In J.B. Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls," the character of Gerald Croft is a complex and multifaceted one. He is a wealthy young man who is engaged to the daughter of the wealthy Birling family, and is also a close friend of the family's son, Eric. Throughout the play, Gerald grapples with his own feelings of guilt and responsibility in relation to the death of Eva Smith, a young woman who was driven to suicide by the actions of the Birling family and their acquaintances.
If I were in a position to respond to Gerald, I would first try to understand his perspective and feelings. It is clear that he is struggling with the weight of his own actions and the impact they had on Eva Smith's life. I would try to listen to him and offer support, acknowledging the difficulties he is facing and the emotions he is likely experiencing.
At the same time, I would also challenge Gerald to take responsibility for his actions and to consider the ways in which he may have contributed to Eva's suffering. While he may not have directly caused her death, he played a role in the events leading up to it and has a moral obligation to acknowledge and confront the harm he has caused.
I would also encourage Gerald to think about the broader social and systemic issues at play in the play, such as classism and the lack of support and protection for vulnerable individuals. While he may feel overwhelmed by his own guilt and responsibility, it is important for him to recognize the ways in which society and its systems fail and oppress people like Eva.
Ultimately, my goal would be to help Gerald understand the need for empathy, compassion, and accountability in his relationships with others. While it may be difficult and uncomfortable to confront the harm he has caused, it is essential for him to take steps towards becoming a more responsible and caring member of society.
Gerald Croft in An Inspector Calls
Useful Vocabulary — you could use these words to explore character, context and events: untrustworthy exploitative opportunistic careless casual dominant insistent aristocratic privileged elite wealthy powerful cavalier remorseful apologetic. He comes across as being a spoiled, entitled, privileged aristocrat who thinks he can do whatever he pleases in life. Therefore he has written this play "An Inspector Calls" to get these views of his across to the rest of the audience. I believe it is also worth mentioning that the themes I have picked out are by no means definitive. The first place to look for any idea of intention behind the speech is the stage directions. However, unlike eric, Gerald had consent. Her existence is told from the perspective of the Birlings, Gerald and Inspector Goole.
How Do You Respond to Gerald in an Inspector Calls
First of all, you can not make assumptions based on your gut reaction or on how you perceive Gerald through 21st century eyes. To conclude, from the play we can conduct that Gerald is a metaphor for the change happening in society during the time, and how easy it was for people during that time, and how easy it was for people to change their views and opinions. Putting himself above the ladies and the men at the bar, Gerald shows clear prejudiced opinions towards them — yet he is just like the men, and takes Eva home. His speech becomes slightly fragmented by pg 39 with dashes breaking the long sentences and although this could indicate him struggling to invent the next sections of his story, I feel that they indicate the increasing difficulty he is having as his emotions get the better of him. So he leads the life of a dissolute man-about-town, which indirectly leads to Daisy Renton's death. The fact of the matter is: the process is a creative one and the best themes require a bit of imagination.
How is Gerald Croft presented in the play An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley?
Gerald Croft is presented as generally a well-meaning, but rather weak young man. When doing so, they should refer to evidence from the play. The fact is, he definitely did not want to pursue their relationship any further. When Birling starts to talk about a possible merge with Crofts Limited the audience realizes that he is very enthusiastic about his business and is also quite selfish because even though he makes out the most important thing is the happiness of Gerald and Sheila, he is just interested in making a profit with a business merge. He lets himself down in the final act by trying to get the family out of trouble, he doesn't seem to have learned from his mistakes. The impact on the audience could be looked at more.
An Inspector Calls
Birling's attitude to the inspector and criticizes him for being meddlesome and harsh. Would highly recommend it! Question 2 What has Gerald learned by the end of the play? This response is carried through the first scene by Priestley as he lets Mr Birling make long and presumptuous speeches, Gerald just accepts them and moves focus onto Sheila. In this play, the age gap indicates social awareness. As The inspector leaves the dining room to talk to Eric, the interrogation of Gerald from Sheila starts. This would have made the audience feel sad for Eva and maybe for Sheila and Eric who had recognized what they had done wrong and shown genuine guilt because of it. But still, this is one of the very few chances that you will get at GCSE level to actually be creative. This could be a foreshadow of what is to come; Priestley is developing the ideas that Gerald has more to him then he is letting on.
