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● How does Priestley present the character of Gerald Croft?
Through Gerald’s character, Priestley exposes the irresponsible behaviour of many upper
class men in 1912. Priestley uses the character of Gerald Croft to highlight the ways in which
issues of class divide and gender inequality were deeply ingrained in every aspect of
Britain's social hierarchies during the Edwardian era.
Priestley uses the character of Gerald Croft to represent the upper class (aristocracy)
in An Inspector Calls. Priestley makes it clear that Gerald Croft is of a higher class than the
Birlings when Mr Birling enquires about Gerald’s parents, Lord and Lady Croft. Mr Birling is
very excited about his daughter’s engagement to Gerald Croft because it represents an
opportunity to merge with Croft Ltd. and climb up the social ladder. However, the audience
is more likely to infer that Lord and Lady Croft’s absence from Gerald and Sheila’s
engagement party reveals their upper class disapproval of their son’s union with the middle
class Birlings. People in Britain had strict social hierarchies in 1912; Priestley reveals how
the upper class looked down on the middle class, just like the middle class Birlings looked
down on working class people like Eva Smith.
Gerald’s character represents the stereotypical upper class male who assumes
superiority and privilege, particularly over the lower classes and women. Priestley uses
Gerald’s relationship with Eva Smith, who he knew as Daisy Renton, to reveal the unfair
class and gender privilege of upper class males. Gerald’s relationship with Eva Smith is
unequally balanced from the beginning; he describes how he ‘felt sorry for her’ due to her
desperate situation. Although Gerald has kind intentions initially, Eva’s hardship is a situation
that he is able to take advantage of, beginning a relationship that he has no intention of
continuing long term. Gerald met Eva Smith at The Palace Bar, which is referred to as
somewhere that ‘women of the town’ frequent, so Priestley seems to be suggesting that
many women were forced into prostitution or taken advantage of (like Eva) because of
poverty. Wages were low and there were no benefits prior to the Welfare state that was set
up by the Labour party in 1946, which meant women like Eva Smith often had no choice. As
a socialist, Priestley wanted to highlight the inequality and challenge the upper classes to
take social responsibility, instead of just taking advantage.
Priestley also uses Gerald’s character to highlight how sexism was deeply ingrained
in the upper classes. Like Mr and Mrs Birling, Gerald treats Sheila like a child at the
beginning of the play which reveals how middle/upper class females were also treated as
inferiors within the patriarchal society of 1912. After the engagement meal, Sheila and her
mother retire to the drawing room while the men discuss business. The absence of the
females implies that they were considered intellectually inferior to the males. Moreover,
when Sheila questions whether Gerald was really busy at work during the previous summer,
her parents make excuses for him, almost as if it was acceptable for men to have affairs
although higher class women were expected to stay pure for their husbands. Mr and Mrs
Birling encourage Sheila to marry Gerald Croft even after he has admitted to the affair with
Eva Smith, which suggests that his higher class and status excuse his immoral behaviour.
Through the presentation of Gerald’s relationships with women, Priestley therefore explores
both gender inequality in both the higher and lower classes.
Whilst Gerald’s character never admits full responsibility for his wrongs like Sheila and Eric,
who represent the younger generation, he is not as hard hearted and selfish as Mr and Mrs
Birling. Ultimately, Priestley’s socialist message was that ‘We don't live alone. We are
members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’ By the end of the play, the
younger generation accepts full responsibility and represents the potential for social change.
Sadly though, Gerald’s character sides with the older generation and avoids taking
responsibility for Eva Smith ‘s death. After realising the inspector’s visit was a ‘hoax’, Gerald
tries to re-initiate his engagement with Sheila, stating ‘Everything’s alright now, Sheila. What
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