Eric Birling

Eric is the only son of Mr and Mrs Birling.  He is employed in his father's business and drinks more than he should, which leads him into trouble.

Eric is the rather spoilt, immature son of Mr and Mrs Birling.  His first lines in the play clearly demonstrates this:

Here, Eric is showing he doesn't care much for what's going in the conversation, and is very child-like in his responses.  This is reinforced throughout the play, where he shows little change in his attitudes to situations, and tries to shift blame where possible.  When it comes to light that Eric is the father of Eva/Daisy's baby, it becomes clear that he feels slightly ashamed of his actions, however, where possible he tries to shift blame on to others.

As you can see above, he tries to blame his mother - "you haven't made it any easier for me, have you, Mother?" - Here, Eric is reinforcing his immature nature, as he is trying to not take responsibility for his own actions.  Also, the fact that he says "I didn't even remember" also highlights that he is child-like as he can't even remember the event.

Eric can be described as the misfit in his family.  He doesn't follow his father's hard headed business nature and he isn't socially acceptable (due to his drink), like his sister and mother.  He is weak-willed, and always looks for the easy way out.  His father is aware of his behaviour, however his mother remains some-what ignorant of her sons faults.

Key quotes about Eric from his family:

• "Just keep quiet, Eric, and don't get excited" - Mr Birling recognises hat Eric has had too much to drink and might easily say something he shouldn't - he's aware of Eric's drinking
• "Besides you're not the type - you don't get drunk" - Mrs Birling is showing her ignorance of her son's extra-curricular activities
• "Your trouble is - you've been spoilt" - Mr Birling making excuses for his son