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Eric Birling

Eric is described as ‘not quite at ease,’ ‘half shy’ and ‘half assertive
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This could also be hinting at the fact that Eric is hiding a drinking problem,
and so is not very comfortable around drink or in social situations where he must control himself
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When he is with his family at dinner, he is not very
loud or brash
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However, later in the play we find out that he is also ‘half assertive
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This shows that Eric has two
very different sides to him, and this isn’t made clear to his family until later when the Inspector
brings it all out again
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At the start of the play, Eric and Sheila argue and have quite a lot of sibling
rivalry, but this comes across as more playful and joking than serious
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Sheila and Eric both have new found respect and a new alliance by the end of
the play
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His father seems to favour Gerald
over Eric, which makes Eric somewhat jealous of Gerald
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Eric and Mr Birling don’t get
along at the start or end of the play
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As the play progresses, their
relationship gets steadily worse, the breaking point of which being when a shouting match breaks
out between the men
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However, by the end of the
play their relationship is completely destroyed
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Mrs Birling has, by this point,
already expressed her opinions of the boy that caused the pregnancy, and it is too late to take all of
that back just because she has found out that it is her son
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Themes explored through Eric
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Social Class- ‘I don’t see why she should have been sacked just because she’d a bit more
spirit than the others
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’
Truth- ‘You know, don’t you?’
Responsibility- ‘The fact remains that I did what I did

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