An Inspector Calls- GCSE revision guide

Eric Birling- Summary and Key Points

Eric Birling is the son of Arthur and Sybil Birling, and a brother to Sheila Birling. At the start of the play, Eric is described as being, ' in his middle twenties' and ' not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive'. So, straight away, we can see that Eric has a very changeable personality, as demonstrated in other scenes. This is also shown by his love of alcohol, that is also explained later, and a reason behind his behaviour towards Eva Smith. We also know that Eric was educated at an expensive school, as Mr Birling feels that he has been treated too softly- doesn't see the hardships that will come later because of his upbringing. It also reveals that Eric is very used to being told what to do by his parents, as he does what they ask almost unquestioningly. At the start, Eric isn't as much as a capitalist as his parents and Gerald, as he minorly sticks up for the workers from his fathers company that went on strike, saying that ' it isn't if you can't go and work somewhere else [about his father saying it's a free country and if they didn't like the wages, they could work somewhere else]'. He also sticks up for Eva Smith, even before he realises that he knows her, by saying that 'He could've kept her on instead of throwing her out', he is showing concern for the underdogs of society, he shows empathy for the workers whilst Mr Birling only worries about the income his factory makes and how he can run it best. Eric also shows his closeness to Sheila, they go from annoying and joking about each other, to a team trying to convince their parents to care more about other people and how they are treated, instead of money and social status. Eric is seen as one of the hardest characters to sort as good or bad. What he did to Eva Smith was definitely the only illegal thing, out of how everybody treated her, and is one of the activities that could be classed as criminal, along with stealing from his fathers company. However, Eric also admits that he feels guilty about it now, showing that he feels remorse over his actions, but not at that time. When debating Eric's actions towards Eva, it will mostly be an even split so make sure to have evidence that can be explained in detail.
Speaking of Eva Smith, Eric is the fourth person to meet Eva, meeting her at the Palace Theatre, where he was drinking quite a lot. He then insisted on escorting Eva back to her apartments, and although it is not directly specified, it implied that Eric raped her whilst drunk. He then went back to the Palace Theatre again, and met Eva there by accident. Eva revealed that she was pregnant with Eric's child, but did not want to marry him as it would cause a scandal. Eric thinks that he can make it up to Eva by paying her with money stolen from his fathers office, but Eva refuses to accept anymore once she learns whereabouts it came from, showing that she still has some morals, even when in poverty. That is all that happened between Eric and Eva, it was the briefest of all the meetings with Eva Smith, but it left the most impact.

Key Points about Eric Birling:

"Just keep quiet, Eric, and don't get excited"- Eric may be in his mid twenties, yet he is still treated as a child by his parents, and that Mr Birling knows that Eric has drunk to much and might say something incriminating.

"You're not the type- you don't get drunk"- Mrs Birlings denial of Eric's alcohol problem shows how little he confides in her or his father, it also shows that Mrs Birling doesn't pay close enough attention to her son, as by now, the audience know that Eric is a heavy drinker.

"You're trouble is- you've been spoilt"- Mr Birling thinks that because Eric is the boss's son, he has had an easy life, unlike Mr Birling, who we can infer has has a rougher background (not born into wealth). It also shows Eric's immaturity, the way he acts is spoilt, almost like a young child.