How does Priestly present Gerald in "An Inspector Calls"?

Gerald is portrayed as a liar, as when Shelia questions him about last summer "last summer, when you never came near me." He is dismissive, and tries to cover it up although the audience and Shelia both know that something was going on. The regular references to Gerald disappearance, last summer and when he goes off stage to “clear his head” makes the audience wonder about him.  It makes them believe that he is hiding something.

Gerald is engaged to Shelia, but there relationship is not cemented as Shelia does not fully trust him. When Gerald is about to tell the inspector about his relationship with Daisy Renton he says “(with an effort) Inspector, I think Miss Birling ought to be excused”, the words “with an effort” suggest Gerald does not want to see Shelia hurt, but more likely he does not want to be embarrassed by his foolish actions, that he had slept and cared for a women of such low social class. When Gerald accuses Shelia of wanting to see him “put through it” the audience realise that he has something terrible to hide. Another reason why Gerald wants no one to hear his shameful acts is because he does not want a scandal to break out as one of the most important things to him is reputation; he is an “aristocrat”.

Gerald is a bridge between Mr and Mrs Birling and the ‘children’, Shelia and Eric. Although is in much closer age to Eric and Shelia but he has different views on whether they should feel responsible for the death of Eva Smith. This could be because Gerald is a business man, and he just wants to avoid a scandal. At first Gerald denies ever knowing Daisy Renton, he is not willing to admit to his guilt similarly Mr Birling also does this, this shows he business side and how he will lie to avoid jeopardising his reputation.

Gerald does change throughout the whole play; he still has then same view and still believes he is not responsible for the death of Eva Smith. When Gerald goes off set the audience get suspicious to what he is getting up to, when he comes back he comes with news that the Inspector is not real, “that man was not a police officer” Gerald wants to protect himself rather than changing for the good.

Gerald learns nothing throughout the play, only to be truthful to Shelia, we know that he has learnt nothing as he says when he finds that there is no girl in the hospital “that makes all the difference” he does not care in the slightest about of all the acts the family and himself have committed, he is just revealed that there cannot be a scandal and that his reputation is still clean.

In conclusion Gerald is presented as a selfish and self-centred man that only cares about business. He is more suited in the generation of Mr/ Mrs Birling as he believes that as they feel no responsibility for the actions that they have committed.