Gerald Flashcards
Para 1 character who is somewhat conflicted
stage directions his age is mentioned as being “about 30”. symbolise he is caught between the generations; he is not as young as Sheila and Eric and not as old as Mr. and Mrs. Birling.
Priestley uses the structure of the play to reinforce the idea that Gerald is caught in the middle of two opposing generations; he is interrogated by the inspector at the start of Act 2 which is exactly at the middle point of the play.
indicating that Gerald is a character with a choice to make; he can conform to the capitalist values of the elders or can adopt more socialist principles like the younger generation.
This is a choice that the writer was encouraging his audience to reflect upon in 1945. He believed that in order to progress, Britain could never return to the inequality of the Edwardian era. Gerald is used to explore the consequences of making the wrong choices.
Para 2 Gerald comes across as a loving, respectful husband who values his fiancé Sheila
When he gives Sheila his wedding ring in Act One, he states, “I hope to make you as happy as you deserve to be.” Gerald is considerate of Sheila’s emotional wellbeing. The verb “deserve” implies he values Sheila’s happiness and respects her as a human being who has the right to happiness.
The relationship between Gerald and Sheila may have been scandalous for the Edwardian era as she is of a lower social status than him. Gerald’s parents do not approve of the marriage for this reason as they have not come to the engagement party to celebrate. The fact that Gerald is willing to ignore this and seems determined to please Sheila could suggest that his love for her is genuine and that he is an open minded man who can look past the class divisions and bigotry of his time.
it quickly becomes clear that Gerald is in fact an extremely selfish and irresponsible man.
In the opening stage directions, he is referred to as an “easy, well bred young man about town.”
The dehumanising language “well bred” is a reference to his higher class status and could be Priestley’s way of suggesting that the class system is degrading for everyone; sounds almost like an animal that has been bred for his upper class qualities.
adjective “easy” indicates that Gerald is a privileged man who does not have to face the same challenges as others. connotations of freedom and a lack of responsibility. Gerald is able to use Brumley as his own personal playground with few consequences.
selfishness in a far more sinister way when he hears of Eva Smith’s brutal suicide. “I don’t come into this suicide business” after hearing that she “burnt her insides out”. The noun “business” sounds extremely cold and dismissive to the audience, especially considering the violent details of Eva’s death.
cleverly creates pathos for Eva whilst emphasising Gerald’s lack of humanity. the fact that Gerald’s immediate thought is of himself with the personal pronoun “I” being used highlights how his main concern is for himself. Priestley is perhaps criticising the aristocracy for their inability to understand or show even basic levels of compassion towards the lower classe
Gerald is also conveyed as a man who is misogynistic and exploits women.
In Act 2, he admits that he met Eva Smith in a bar that was known to be used by prostitutes. poor and vulnerable women have been forced to resort to prostitution in order to survive. Gerald seems to have little concern for this when he states, “I happened to look in one night after a long, dull day…”.
euphemistic language highlights Gerald’s dishonesty as he is trying to hide his true intentions. The modal verb “happened” suggests that it was only by coincidence that he entered this bar which seems extremely dubious.
Moreover, the adjectives “long” and “dull” used to describe his day are remarkable because they imply that Gerald was simply bored when he went to the Palace Theatre bar. It seems that he views women as sex objects to be used and discarded as a source of entertainment when he is feeling bored.
highlighting the misogyny that was common amongst upper class men of this period. The upper classes were regarded as being morally superior in the Edwardian era yet Priestley exposes Gerald’s behaviour as totally immoral and dishonest to encourage his audience to question and challenge those in power.
Despite this, there are glimpses that Gerald has the potential to change and take responsibility.
he does show the ability to feel some compassion for the suffering of the lower classes. When he finds out that Eva Smith is hungry he describes how “I made the people at the county find food for her” and “I made her take some money”.
Here, Priestley’s use of repetition suggests that Gerald did use his power for some good. he was able to alleviate Eva’s suffering. The emotional side of his character is developed further at the end of his interrogation when he says, “I am just going to go-walk about-for a while.”
In this dialogue, the hyphens and broken syntax may convey that Gerald’s voice is breaking with emotion as if he is feeling remorse or sorrow for what he has done.
the verb phrase “walk about” also seems vague and might represent how Gerald feels lost or conflicted. At this point in the play it seems that he may be taking time to reflect or consider the changes he needs to make in order to be a better person. Priestley encourages the audience to feel hope for his character and that change in society may well be possible.
Ultimately however, Priestley uses Gerald to warn his audience of the dangers of making selfish decisions and attempting to escape personal responsibility.
In 1945, Britain was at a crossroads – it could return to the class divisions of the Edwardian era or move forward and build a fairer society built upon socialist principles.
Gerald attempts to discredit the inspector to escape punishment. In the final scene tries to win back Sheila by stating, “everything’s alright now Sheila”. The casual use of the abstract noun “everything” highlights how easily Gerald forgets his selfish and irresponsible behaviour.
he fails to see the problem with being unfaithful to his fiancé, using prostitutes and exploiting the lower classes. Priestley demonstrates that Gerald has made the wrong decision as the telephone “rings” and the Birlings are told a real inspector is on the way. This stage direction is highly symbolic as it suggests that we cannot escape our responsibility towards others no matter how wealthy or powerful we are.
