Gerald Croft

Gerald Croft is the son of wealthy industrialist and business rival of Mr Birling, and he has just become engaged to Sheila Birling.

While, to start with, Gerald seems to be an honourable man, as the play unfolds, it becomes apparent that he's not all he's made out to be.


Priestly firstly introduces Gerald as: Gerald Croft is an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred young man-about-town.

This shows that Gerald is 'a catch' for both Sheila, but also the Birling family as a whole.  The fact that Mr Birling goes on to say that "You’re just the kind of son-in-law I’ve always wanted.", highlights that he also thinks that he's able to cash in on his family and their name.

However, as the play develops and his relationship with Eva Smith comes to the forefront, this initial picture is shattered.


This graph shows his involvement in Eva Smith's life and the role he played throughout their brief fling.  He moved through various roles in their relationship, however he does appear to be genuinely upset by her demise, saying, "I’m rather more –upset – by this business than I probably appear to be – and – well I’d like to be along for a while – I’d be glad if you’d let me go."

Therefore, how are we, as an audience, supposed to respond to Gerald Croft?  Is he really a bad person, or has he just made bad decisions?  Did he truly treat Eva Smith poorly or did he do everything he could for her, but at the end of the day, he wasn't her saviour?