Gerald Flashcards
Who is Gerald?
the son of Sir and Lady Croft, of Crofts Limited, and socially superior to the Birlings. He represents privilege, and the dominance of the upper classes and patriarchy.
I don’t come into this suicide business - ACT 1
Noun ‘business’ dehumanizes her to just a fact or figure
Denial of responsibility and detachment to the suicide
Business associated with capitalism
Insisted on daisy moving into those rooms and I made her take some money - ACT 2
Verb insisted means to be resolute and demanding. Daisy is quite vulnerable so insist makes it seem like he is the power figure whose demands will be met
Verb Made- suggests something artificial in relationship and that he had ulterior motives
I didn’t install her there so that I could make love to her - ACT 2
Installs sounds more like he’s talking about machinery rather than a person: dehumanizing.
Euphemism of make love to her, he softens the severity of having an affair, trying to reduce his involvement
(In a low troubled tone) she told me she’d been happier than she’d ever been but she knew it couldn’t last - ACT 2
Stage directions : adjective tabled indicates remorse for his role in her death and somewhat misleading her
I hate those hard eyed dough faced women - ACT 2
Attacking the appearance of lower class women it’s ironic as he is part of the reason these women have aged inelegantly
Verb ‘hate’ emphasizes fixation on appearance and disdain towards groups perceived as inferior, not dissimilar to his parents who don’t like the Billings
Here! Here!
Exclamation point creates emphasis and conveys he firmly supports capitalism despite learning of (or more so confronting) it’s dire consequences
Draws on priestly’s message that the younger generations are more susceptible to change, and even slightly older people are firmly rooted in their (in his eyes) nonsensical beliefs
Topic sentences
● Priestley explores the initial attractive appearance of Gerald and his idealised portrayal as a husband and son-in-law.
● Priestley presents Gerald as being in the liminal area between generations and explores how this liminality extends to his ideology and attitudes towards the lower-class.
● Priestley explores the extent of Gerald’s morality and the degree to which he is prepared to lie in order to preserve his social status.
Gerald structure
Gerald is presented the most complex character due to his mixture of capitalist and socialist attitudes and morals as reflected by his age
Priestly introduces Gerald as an ideal husband and son in law, but also presents him as being in the liminal area between the generations
-‘about thirty’- in the middle ground, foreshadowing how this liminality extends to his attitudes and ideologies.
-‘well-bred young man about town’-fashionable socialite but perhaps foreshadows his literally going ‘about-town’ for prostitutes.
-Engagement ring ‘ is the one you wanted me to have’ - seems caring and thoughtful in choosing the ring but may also be interpreted as not caring for Sheila’s own opinions as a result of Patriarchal dominance
-His social status also contributes to his attractiveness (as men were the only way in which women could gain wealth)
By doing this, Priestley portrays how marriages and relationships were superficial criticising that they are for status rather than real love
Priestley presents Gerald as being indifferent towards to the lower class, to demonstrate how his aristocratic roots manipulate his thoughts
-agreed with birlings ideologies- acceptance of self-indulgence and singular responsibility
After hearing of Eva’s death
-Justifies Birling’s actions ‘yes I think you were’- showing his capitalist ideologies in being able to agree with birling with a business viewpoint, but maybe also to hold good relations with birling
-‘knowing them they’d all be broke’- third person pronoun ‘them’ shows disdain, stereotyping the poor as wasting money
When exposed, Priestley explores the extent of Gerald’s morality and the degree to which he is prepared to lie in order to preserve his social status
-‘we can still keep it from him’-prepared to lie and unwilling to openly take responsibility
-later in the play he lies to himself that suggesting that ‘there’s still no proof it was really the same girl’ despite drawing clear links between the victims earlier- trying to excuse his own behaviour to feel innocent
However a more moral side is presented in Gerald as he feels genuine emotion towards Eva.
-seems heroic in saving Eva from Alderman meggarty
-sorry- Ive suddenly realised-…- she’s dead’ – delayed reaction but syncopated revealing true shock and overwhelming emotion (internal conflict within Gerald, with his attempts to control natural emotion as it may seem feminine- but is needed for empathising and change)
-‘he at least had some affection for her and made her happy’ - notes Gerald kindness, although this may have been because of his own attraction towards her, in his own interest to be a ‘wonderful fairy prince’
-further doubt for his intentions created through ‘I insisted’ - use of imperatives create the impression that Gerald was in power and was in a way controlling her.
-leaves her with false hope- audience feels emotional ‘as she knew it couldn’t last’- Gerald has made her happy, but has emotionally betrayed her for his own interest.
By the end of the interrogation, the audience is left with a mixed view of Gerald, but is given hope through his sympathy and kindness that he has the capacity to change
Priestley creates anti-epiphany to demonstrate how some some people, despite having the capacity to change may stick to capitalist ideologies to preserve their social status
‘He isn’t a real police inspector’…’that’s why I came back to tell you’ -more concerned about his status and the police inspector not being real
-‘how about this ring Sheila’ demonstrates his lack of remorse, acting like nothing has happened, disillusioning his audience through his inability to chair his capitalist and selfish attitudes
By doing this Priestley’s demonstrates how some people have empathy towards the poor but choose to behave the way they do to preserve their social status.
