In J.B Priestley's An Inspector Calls, the character of Eric is portrayed as quite the contrasting person. Beginning the play as a childish and unorganised human being, throughout the play he adapts to his surroundings, taking responsibility for what happened to Eva and scolding those who had a similar role to play in Eva's suicide. Using a smorgasbord of methods, Priestley presents Eric as a character who changes his attitudes towards himself and others during the play. This idea is shown early on, when Mr Birling explains to the Inspector why he had to fire Sheila, and Eric responds with an inriguing question. He asks his father, 'Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?' This shows that Eric is showing glimpses of his social responsibility, which he wants to highlight that his father has a lack of social responsibility. The collective noun of 'they' shows how Eric wants to speak for all of the working class, not just Eva, as he may feel that the working class were being neglected of their well earned wages. This also be Priestley showing how the working class are neglected, and he is hinting at the need for a welfare state, which he actually helped create in the 20th century. This also show the idea of the young challenging the old with their fresh look on life and social values. This makes a reader feel that Eric hides his true social responsibility, and that he can be moral person when needed. Later on in in the play, Priestley presents Eric as someone who change his attitudes towards others through his acception of his actions, and realisation of the weight he will forever carry through the guilt of pushing someone to suicide. This is shown when he states that 'We all helped kill her.' this shows how Eric is showing reponsibility for his actions, and is starting to realise the magnitued of his actions. His blunt tone when saying this is to convey how there is no sugar coating the truth, like the Birlings should stop hiding behind a sea of emotions and understand the raw truth:they pushed a girl to kill her herself, and they are all equally responsible. The collective noun'We' show eric's social responsibility, he is finally conveying the truth to the Birlings, he does not care how he sounds to everyone else, he has finally pushed the idea of social status to the side, unlike his father. This makes a reader feel that Eric is starting to become a strong person, speaking his truth in the face of adversity from his family and general society. However, even though Eric has glimpses of his abundant social reponsibility, he also has moments where he reverts to the ideals of his father, and tries to play off and water down the severity of his actions, moving the blame from himself to things such as alcohol and even Eva herself. This is shown when he is telling the inspector about the night Eric got Eva pregnant. He states that Eva was 'a good sport'. This conveys how Eric wants to make his actions seem not as bad as they actually were, stating that he feels his intercourse was more consensual than it actually was, as we know he reveals that he actually raped Eva. The objectification of Eva as a 'sport' shows thensocial divide at that time, as higher status men felt like working class women were just inanimate objects that they could use as they please, and Eric is no different. This makes a reader feel that Eric will never be fully able to subvert from his father's ideals that were enscribed into his mind from young. Also linking to this idea, Priestley presents Eric as a character who changes his attitudes through his submissive tone towards what he did brutally to Eva Smith. He states that he was 'in a state where a chap easily turns nasty'. This conveys to us how Eric is trying to downplay his actions, and is trying to put the blame on his lack of inhibition and the fact that he was under the influence when he raped Eva. The fact that he calls himself a 'chap' show how he to genralise thi skind of thing to the inspector, like everyone has the capacity to do what he did. The word also shows he wants to paint a picture of himself as a moral person, like if he does not try and reimagine the events of that night, it will be like it never happened. This makes a reader feel that Eric is quite an oxymoronic character, and is showing how he is ndefinitely the son of Mr Birling, as he regularly shares the same ideals as him.