How far do you think Eric is presented as admirable in ‘An Inspector Calls’?
At the beginning of the play, Eric appears to be a rather admirable man as he stands up for what is
morally right: he tells his father “I’d have let her stay”. The fact that the man has stood up to his father
here, who, as the eldest male, would have been the most respected and important member of the
family in 1912, illustrates that he is willing to disobey the rules of society and risk being further
looked down upon in order to defend Eva Smith, which presents him as highly admirable because at
this point, he has little knowledge about the girl, yet he would rather side with her and do what is right
rather than submit to Birling. By using short, snappy sentences here, Priestley emphasises the man's
admirable nature as it appears that Eric is angry with his father and the poor treatment of the workers,
unlike the other characters appear to be, and wants to have been able to change the events. Also, the
use of the contraction “I’d” creates a rather optimistic tone, as although Eric was unable to control the
previous events, it implies that he might be a more just and caring employer than his father in the
future, by highlighting what he would have done in the situation; this would present the man as
admirable as it seems he doesn't judge the workers on their gender or class, but simply their
determination and ability to work. However, the personal pronouns “I” and “her” demonstrate the
divide between Eva and Eric, which begins to present the man is less admirable because he seems to
be aware of the barriers between classes and their inequality in society, yet he makes little effort to
change this - all he does here is simply sympathise with Eva.
The portrayal of Eric differs greatly during his confession in Act Three, where his admirable qualities
are debatable: “Yes, I insisted - it seems”. At first, Eric wouldn't be viewed as admirable as the verb
“insisted” suggest that he refused to leave and may have forced himself upon the woman; perhaps he
was aware that it was be seen as acceptable for him to do this, and that Eva had no power as a
working-class woman to stop him, therefore he isn't admirable because he is only concerned about his
own desires and needs. Also, the fact that Eric begins this confession with the exclamation “Yes”
emphasises the idea that he is not at all admirable, as it implies that he is completely unashamed of his
actions and doesn't try to hide them from his family, however, it could possibly begin to portray the
man as admirable also, as it highlights that he is willing to tell the truth and face the punishments.
Furthermore, the use of a dash here, followed by the rather enigmatic verbal phrase “it seems”, could
be inferring that Eric is pausing and trying to recall the events in as much detail as he can, and has
realised the great impact his drunkenness had on both Eva and himself; perhaps the dash could be
showing that he is quite taken aback by his own irresponsibility, and the verb “seems” could be
showing how the great amount alcohol affected his memory, which presents the man as admirable for
realising the seriousness of his actions, but also not admirable for performing them in the first place.
Priestley presents Eric as an admirable man later in Act Three, when he refuses to deny responsibility
for his actions: he “angrily” says “the girl’s dead, isn't she”. Here, the stage direction “angrily”
presents the man as admirable as he is clearly frustrated that his parents and Gerald are refusing to the
realise the seriousness of their actions, while he has learnt from the Inspector and changed; perhaps
this adverb is also illustrating his irritation with himself for being ignorant of his responsibilities,
which therefore presents him as admirable as the audience is given the impression that he will never
allow himself to act so immorally ever again. Also, the fact that Eric takes the conversational floor
here from Gerald and argues with him further presents him as admirable, as he is standing up to a man
of higher class, who has the potential to improve the family’s status, yet he is highly confident -
perhaps he only cares about raising awareness of everyone’s responsibilities and not the consequences
of doing this. However, the use of the question “isn't she?” could begin to present Eric as less
admirable than he initially appears to be; although it seems that it could be rhetorical and show that he
At the beginning of the play, Eric appears to be a rather admirable man as he stands up for what is
morally right: he tells his father “I’d have let her stay”. The fact that the man has stood up to his father
here, who, as the eldest male, would have been the most respected and important member of the
family in 1912, illustrates that he is willing to disobey the rules of society and risk being further
looked down upon in order to defend Eva Smith, which presents him as highly admirable because at
this point, he has little knowledge about the girl, yet he would rather side with her and do what is right
rather than submit to Birling. By using short, snappy sentences here, Priestley emphasises the man's
admirable nature as it appears that Eric is angry with his father and the poor treatment of the workers,
unlike the other characters appear to be, and wants to have been able to change the events. Also, the
use of the contraction “I’d” creates a rather optimistic tone, as although Eric was unable to control the
previous events, it implies that he might be a more just and caring employer than his father in the
future, by highlighting what he would have done in the situation; this would present the man as
admirable as it seems he doesn't judge the workers on their gender or class, but simply their
determination and ability to work. However, the personal pronouns “I” and “her” demonstrate the
divide between Eva and Eric, which begins to present the man is less admirable because he seems to
be aware of the barriers between classes and their inequality in society, yet he makes little effort to
change this - all he does here is simply sympathise with Eva.
The portrayal of Eric differs greatly during his confession in Act Three, where his admirable qualities
are debatable: “Yes, I insisted - it seems”. At first, Eric wouldn't be viewed as admirable as the verb
“insisted” suggest that he refused to leave and may have forced himself upon the woman; perhaps he
was aware that it was be seen as acceptable for him to do this, and that Eva had no power as a
working-class woman to stop him, therefore he isn't admirable because he is only concerned about his
own desires and needs. Also, the fact that Eric begins this confession with the exclamation “Yes”
emphasises the idea that he is not at all admirable, as it implies that he is completely unashamed of his
actions and doesn't try to hide them from his family, however, it could possibly begin to portray the
man as admirable also, as it highlights that he is willing to tell the truth and face the punishments.
Furthermore, the use of a dash here, followed by the rather enigmatic verbal phrase “it seems”, could
be inferring that Eric is pausing and trying to recall the events in as much detail as he can, and has
realised the great impact his drunkenness had on both Eva and himself; perhaps the dash could be
showing that he is quite taken aback by his own irresponsibility, and the verb “seems” could be
showing how the great amount alcohol affected his memory, which presents the man as admirable for
realising the seriousness of his actions, but also not admirable for performing them in the first place.
Priestley presents Eric as an admirable man later in Act Three, when he refuses to deny responsibility
for his actions: he “angrily” says “the girl’s dead, isn't she”. Here, the stage direction “angrily”
presents the man as admirable as he is clearly frustrated that his parents and Gerald are refusing to the
realise the seriousness of their actions, while he has learnt from the Inspector and changed; perhaps
this adverb is also illustrating his irritation with himself for being ignorant of his responsibilities,
which therefore presents him as admirable as the audience is given the impression that he will never
allow himself to act so immorally ever again. Also, the fact that Eric takes the conversational floor
here from Gerald and argues with him further presents him as admirable, as he is standing up to a man
of higher class, who has the potential to improve the family’s status, yet he is highly confident -
perhaps he only cares about raising awareness of everyone’s responsibilities and not the consequences
of doing this. However, the use of the question “isn't she?” could begin to present Eric as less
admirable than he initially appears to be; although it seems that it could be rhetorical and show that he
