Gerald Flashcards
(11 cards)
Act 1
Description of Gerald
“Easy, well-bred young man-about-town”
“Easy, well-bred young man-about-town”
•Idiomatic phrase suggests he is a fashionable socialite
- Could have plural connotations and foreshadows his unfaithfulness as he literally goes ‘about-town’ and into the Palace Bar to find women
“Is this the one you wanted me to have?”-Sheila to Gerald
•Reveals the control Gerald has over Sheila
- Marrying Gerald is symbolic to Sheila accepting the corruption, gender and class inequality of society
“You couldn’t have done anything else.”
Gerald to Mr Birling
He agrees with Mr Birling for firing Eva from the factory, signifing
“We’re respectable citizens, not criminals.”
Reveals his upper-class sense of entitlement and the belief that their social standing shields them from accountability
“he means that i’m getting hysterical now”
Sheila, referring to Gerald
Gerald attemps to exclude Sheila, implying his belief that she is too emotional to think logically and clearly
“She looked young and fresh and charming and altogether out of place there”
Gerald describing Eva
He only noticed her because of her looks.
Sets a predatory tone, the description of “fresh” hinting at desire and fertility which shows that he had clear sexual views from the start.
“I hate those hard eyes dough faced women”
Emphasises his obsession with a woman’s appearance. This opinion can only come from experience.
“Daisy knew it was coming to an end”
His false narrative is a weak attempt to make him seem admirable and likeable, despite how he left her when it suited him
“I’m rather upset by this business than i probably appear to be”
Gives the audience hope that he may change.
He initially acted out of kindness by giving her money, but he gave into lust- one of the seven deadly sins showing how he went against God.
“Everything’s all right now, Sheila. What about the ring?”
Doesn’t comprehend the impact or his consequences.
Reveals his guilt was only temporary, he experiences guilt but tries to reason and manipulate it.
