, with the younger generation being more liberal, as well as the fact that Eric will do anything to challenge his father's views as he has felt so cast off by him
• "He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out"

  Eric even goes on to challenging Gerald who tries to defend Mr Birling's actions, saying they were quite right in the circumstances- we see a contrast between Gerald, who is much more self-confident and therefore sides with the older generation in their views and Eric who , though more unsure of himself, is assertive and more socialist
• "tough luck"


  Eric is conscientious and has a different attitude to Gerald and Mr Birling when he hears how Eva was fired, and this is before he knows his involvement in the situation
• "in a hell of a state"


  This is how Eric describes his feelings when he found out about Eva being pregnant. The fact that he went to the extent of stealing money to help her shows he desperately wanted to help her and though it was wrong, we do get a sense that he only wanted to help and did it out of sympathy
• "He was our police inspector all right"

  Like Sheila, Eric feels that even if the Inspector was a hoax it does not alter the fact that the family all need to address their actions; they still have something to learn
• "And I say the girl's dead and we all helped to kill her - and that's what matters-"


  Eric is able to take the deeper message from what has happened rather than trying to clear his name and avoid scandal like his parents and Gerald are keen to. He is also a lot braver than how he was in Act One and is speaking his mind instead of just trying to provoke his father for the satisfaction of it
• "You killed her"

  Eric is blunt and savagely tells his mother that it clearly is her fault that Eva Smith is dead, and not only the girl but his potential child too. This would be a shock to Mrs Birling who likes to deny any guilt on her behalf and still sees a little boy in Eric- not a hard drinker, criminal and "idler"
• "You don't understand anything. You never even tried"


  Evidence to show that Eric has always felt isolated and misunderstood in his family which explains why he has turned to drinking as a coping mechanism rather than an act of wild and defiant youth