Gerald Croft

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  • Created by: Beth_trim
  • Created on: 05-03-18 20:43
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  • Gerald Croft
    • Eligible bachelor
      • Gerald is the son-in-law Birling dreamt of
        • He's the son of the completion (Crofts Limited)
        • His parents are Lord and Lady
        • He's respectable
      • At the start Gerald seems like a catch
        • He get s on well with Birling and impress Mrs.B
      • But then it turns out Gerald had been lying
        • He confesses that he had a fling with Daisy Renton last summer when he was meant to be involved with Shiela
          • She resultantly hands back his engagement ring
      • Gerald leads the Billings to realise that Insect goole was not a police officer
        • That there was not suicide recorded a the hospital
          • He sides with Mr and Mrs Birling, focusing on how to protect their reputation
            • He also asks Sheila to give him another chance now that 'it wasn't going to get out about his fling'
              • "Everything's alright now Sheila [...] What about this ring?"
      • Gerald is ...
        • Respectable
          • "the easy well-bred young man-about-town"
        • Upper class
          • "landed people and so forth"
        • A Liar
          • "I wasn't telling you a complete lie"
        • Traditional
          • "I should say so!" (Gerald agreeing with Birling)
    • He has a bright future, but a lot like the Birlings
      • Gerald was handsome, wealthy, about 30
      • He is from an old country family
        • unlike the billings
          • This makes him their social superior
      • He work for 'Crofts Limited', his fathers firm
        • It is older and bigger that Birling and co.
          • The two companies are friendly rivals
            • And he would most likely take it over when his father retires
              • Leaving him with a very well paid cushy job
      • He is relaxed and comfortable in this company (unlike Eric) and hated jokes with Birling
        • Getting on his goos side because of Sheila?
      • HOWEVER, He is like Birling in that he is used to and comfortable with being in control
        • He agrees with Birling's politics and women and laughs at his joke about getting into trouble
        • He supports Arthur's sacking of Eva
          • "You couldn't have done anything else"
        • He's business-minded and is committed to his work in the same way hat Arthur billing is
        • He and Arthur are the ones whoa re committed to taking action at the end  to find out whether the Inspector or the girl were real
        • If it want for Gerald, it'd be easy to say thatMr and Mrs Birling were unchanging because they're too old.
          • But Gerald's Character shoes that younger people can be just as selfish an old-fashioned
    • He dosent feel sorry for his actions
      • Because it is such a usual thing for theses privileged young men to do he feels that his actions aren't something to profusely apologise for
        • Priestley shows this through his language
          • He makes him sound less passionate than sheila
            • Gerald can distance himself form the tragedy
      • He's the first character to call it a hoax
        • He is very keen to prove the inspector was a fake and clear everyone's names
          • He dosen't seem to have learnt any lessons
            • He comforts sheila at the end of the play "Everything's alright now"
              • Quite patronisingly in my opinion
                • As though Sheila was supposed to forget and push aside the fact that he was unfaithful to her because it isn't going to get out
    • He doesn't feel he was in the wrong
      • Gerald says thatEva/Daisy "didn't blame me at all"
        • This fools the audience into letting Gerald off because Daisy 'didn't blame him'
      • The inspector isn't too harsh on him because Gerald was kind to her
        • "had some affection for her and made her happy for a time"
          • He did have some positive effects on her life
            • However, he treated her badly because of her status
              • He kept her as a mistress for his own pleasure and discarded her when it suited him
      • But then he left her and went back ti Sheila
        • He effectively made her homeless
          • However, he treated her badly because of her status
            • He kept her as a mistress for his own pleasure and discarded her when it suited him
    • He isn't simply 'Bad or Good'
      • He is confident but he is also stubborn
        • He dosent lard much about himself over the course of the play
          • The Inspector points out Gerald's Hypocrisy
            • The inspector acts him whether he thinks "young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?"
              • He repays 'yes' thinking of Sheila
                • But irt is people like Gerald who are doing th disturbing things to women like Eva/Daisy
                  • He uses her and then discards her
                    • This applies just as much to Birling ad other men like him who have the same attitudes
                      • That women (like Eva/Daisy) are expendable and don't require protection
      • He has the ability to separate his public, respectable image form secret, pirate acts
        • something which Eric docent possess

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