Gerald Flashcards
what Gerald says and does before the Inspector arrives
Gerald’s apparent regret when he is questioned by the Inspector
what Gerald says and does after the Inspector leaves
my judgement about Gerald’s attitudes to responsibility overall in the play
How is he presented through his speech/in conversation?
influence of his conversations with Sheila and the Inspector
‘i think miss birling ought to be excused […] she’s obviously had about as much as she can stand’ - gerald
trying to take control + getting sheila to leave because he doesn’t want sheila to hear what he did; similar to birling’s condescending tone earlier. gerald asserts his patriarchal influence by speaking on sheila’s behalf + supressing her voice
‘she looked young and fresh and charming and altogether out of place down there’ - gerald
polysyndeton + tricolon, always positive language, adjective ‘fresh’ is an odd lexical choice to describe someone, it’s almost revealing, which suggest youth + vulnerability which gerald recognised and then exploited
‘she was young and pretty and warm-hearted- and intensely grateful’ - gerald
tricolon that focuses on eva’s looks, highlights gerald’s attraction towards her and perhaps the only reason why he helped her
‘everything’s all right now, sheila. what about this ring?’ - gerald
treats her as a silly + irrational child, also indicates how gerald hasn’t changed and is reverting back to his patriarchal ways, the noun ‘ring’ also acts as a symbol of love + wealth (that will be profited from their marriage) but not true + genuine love
“where did you get the idea that I did know her?”
Gerald, responsibility
act two - middle
Gerald’s guilt is demonstrated through his immediate defensive tone as he questions the Inspector “where did you get the idea that I did know her”. This allows Gerald to gage how much the Inspector knows and therefore adapt his story to be consistent with the Inspector’s knowledge.
Sorry -I -well, I’ve suddenly realised - taken it in properly - that she’s dead.”
Gerald, responsibility
Act two- middle
Gerald’s delayed reaction to her death is diluted with hyphens as this stammered and staggered speech reveals the overwhelming sadness he feels. Priestley reveals the internal conflict within Gerald, between his natural emotional reaction and his attempt to suppress any (feminine) emotion that he shows, as he has to remain masculine in a patriarchal society.
Gerald had earlier been supporting Mr Birling verbally over his dismissal of Eva from her job however the humanity within him rises to the fore and prevails over the businessman who wants to make money.
No longer is she a troublesome worker who was “rightfully” fired but she is a human being and it now saddens him.
Gerald’s personality is fluid depending in the context as he is not totally respected as a gentlemen nor totally criticised as a money oriented businessman
Leave after a strike” // “Said something about the shop too”
Gerald, responsibility
Act two- middle
Gerald remembers that Eva had to “leave after a strike” and “said something about the shop too” and therefore confirms the story of Mr Birling and Sheila. Therefore, Gerald knows that Eva is the same person, yet he later suggests that “there’s still no proof it was really the same girl”. Here, Gerald is trying to excuse his own behaviour and also convince himself that he is innocent, through breaking the “chain of events” and therefore implying that his actions did not lead to a suicide.
“yes i think you were (justified in getting Eva sacked)”//”you couldn’t have done anything else”
Gerald
Act one - beginning
On the one hand, Gerald’s support for Mr Birling’s convictions, is necessary for Gerald to uphold good relations with his future father-in-law and therefore he aligns himself with Mr Birling’s views. However, it seems more likely that this is Gerald’s legitimate belief as he will inherit the Croft family business and thus is a true capitalist at heart.
This is said in reply Mr Birling saying that a week after the strike that Eva Smith helped to organise he let all the female workers back except for the ring leaders which included Eva Smith.
Gerald believes that this was the only option available to Birling so in a way he supports the capitalist system. Rather than having a more compassionate attitude that even the leaders of the strike should have been reinstated as they too were economically dependent on these jobs he supports their dismissal.
Perhaps such a view is heavily in part due to his ignorance of the plight of the working class poor, an ignorance which plays like ‘An Inspector Calls’ helps to combat. What we can take from this is that Gerald is definitely not an anti-capitalist leftist.
“He at least had some affection for her and made her happy for a time”
Gerald, responsibility
act two
middle
The Inspector notes that Gerald’s kindness towards Eva separates him from the rest of the characters as “he at least had some affection for her and made her happy for a time”. Yet, the help that he provided to Eva was in his own interest as he admits that he must have been a “wonderful fairy prince” to Eva.
“[rather too manly to be a dandy]”
Gerald, likeable appearance
beginning
act one
Priestley describes Gerald in the stage directions as “rather too manly to be a dandy”, suggesting that he his very much content and confident in his own masculinity.
