Gerald

• Gerald Croft


  Priestley's tool to reveal the flaws of the upper classes he represents the aristocracy who in 1912 exploited the working classes especially working-class women like eva smith
• For a moment in the play

  Gerald appears to be sorry for his behavior towards Eva providing hope that the upper classes can change an embrace Priestley's message of social responsibility
• At the end of the play

  Gerald once again aligns himself with mr. burling's capitalist ideas conveying Priestley's view that the upper classes will always be self-interested and will never change
• How Priestley describes Gerald Croft in the introductory stage directions

  • An easy well-bred young man about town
• Priestley's use of the rule of three with the adjectives easy well-bred young established him as a member of a privileged elite class used to a life of leisure
• The word young is used when he's been described as roughly 30 years old, perhaps priestly suggesting that his attitude towards life is immature and thoughtless
• The phrase man-about-town shows that he is a fashionable socialite and implies experience in the ways of the world
• The phrase man-about-town also implies vanity in that he prioritizes himself his appearance and his sexual needs over helping others
• Gerald's privileged appearance and demeanor would have confirmed communist beliefs about the lazy wealthy elite living a life of privilege at the expense of the poor
• The 1946 London audience however is likely to have contained men like Gerald
• The stage direction therefore sets Gerald up as a character with whom some members of the audience will engage sympathize with and finally condemn
• Priestley reveals that Gerald's parents Lord and lady Croft are unable to attend his engagement party and this confirms Gerald roll as a member of the upper classes
• The audience might initially assume that Gerald wants to marry Sheila because he's madly in love with her however there are references throughout the play to his absences during the summer which makes the audience wonder about him
• We discovered that Sheila was right to be concerned when we learned about his affair with Eva Smith so why is he marrying Sheila we can only assume that as the son of a successful businessman an aristocrat there are business opportunities for Crofts limited and Burling & Co which mr. Birling references in his engagement speech and with which Gerald agrees saying hear hear
• We therefore suspect that Gerald has business-focused reasons for marriage is deceitful to Sheila and he prioritizes business over love
• Gerald very much relies himself with mr. Birling in business matters unlike mr. Birling he initially denies knowing Eva Smith his attitude is dismissive when he says I don't come into this suicide business
• The phrase suicide business is cold-hearted and unexpected suicide is not a business in the sense that Crofts limited is a business however business can also mean a difficult matter or a scandalous event by using the phrase suicide business priestly positions Gerald is superior because he implies that others are responsible for Eva's death
• His reaction soon changes when he hears Eva Smith referred to as Daisy Renton however so priestly positions the audience which has seen Gerald's smug self-confidence to enjoy his discomfort and his pending interrogation
• Like Eric Gerald considers the women who frequents the Palace Theatre bar only in terms of their appearance and criticizes their doe faces and hard eyes this reveals how the commodification of women is totally normal for him
• His complimentary description of Eva Smith's big dark eyes reveals an attitude of objectification of her he considers the women in the bar as if he's choosing an item in a shop rather than thinking of her as a person he's thinking of Eva as something for him to enjoy
• He describes himself as saving Eva Smith from jomega tea but the truth is he was not much better himself
• When the inspector uncovers Gerald's affair with Eva Priestley shows that Gerald is upset by her death he reports ending the affair saying she didn't blame me at all I wish to god she had
• Priestley here focuses the attention of the audience are what appears to be genuine remorse and self blame this makes the audience feel some sympathy towards Gerald as a character and for a while the audience believes he will align himself with the inspectors views of social responsibility
• However the audience changes its opinion of Gerald when in act 3 he does everything that he can to prove the inspector is a fake unlike Sheila and Eric he's learnt nothing at all like mr. and mrs. Birling he wants to avoid a public scandal and to protect himself and his wealth
• Priestley sets the audience up to condemn Gerald particularly when he offers Sheila the engagement ring saying everything's alright now the audience sees that he's learnt absolutely nothing even if Eva does not exist he refuses to reflect upon his treatment of Daisy Renton and to become a better person
• Through Gerald Priestley presents the aristocracy as self-interested people who instead of sharing their wealth are more likely to follow family tradition of preserving it for the next generation