gerald

• Gerald is described as an "attractive chap, about thirty, rather too manly to be dandy"
• Mr Birling is very pleased that Gerald is getting married to Sheila as their family is upper class business owners. Mr Birling hopes they can join forces "lower costs and higher prices"
• At the beginning of the play, Gerald comes across at being confident and charming "Sure to be, unless Eric’s been up to something"
• His confidence dissappears when the Inspector reveals that Eva Smith changed her name to Daisy Renton
• He initally is evasive and tries not to take too much about it "all right. I knew it. Lets leave it at that"
• Gerald redeems himself in the audience's eyes by being more honest and open about how he talks to Sheila "I'm sorry Sheila, I'm sorry"
• Honest - "The girl saw me looking at her and then gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help."


  Gerald honestly tells the story of how he met Eva. He was in the wrong to have an affair and then abandon Eva but, his use of emotive language 'cry for help' makes us realise that he genuinely felt sorry for herand wanted to help her.
• Gerald is like a mini Arthur 


  a special bond is shown between Mr Birling and Gerald when mr Birling offers cigars and port
• Supports Arthur's sacking of Eva "you couldng have done anything else" 


  buisness minded and commited to his work the same way Arthur is
• Geralds behaviour throughout the play as the middle aged group shows no one is immune to closed minded thoughts and actions
• Gerald has secrets too

  He hasnt been honest with Sheila. He thinks that he can fob Sheila off by saying ”all right. i knew her. lets leave it at that”


  Sheila is no muppet and already mentioned his absense last summer. She knows something is up
• Gerald dosent tell Sheila much -> he wants to hide stuff from the Inspector
• The Inspector paints a hypocrisy in Gerald’s character “you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasent and disturbing things” Although its Gerald doing these distrubing and unpleasent things to girls like Eva
• Gerald sees himself as the victim


  After a ”long dull day” he went to the Palace Variety Bar. its a “favourite of the women in the town” -> this is a eupharism as he means prostitues
• Sheila insists to stay knowing she is engaged to the ‘hero of it’
• Gerald says he wasnt going to stay long and he hates prostitues “hard eyed and dough faced”
• Throughout the night he makes himself a victim of the circumstances
• Gerald reckons he fell in love with Daisy Renton


  He gets upset about daisy. he is ‘distressed’ when it hits him she’s dead
• He says he “didnt feel about her how she felt about him” and he adored him being her “fairy prince”
• Gerald helped Daisy for 6 months, same amount of time his friend was in Canada
• its anyone’s guess about Gerald and Daisy’s relationship. he says “I had to go away for a few weeks” and he “broke it off definetely”
• The Inspector was not harsh on him as he “had some affection for awhile and made her happy”