An Inspector Calls Task: The relationship between Eric and his father, Mr Birling: How satisfactory is it?

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An Inspector Calls Task: The relationship between Eric and his father, Mr Birling: How satisfactory is it?

In my opinion, I do not feel the relationship between Eric and his father is a satisfactory one. This is of course in relation to what I myself think is a satisfactory father son relationship.

I derived from the passage that somewhere along the route to his university years Eric lost contact with his father's world. There seems to be little or no interactions between the two and their relationship, if you can call it that has disintegrated so much that they are merely two people who know one another and share residency. The repercussions of this are that Eric is immensely unhappy and has resorted to drink as an escape route from his world. In searching for an escape route, he is with no other respectable aim. Instead he turns to the dives of the town, the infamous Palace Bar. Here, he looks to find sex and drink, which he does successfully and meets Eva Smith who we know dies a tragic death which, may or may not have occurred if it were not for these two very different Birlings, Eric and Arthur.

Arthur Birling is not a bad hearted man; he has just become so besotted with his business that business has become his life and his hearts love is focused on business. He feels that money will buy his children all of life's necessities, the school will provide education which he paid for, and the society he lives in will provide manners and social position. It is amazing to think that a man with a family has only two things on his mind, business and social standing.

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He doesn't, at all see the personal side of life and especially where it is required in this relationship with his son. It is ridiculous how impersonal this relationship is. In Mr Birling's eyes, his son was going to be his heir, take up the head of the business and lead the family on. These aspirations are blown away by the gust or wind which is the confessions of Eric.

Eric himself doesn't see this as even a possible future and while being torn between running his own life and following the yellow brick road set up by his father, ...

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