# Gerald Foster — The Adventures of Sally character guide > Gerald Foster in The Adventures of Sally by P. G. Wodehouse. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Jerry, Gerald, Foster **First appearance:** 0000-i-sally-gives-a-party ## Snapshot A lean, handsome English playwright with a secret engagement to Sally, whose artistic sensitivity curdles into self-pity when his first big chance stalls. ## Who they are Gerald Foster is the man Sally has quietly promised to marry, a dynamic-looking young writer whose career hangs on a single production threatened by a flu scare. He insists their engagement stay hidden, a furtiveness Sally excuses as artistic delicacy, and his brooding self-pity when the play is delayed reveals a vanity she dislikes in men. His pride and his precarious prospects make him both a romantic hope and a slow disappointment in the story's middle stretch. ## Relationships ### [Sally Nicholas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/characters/sally_nicholas) _romantic_ Gerald is a former fiancé who broke off their engagement, and his reappearance stirs old feelings and complications. ### [Sally Nicholas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/characters/sally_nicholas) _romantic_ Gerald is a former fiancé who broke off their engagement, and his reappearance stirs old feelings and complications. ### [Sally Nicholas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/characters/sally_nicholas) _romantic_ Gerald is a former fiancé who broke off their engagement, and his reappearance stirs old feelings and complications. ## In the story ### [I: Sally Gives a Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/i-sally-gives-a-party) Announces his play will be produced by Cracknell, but is evasive about the casting of Mabel Hobson. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/ii) Arrives on the scene and greets Sally warmly. He is described as an Englishman in his mid-twenties, good-looking, and appears to be someone who 'gets there.' ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/iii) Gerald is excited about his play being produced but shows embarrassment and hesitation when explaining the casting choice of Mabel Hobson. ### [V: Sally Hears News](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/v-sally-hears-news) Has left town for Detroit for the tryout of his play. Sally plans to go to Detroit but later telegraphs that she cannot make it. ### [VI: First Aid for Fillmore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/vi-first-aid-for-fillmore) Appears gloomy and self-centered, complaining about the theatre closure and the troubles with the production. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/i) Self-centered and worried about his play's postponement; asks Sally to keep their engagement secret. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/ii) Sitting in the front row with the producer, urging the actors to speak their lines properly. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/iii) Tries to end the argument about the paper-knife and cat, and later talks with Mr. Bunbury. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/iv) Gerald is present at the theatre, looking miserable, which prompts Sally's decision to invest. ### [VII: Some Meditations on Success](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/vii-some-meditations-on-success) Cheerful and talkative, focused on his upcoming success and the opportunities it will bring, oblivious to Sally's growing unease. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/i) His play, The Primrose Way, is a success in Detroit, and he is hailed as a coming author. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/i) Away in Chicago, superintending the opening of The Primrose Way and revising another play. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as having married Elsa Doland, an event that profoundly affects Sally. ### [XI: Sally Runs Away](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/xi-sally-runs-away) Referenced in Sally's letter; she burned his last letter without reading it. ### [XIV: Mr. Abrahams Re-Engages an Old Employee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/xiv-mr-abrahams-re-engages-an-old-employee) His play The Primrose Way was a success, but his marriage to Elsa has gone 'all to bits.' ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/ii) Elsa's husband, now living across the hall, reportedly drinking and in a bad state. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/i) His new play 'The Wild Rose' is mentioned as a failure. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/v) Gerald appears unexpectedly at Sally's doorway at the end of the chapter. ### [XVII: Sally Lays a Ghost](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/xvii-sally-lays-a-ghost) Gerald, drunk and resentful, trashes Elsa's apartment, then shows weakness and self-pity, ultimately being ordered to leave by Sally. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/i) Drunk and maudlin, lamenting his failed playwriting career and expressing a desire to end it all. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/ii) In a drunken, self-pitying state, he trashes Elsa's apartment and then tries to justify his actions to Sally. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/chapters/iii) Hungover and disheveled, he is seen by Carmyle and ordered to leave, which he does without much resistance. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/characters/gerald_foster - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_adventures_of_sally_se/characters