gerald

• Gerald Croft is Sheila's fiancé and the son of the wealthy businessman Mr Croft, employed at Crofts Limited, a company in competition with Birling & Co
• Gerald is described by Priestley as "an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred young man-about-town"
• Gerald contributes to the chain of events leading to Eva's suicide by using her as a mistress
• Priestley uses Gerald to represent the individualism of the upper-class and his failure to develop social responsibility conveys the entrenched nature of these attitudes
• Gerald is portrayed as physically attractive, privileged, and likable, content and confident in his masculinity, and fashionable as a socialite
• Gerald is depicted as an ideal husband and son-in-law due to his financial security and higher social status, choosing the engagement ring himself and showing geniality
• Gerald's good-natured portrayal breaks down as the audience learns about his nighttime activities, socializing with and using prostitutes
• Gerald's familiarity with prostitutes is evidenced by his vivid description of them, showing his experience in this area
• Gerald only cared about Eva due to his lustful desires, as evidenced by his abrupt break off in speech after describing her physical beauty
• Gerald is conscious of the cruelty of the upper-classes but shows no desire to change society, maintaining his privilege and conforming to the class system
• Gerald is portrayed as stuck at a moral crossroads, condemning the actions of others but only helping Eva to maintain his own privilege and comfort
• Priestley sets Gerald apart from the Birling parents, as Gerald can recognize the flaws of the class system, unlike Mr. and Mrs. Birling
• Gerald is portrayed as caught between the older and younger generations, forming a middle-generation, less flexible and impressionable than Sheila and Eric
• Gerald chooses to ignore his sense of morality and tries to forget his actions, reacting only to visible injustices rather than the institutionalized prejudice of the class system
• Gerald's guilt for his mistreatment of Eva is short-lived, attempting to manipulate his conscience and justify his actions
• Gerald follows a moral stance only when it suits his own needs, content to lie about his affair with Eva until Sheila finds out
• Priestley's portrayal of Gerald in "An Inspector Calls":

  • Gerald views the world in a materialistic light
  • Gerald emphasizes possessions, showing a greater importance of human relations over money
  • Gerald's interactions with Eva are filled with business and finance language, portraying relationships as transactions
  • Priestley conveys the message that money and class corrupt relationships through Gerald
• Gerald is depicted as patronizing and misogynistic:

  • He is condescending to women, particularly Eva
  • Gerald's rescue of Eva is a facade, as he takes her captive rather than rescuing her
  • He is attracted to Eva's weakness and innocence, reflecting the general perception of women at the time
• Gerald consistently excludes women from the current situation throughout the play, trying to oppress women's voices
• Priestley intends for Gerald to be neither hated nor loved by the audience, maintaining him as a surprisingly redeemable character
• Gerald's monopoly on the narrative:

  • The one-sided story provided by Gerald must be viewed with scrutiny as Eva is not alive to validate his story
  • Gerald's motive is to absolve himself from responsibility, evidenced by his tendency to lie
  • His guilt is shown through his defensive tone and questioning of the Inspector
• Priestley uses Gerald's dramatic exit to offer alternate interpretations, suggesting a deeper connection between Gerald and Eva beyond a physical level
• Gerald's relationship with other characters:

  • Aligned with Mr. Birling's capitalist views
  • Gerald's support for Mr. Birling's opinions is necessary for maintaining good relations with his future father-in-law
• Gerald's support for Mr Birling's opinions is necessary for him to uphold good relations with his future father-in-law, but it's likely that this is Gerald's legitimate belief as he will inherit the Croft family business and is entrenched in capitalism
• Priestley uses the character of Gerald to demonstrate the future generation of capitalists, who are essentially no different to their predecessors; the only difference between Mr Birling and Gerald is that Gerald may show a little care to those below him but only if it benefits him and doesn’t compromise his own privilege
• Gerald's marriage to Sheila is unconventional for an upper-class man in 1912 British society, highlighting the class disparity between them
• The significance of the class difference between Sheila and Gerald is signified through Mr Birling's concession to Gerald that his mother most likely "feels you (Gerald) might have done better for yourself socially"
• Women in British 1912 society were essentially used as bargaining chips in a transaction, often marrying above their status for social position
• Gerald may have settled for Sheila out of genuine love for her, despite her lower class, or he could have pursued her as part of his enjoyment of the chase, as he admits "I’ve been trying long enough"
• Gerald's pursuit of Eva and Sheila could be seen as predatory, with an unequal and unbalanced relationship as Sheila is a clear social inferior and the female in their relationship
• Sheila's inability to criticize her fiancé and her discomfort with him due to societal and familial pressure is evident in the stage directions "[half serious, half playful]", showing her lack of social clout to challenge him
• Gerald's abuse of his position as Eva's provider is caused by his perception of her as an object or possession, leading to a misogynistic portrayal by Priestley
• Priestley portrays an imbalance of power between Gerald and Eva, both in social position and influence, demonstrating how women were exploited and abused in 1912 society
• Gerald's emotional reaction to Eva's death, revealing a feminine trait at the time, shows his internal conflict between his natural emotional reaction and his attempt to suppress any emotion to remain masculine in a patriarchal society
• Gerald's attempt to forget his relationship with Eva and what he did to her reveals the deliberate ignorance of the upper-class to ignore the consequences of their actions and continue living a life of luxury without guilt
• Gerald's manipulation of the situation by suggesting that Eva was several different girls, despite knowing the truth, serves to excuse his own behavior and convince himself of his innocence
• Priestley presents a pattern of behavior among the upper-classes in the play, where they commit sinful actions but convince themselves it is acceptable
• Characters like Eric, Mrs Birling, Mr Birling, and Sheila display behavior where they know their treatment of the lower classes is wrong but manage to forget their actions and continue living privileged lives
• Gerald in the play is portrayed as having complete power over the narrative, reflecting the patriarchal society, conveying the message that the upper-classes are untouchable by law and responsibility
• Gerald's guilt is demonstrated through his immediate defensive tone when questioned by the Inspector, showing his attempt to adapt his story to be consistent with the Inspector's knowledge