“[Easy well-bred young man-about town]”
Gerald, likeable appearance
act one beginning
Priestley describes Gerald in the stage directions as “easy well-bred young man-about-town”. This idiomatic phrase suggests that Gerald is a fashionable socialite. Alternatively, this phrase could have plural connotations; perhaps, Priestley is foreshadowing the unfaithful nature of Gerald, as he literally goes about-town and into the Palace bar in the search of female companions.
“I insisted / I made her take some money”
gerald, capitalism
act two
middle
These are both monetary exchanges, rather than financial aid. Therefore, Gerald is disguising prostitution as charity. Priestley’s use of imperatives bears connotations of power and force; Gerald was always in power and in control.
“she was pretty - soft brown hair and big dark eyes - [breaks off] My God!”
Gerald,desire and lust
middle
act two
Priestley’s use of aposiopesis (abrupt break off in speech) comes directly after Gerald describes her beauty. Therefore, revealing that Gerald only felt attracted to Eva physically as he feels the greatest grief when remembering her physical beauty.
“a pretty girl in her early twenties” // “looked young and fresh and charming”
gerald, desire and lust
beginning act one
middle act two
Perhaps Gerald is simply marrying Sheila for her attractive physical appearance as she is “a pretty girl” and in her “early twenties”, while Gerald is “about thirty”. Priestley has already evidenced Gerald’s attraction to youth and appearance through his description of Eva and why he pursued her as she was “young and fresh and charming”
“women of the town”
gerald, desire and lust
act two middle
priestley uses euphemistic language to evidence geralds determination to conceal his use of prostitutes as “women of the town”
“I hate those hard-eyed dough-faced women.”
Gerald, desire and lust
act two middle
Priestley evidences this familiarity through Gerald’s vivid description of prostitutes as “I hate those hard-eyed dough-faced women”. This opinion of prostitutes is one that can only come from experience, rather than a one off or chance occurrence.
It wasn’t disgusting”
Gerald, class
Act two middle
Gerald refutes Mrs Birling’s remark about his relationship with Eva being disgusting. Priestley does this to, perhaps, separate Gerald from the older-generation of characters and their traditional classist views.
“Knew it couldn’t last”
gerald, class
act two middle
It wasn’t Gerald’s ending of funding that impacted Eva, but rather the end of a caring and intimate relationship, which pushed her over the edge and onto suicide as this hurt her emotionally. This sudden ending of their relationship is evidenced through Gerald dropping Eva like a possession as she “knew it couldn’t last”, due to her lower-class origins.
“Then it’ll be all right. The governor prides himself on being a good judge of port. I don’t pretend to know much about it.”
gerald
beginning act one
Mr Birling references Gerald’s fathers familiarity with port which is an expensive wine which would only be bought by those wealthy enough to do so. A status symbol. Gerald does not seem that interested in it and admits he is not too familiar with it. This shows he is less obsessed with reputation, status, image and classism than Mr Birling is. This is a very subtle thing but seen in context with other quotes and the rest of the play Gerald is less classist and more ‘humane’ than the Birling parents. This generational difference perhaps indicates the hope for a better future with the emergence of the new generation.
“You seem to be a nice well-behaved family”
gerald
act one beginning
Irony from Priestley here. Appearances can be deceptive but ‘appearance’ and ‘reputation’ are of immense importance to the likes of the elder Birlings and many in high-class English society at the time. Despite seeming to be a nice and well-behaved family we find out how cruel some of their behaviour is. Birling involved in the firing of Eva rendering her jobless.
Sheila’s capricious behaviour which led to Eva losing another job. Mrs Birling denying her much needed help from the charity that she (Mrs Birling) works with and Eric fathering an illegitimate child with her in an illicit affair. ‘Illicit’ by the standards of those times as it was sexually promiscuous behaviour that would never lead to marriage or a serious relationship. Eric also stealing money from his own family.
‘I know we’d have done the same thing. Don’t look like that Sheila.’
gerald
act one beginninng
This is said in further support of Mr Birling who after the previous comment mentioned above said that ‘If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth.’
Gerald too is from a rich family and looks at things from a business perspective of maintaining a successful and functioning business, but he seems to be unaware that this can come at the cost of real human suffering as we find out later on with the case of Eva Smith.gerald
act one beginninng
This is said in further support of Mr Birling who after the previous comment mentioned above said that ‘If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth.’
Gerald too is from a rich family and looks at things from a business perspective of maintaining a successful and functioning business, but he seems to be unaware that this can come at the cost of real human suffering as we find out later on with the case of Eva Smith.
