It soon becomes clear to us (although it takes his parents longer) that he is a ‘hardened drinker.’ We can see his familiarity with quick heavy drinking in the way he pours his whisky in Act III. Gerald admits, ‘I have gathered that he does drink pretty hard.’ When he hears how his father has sacked Eva Smith, he supports the worker's cause, like Sheila, ‘Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?’ He is part of the ‘chain of events’, having a fling with Eva Smith and getting her pregnant.
Eric is isolated from the rest of the family and feels unsupported. So he has to find comfort somewhere else. He finds his parents as unapproachable, especially his father. He does not seem to have his father’s affection or approval, ‘Because you’re and unloving.’ He says that no one understands him and he does not feel that he can talk to any one of them. Eric does not understand how middle class men are supposed to behave. His parents think he has acted worse than Gerald, who knows how to have an affair without creating a scandal- but it makes the audience start blaming his parents for his upbringing. Eric’s involvement has gone too far for the Birling family. He would have had an illegitimate child with a prostitute. This would have brought shame on the family. Eric’s drunkenness and bad behaviour represent the dark side of family life.
Eric is ready to confess. He has guessed that the Inspector has helped everyone realize that he is the father of Eva’s child. Eric has played a significant part in Eva Smith’s death – he meets her at the Palace Bar, forces his way into her home and gets her pregnant, ‘I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty.’ He feels ‘guilt and frustration’ with himself over his relationship with the girl. He cries, ‘Oh - my God! - how stupid it all is!’ as he tells his story. He is horrified that his thoughtless actions have had such consequences. Eric’s behaviour is not unusual. A lot of men have been doing the same but in secret. It is a pretty murky world where such kind of men inhabits. Eric lacks self control, so his secret gets out. His behaviour disrupts the polite middle class illusion of respectability. They are all keeping up the appearances, but Eric is making it obvious that there is something shadowy underneath.
He sees Eva Smith as ‘a good sport’; clearly the relationship is just casual fun for him. Eric uses a euphemism to describe his sexual assault on Eva Smith: ‘that’s when it happened.’ He regrets his actions, but his language shows his immaturity. He calls Eva ‘a good sport’ and ‘pretty’ – this sounds insensitive as we are told how badly he has treated her. Eric says that Eva considered him as a ‘kid’. Eric is fragmented in his speech as he becomes emotional and hysterical.
He has some innate sense of responsibility, because although he has got a woman pregnant, he has been concerned enough to give her money. Having committed something close to sexual assault, Eric takes a huge risk in stealing money from his father's company to try to make amends. He is obviously less worried about stealing (or 'borrowing' from his father's office) than he is about the girl's future.
When he discovers that his mother has turned Eva away which has ultimately driven her to suicide, he becomes almost mad with rage, saying, ‘you killed her - and the child she'd have had too - my child - your own grandchild.’ This shows that, despite his initial brutishness towards Eva, he does have a tender and paternal side. He is more demonstrative than the others, and is on the verge of physically attacking his mother in fury at the lack of her charity. In his eyes, his mother has ‘murdered’ his child and the mother. He does not discuss his problems or private life with his mother.
He is appalled by his parents' inability to admit their own responsibility. He tells them forcefully, ‘I'm ashamed of you.’ When Birling tries to threaten him in Act III, Eric is aggressive in return: ‘I don't give a damn now.’ His parents are ashamed of him and continue to remind him what he’s done; but he is likewise ashamed of them for overlooking the true significance of the bad deeds that they all have been exposed as having committed. Eric’s parents do not want a scandal. They do not care about him as much as they care about what other people will think of them. He joins Sheila in her judgment of their parents’ ignorance and in her regard for the significance of the facts at hand. Eric shows the same level of regret and sympathy towards Eva Smith as Sheila does, though what he has done to her is much worse and of much greater consequence.
Sheila and Eric do not seem particularly close at the start. However, they share the same view at the end of the play as they have both learned their lesson. He agrees that ‘Sheila’s right’ (that it doesn’t matter whether the Inspector is real or not).Like Sheila, he is fully aware of his social responsibility. He is not interested in his parents' efforts to cover everything up: as far as he is concerned, the important thing is that a girl is dead, ‘We did her in all right.’
Eric is potentially one of the founders of the next generation. Despite his wild and reckless past, and his childish actions, Eric emerges as penitent and ready to acknowledge the lesson that Inspector Goole delivers. It is important that he represents youth and the hope that the dramatic message can be learnt.
Eric may be a weak and lonely figure, but he is capable of real feeling for others. He deeply regrets his actions, even though he is the obvious villain of the play. He says that he will never forget what he has learnt. By the end of the play, Eric is clear on the message that the inspector has delivered, that ‘we are all responsible for each other’ ; Eric can also see that its reality or source is unimportant.
Through Eric, Priestley conveys how the upper class abused their power over the working class (treated Eva Smith ‘as if she were an animal, a thing, not a person.’). At the start of the play, he is just like the others – abusing his power over a working class girl. 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.
He represents (with Sheila) the younger generation – Priestley sees them as ‘more impressionable’ – after all, they are the future. He has openly admitted to these problems: the theft, the alcoholism, and the affair. He accepts the consequences of them, as he couldn't live with the burden of a lie upon his shoulders. Eric has been created by Priestley to show that it doesn't matter the money you have, the status you have gained, or the people you know; it's about the honesty, being trustworthy and truthful. By the end of the play, he stands firmly on the side of socialism in the ‘Capital versus Labour’ debate.
Priestley created Eric to show how people should learn to recognize their mistakes.
Eric is potentially one of the founders of the next generation; if Eva had lived he could well be a father. It is important that he represents youth and the hope that the dramatic message can be learnt.