Eric Quotes Act 3

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Eric - Key Quotes

Eric says the following key quotes in Act 3:

‘She told me she didn’t want me to go in...'

‘She told me she didn’t want me to go in, but… I threatened to make a row’.
- Eric reveals that he forced himself on Eva Smith. He used his power as the son of an influential man to threaten to make things difficult for her.

‘I wasn’t in love with her or anything...'

‘I wasn’t in love with her or anything – but I liked her – she was pretty and a good sport’.
- Eric highlights his upper-middle-class upbringing, from which he is used to having what he wants.
- He sleeps with Eva because she is good-looking. He would not treat a woman in his own social class this way, but feels that he can with Eva because she is lower-class.

‘You killed her!'

‘You killed her! She came to you to protect me – and you turned her away… your own grandchild – you killed them both – damn you’.
- For the first time, we see a furious Eric verbally (with words) attack his mother. He directly addresses her with the pronoun ‘you’ to make sure that she knows she has caused the death of her own grandchild.
- He wants her to understand that her actions have had personal consequences for him and for her, instead of continuing to brush off her responsibility.

Eric - Key Quote (Act 3)

‘I don’t give a damn’. Here's an analysis of this key quote from Act 3:

Breaking point

Eric openly, and loudly, dismisses his father in front of his entire family and Gerald.
He shows that he does not respect his father at all, which leaves the audience wondering what their relationship will be like after the play finishes.
Eric is tired of his parents taking no responsibility for their actions and is fed up of Mr Birling’s obsession with his knighthood and himself.
This line shows the breaking point in Eric’s relationship with his parents.

1Plot Summary

1.1Act 1

1.1.1Act 1 Summary

1.1.2Act 1 Key Quotes

1.2Act 2

1.2.1Act 2 Summary

1.2.2Act 2 Key Quotes

1.3Act 3

1.3.1Act 3 Summary

1.3.2Act 3 Key Quotes

1.3.3Act 3 More Key Quotes

1.3.4End of Topic Test - Acts 1, 2 & 3

2Context & Key Themes

2.1Context & Key Themes

2.1.1Social Class & Equality

2.1.2Class Tension

2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption

2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism

2.1.5Blame & Responsibility

2.1.6Attitudes to Women

2.1.7Characterisation of Women

2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters

2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 2

2.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes

2.1.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - Socialism vs Communism

2.1.13Diagnostic Misconceptions - Edna

2.1.14Diagnostic Misconceptions - Women in the Play

2.1.15Diagnostic Misconceptions - Eva Smith

3Key Characters

4Authorial Method

4.1Arrangement & Structure of the Play

4.1.1Setting, Lighting & Dramatic Irony

4.1.2Structure & Chronology

4.1.3Structure & Chronology 2

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Authorial Method

4.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Flashbacks

5Recap: Main Quotes

5.1Mr Birling Quotes

5.1.1Mr Birling Quotes Act 1

5.1.2Mr Birling Quotes Act 2

5.1.3Mr Birling Quotes Act 3

5.2Mrs Birling Quotes

5.2.1Mrs Birling Quotes Act 1

5.2.2Mrs Birling Quotes Act 2

5.2.3Mrs Birling Quotes Act 3

5.3Sheila Quotes

5.3.1Sheila Quotes Act 1

5.3.2Sheila Quotes Act 2

5.3.3Sheila Quotes Act 3

5.4Eric Quotes

5.4.1Eric Quotes Act 1

5.4.2Eric Quotes Act 1 (2nd Quote)

5.4.3Eric Quotes Act 3

5.5Gerald Quotes

5.5.1Gerald Quotes Act 1

5.5.2Gerald Quotes Act 2

5.5.3Gerald Quotes Act 3

5.6Inspector Goole Quotes

5.6.1Inspector Goole Quotes Act 1

5.6.2Inspector Goole Quotes Act 2

5.6.3Inspector Goole Quotes Act 3

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