Gerald Croft

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Created by: Lucy__Bradley
Created on: 07-05-16 11:40

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Gerald Croft
- He's a complex character
  - He's neither good or bad
    - He's a hypocrite
      - Gerald agrees "young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things."
      - but it was Gerald who did the unpleasant and disturbing things to Eva
- Characteristics
  - respectable
    - "the easy well-bred young man-about-town"
  - traditional
    - "I should say so too!" (agreeing with Birling)
  - a liar
    - "I wasn't telling you a complete lie."
    - He isn't willing to reveal his involvement - wants to protect his own interests (like Mr. Birling?)
  - keen to impress Mr. Birling
    - he has lots of similar views to Birling (he'll end up like Birling?)
      - "We'd have done the same thing."
    - he's business minded and likes to be in control like Birling
    - agrees with Birling's social and political views and laughs at Mr. Birling's jokes
  - upper-class
    - "we're respectable citizens after all."
    - he's from an old country family - the Birlings' social superior
  - He did care for Eva
    - ‘I’m rather more – upset – by this business than I probably appear to be – ‘.
      - But he used her
        He knew her feelings for him were stronger than his own
- Purpose in the play
  - He shows that young people can be selfish and unchangeable too
  - He represents the selfish attitudes of the upper class
    - He lets the audience down; we had hope that he would change his attitudes, but he doesn’t - shows how integrated into the upper class these views were
- He doesn't think he's done anything wrong
  - His language shows that he doesn't feel remorse
    - At the end of the play he says "everything's alright now Sheila." - he hasn't learnt his lesson
    - he's the first character to use the word 'hoax' - he wants to prove the Inspector's a fake and wants to protect his reputation
  - He did care for Eva but treated her badly due to her social status
    - He kept her as his mistress for his own pleasure then discarded her - basically made her homeless