An Inspecor Calls - Gerald Flashcards
‘Well-bred, young-man-about-town’
Act One: A phrase to describe Gerald - initialises his character as a fashionable man.
‘Absolutely first class’
Act One: Gerald tries to sound posh and upper class.
‘Except for all last summer, when you never came near me’ (Sheila)
Act One: Gerald seems to be slightly shady, especially to Sheila.
‘I believe you’re right, sir’
Act One: Gerald sucks up to Mr. Birling by agreeing with whatever he says.
‘We’re respectable citizens and not criminals’
Act One: Gerald initially cannot believe that they have done anything wrong.
‘Now listen, darling-‘
Act One: Gerald tries to calm Sheila down by getting her to listen to him.
‘I don’t come into this suicide business’
Act One: Gerald is sure that he has done nothing wrong that is anything to do with Eva Smith’s suicide.
Rejects social responsibility.
‘So - for God’s sake - don’t say anything to the inspector’
Act One: Gerald tries to conceal information from IG, not realising that he already knows everything.
‘Women of the town-‘
Act Two: Gerald tries to be polite about the fact he used Sheila and created a false relationship between her.
‘I didn’t install her there so that I could make love to her’ ‘It wasn’t disgusting’
Act Two: Gerald tries to make what he has been doing behind Sheila’s back sound less like he has been cheating on her
‘I was sorry for her’
Act Two: Gerald felt sorry for a young woman - this is controversial especially in front of the Birling’s
‘She didn’t blame me at all’
Act Two: Gerald tries to make himself feel better and take the blame off himself slightly.
‘We’ve no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl’
Act Three: Gerald thinks that because he has decided IG wasn’t real, none of what they did actually happened.
