| Theme - generation gap - Birling is annoyed at Eric and more worried about a "public scandal" | Shows us that while Eric is ashamed and worried about what happened Mr Birling is more worried about his reputation. Thai sows the difference between the young and older gen as they (younger gen) are more attuned with their and others feelings. |
| The girls still dead, isn't she?"- | Rhetorical question to persuade |
| how is Eric relevant to the case of Eva Smith | He was part of the ‘chain of events’, having a fling with Eva Smith and getting her pregnant. He treated her ‘as if she were an animal, a thing, not a person.’ At the start of the play, he was just like the others – abusing his power over a working class girl. |
| does Eric ever accept responsibility | However, he accepts responsibility, and like Sheila, feels very guilty about what he did. He is ashamed of his behaviour and shows that he is capable of changing for the better. ‘The fact remains that I did what I did.’ Therefore, the audience is more likely to forgive him. |
| Amelia ( who ever else is using this) remember this it may seem long but remember | Eric acts as dramatic irritant to his father challenging his ideology – contradicting him / interrupting / asking questions.
Eric uses a euphemism to describe his sexual assault on Eva Smith: ‘that’s when it happened.’
Eric’s language is fragmented as he becomes emotional / hysterical. The dashed could also represent the break down in his relationship with his mother.
As his attack on his mother continues, his language becomes more violent as he repeats ‘killed’ three times. The effect on the reader is highly shocking as this language completely contrasts with the polite, euphemistic language of earlier in the play. Priestley effectively uses the semantic field of heaven and hell when Eric describes what he did to Eva Smith: ‘that’s the hellish thing. Oh - my God!’
When the Inspector leaves Eric emulates the Inspector using the Inspector’s harsh, commanding language. Priestley does this so the Inspector’s presence is felt on stage and a reminder to the audience to look at their own conscience. (“the girl’s dead”)
Eric’s character develops - stage directions, e.g. ‘uneasily’ / ‘unease’; ‘suddenly guffaws’ – by the end ‘shouting’. |
| remember this too | Eric arguably has the most active social conscience – at the start of play he says: “he could have kept her instead of throwing her out”. This demonstrates that there is potential/hope for the future. At the end of the play Eric shows remorse and his acceptance is evidence of his moral fibre.
Through Eric’s treatment of Eva “I wasn’t in love with her or anything” an abhorrent picture of the upper-class emerges. They are shown to be callous and cold. However, Eric illustrates the capacity to change – despite your past errors and your family’s beliefs you can change. His transformation is more realistic – as at first he blames his mother for her death and then finally comes round to accepting responsibility.
On the other hand, he is presented as quite a weak character and is the most emotional and demonstrative of all. This leads the audience to question whether he can change his ways for good or is he too weak and dependent on his parents?
When Eric gives Eva stolen money, Priestley could be commenting that wealth does not replace goodness and integrity – there needed to be a more even distribution of wealth so people like Eric become socially aware |
| sheila | Sheila uses imagery when she talks of her mother’s attempts to ‘build up a kind of wall’; implying the metaphorical distance Mrs Birling creates between the classes. When Sheila warns the others that the Inspector is ‘giving us rope so that we hang ourselves’, she once again uses a metaphor to create a visual image of the way the Inspector skilfully manipulates characters into confessing their sins. |
| sheila's change | Sheila’s language becomes more passionate and she uses sarcasm (“So nothing’s happened, so there’s nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn.”) Sheila also uses irony when she is appalled by her parents’ attitudes to carry on as before: “I suppose we’re all nice people now”. Sheila uses irony to show that she completely disagrees with her parents and that she understands the moral consequences of her actions. The use of irony highlights the tensions that existed between the younger |
| 1910s Sexism / view of women | '(Excited) Oh – Gerald – you’ve got it – is it the one [ring] you wanted me to have?'Sheila had no say as to which ring she wanted, Gerald chooses on her behalf. |
| Only one to react and care about Eva's death (Eric also cares later) | 'Oh, how horrible! Was it an accident?' |
| Socialist View | 'But these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people.' |
| Apologetic | 'No, not really it was my own fault.' |
| Pg 24: Jealousy | I couldn’t be sorry for her.' |
| Spoilt Brat - Rude to Miss Francis for no reason | 'I was absolutely furious I was very rude to both of them.' |
| The first to accept responsibility and take some blame | 'I know I’m to blame – and I’m desperately sorry' |
| Affected by Inspector's message | 'I tell you – whoever that Inspector was, it was anything but a joke.' |
| Huge change in character, compared to previous quotes (see: Pg5 quote) and for the common role of women at the time. | 'I must think.' |
| who does Shelia represent | She represents (with Eric) the younger generation – Priestley saw them as ‘more impressionable’ – after all, they were the future. |
| what does Gerald represent | He represents the selfish attitudes of the upper class. |
| the audience and Gerald | He lets the audience down; we had hope that he would change his attitudes, but he doesn’t. It conveys how ingrained these attitudes were in the upper class, and how difficult it was to change them. |
