5.4.3
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
2Context & Key Themes
2.1Context & Key Themes
2.1.1Social Class & Equality2.1.2Class Tension2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism2.1.5Blame & Responsibility2.1.6Attitudes to Women2.1.7Characterisation of Women2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 22.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes2.1.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - Socialism vs Communism2.1.13Diagnostic Misconceptions - Edna2.1.14Diagnostic Misconceptions - Women in the Play2.1.15Diagnostic Misconceptions - Eva Smith
3Key Characters
3.1Mr Birling
3.2Mrs Birling
3.6Inspector Goole
3.7Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Authorial Method
5Recap: Main Quotes
5.1Mr Birling Quotes
5.2Mrs Birling Quotes
5.6Inspector Goole Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Plot Summary
2Context & Key Themes
2.1Context & Key Themes
2.1.1Social Class & Equality2.1.2Class Tension2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism2.1.5Blame & Responsibility2.1.6Attitudes to Women2.1.7Characterisation of Women2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 22.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes2.1.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - Socialism vs Communism2.1.13Diagnostic Misconceptions - Edna2.1.14Diagnostic Misconceptions - Women in the Play2.1.15Diagnostic Misconceptions - Eva Smith
3Key Characters
3.1Mr Birling
3.2Mrs Birling
3.6Inspector Goole
3.7Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Authorial Method
5Recap: Main Quotes
5.1Mr Birling Quotes
5.2Mrs Birling Quotes
5.6Inspector Goole Quotes
Practice questions on Eric Quotes Act 3
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Key quotes from Eric in Act 3:Fill in the list
- 2Which quote reveals that Eric forced himself on Eva?Multiple choice
- 3When Eric is describing Eva in Act 3, he describes her as:Fill in the list
- 4
- 5
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