Earnest Essay

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Earnest Essay
Marriage is one of the vital institutions of the human society as it signifies a social advancement particularly the entry men into a world of care, feelings, and emotions. It is considered to be a universal aspect of life and a backbone of human civilization. In the book “the importance of being earnest” the characters’ way of valuing society shapes their perspective of marriage. The narrator’s society had rules and rituals which were perpetuated through a careful selection of the courtship and marriage. Thus, the norms and values of the society significantly influenced the aspect of marriage as discussed in this paper.
The constraints of business and wealth imposed on the Victorian society drives Jack and Algernon to view marriage as an aspect of wealth, class, and morality rather than pleasure and romance. When Algernon discovers that Jack had come to propose, he mockingly states “I thought you had come up for pleasure? … I call that business.” (Wilde 7). Jack, on the other hand, replies “how utterly unromantic you are!” (Wilde 8). When Algernon refers to the proposal as a business, he makes marriage appear to be an aspect of fortune and wealth rather than pleasure. On the other hand, Jack, who believes that marriage involves pleasure and romance, doubts Algernon’s hope for marriage when he calls him unromantic. In Act one, Algernon states that “My dear fellow, the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you.

” (Wilde 7). Likewise, Jack criticizes Algernon’s morals by stating that “You have no right whatsoever to read what is written inside. It is a very ungentlemanly thing to read a private cigarette case.” (Wilde 10). Algernon statement depicts that during the Victorian era, girls were under a strict moral code and it was dishonoring for them to flirt publicly with unmarried men. Similarly, it was wrong for single men to be seen flirting with unmarried women as that was interpreted as leading the women astray. Unlike Algernon, Jack shows some sense of morality required in marriage and distinguishes private life from the public sphere when he states that it is ungentlemanly for a man to pry into another person’s private life. Ideally, Jack and Algernon’s characters depict that marriage in the Victorian era was an aspect of wealth, class, and morality rather than pleasure and romance.
Gwendolen and Lady Cecily represent the modern fantasies, roles, and romantic ideas of young women in marriage. Cecily is attracted to a bad boy character that most of the young women are drawn to in the modern society when she discovers that the “wicked” reputation of her cousin Ernest (Wilde 43). Moreover, she appears to resemble a young teenage girl when she romanticizes in her diary and supposes, “Why, we have been engaged for the last three months.” (Wilde 60). Cecily gets attracted to the bad boy character probably because modern girls prefer being associated with men with exceptional behaviors in the society. Furthermore, she does not only fantasize on an engagement to a man she has physically not met but also writes love letters to him proving that marriage in the modern society is an expression of passion and love. On the other hand, Gwendolen is not only romantic but also conscious of her role as a modern woman. She suggests to Jack that, “And I often wish that in public, at any rate, you had been more demonstrative.” (Wilde 20). In Act three, she responds to Jacks request to wait by stating that “If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life.” (Wilde 97).The initial comments by Gwendolen depicts that she had blinded Jack by love. However, while the high-class women in the Victorian era may be viewed as demanding and impatient, Gwendolen character shows that they were charged with more responsibilities which include building a strong foundation to the marriage. Precisely, Gwendolen and Lady Cecily represent the modern fantasies, roles, and romantic ideas of young women in marriage.
Lady Bracknell paints a picture of an outdated character who views marriage in the Victorian society as an aspect of duty and honor rather than love and pleasure. When she receives the Jack and Gwendon engagement news, she mockingly responds, “Pardon me; you are not engaged to anyone. When you do become engaged to someone, I, or your father, should his health permit him, will inform you of the fact” (Wilde 24). She furthermore contemplates adding Jack to the “list of eligible young men” that can suit her daughter (Wilde 24). This depicts that Lady Bracknell is an old-fashioned character who believes that marriage is an arrangement made with the aim of gaining wealth, building the reputation, and gaining higher social status. She can also be considered to be a character who believes that a man has to have a family background as to establish his family. When addressing Lady Bracknell, Jack says that “But my dear Lady Bracknell, the matter is entirely in your own hands. The moment you consent to my marriage with Gwendolen, I will most gladly allow your nephew to form an alliance with my ward.” (Wilde 93). However, Lady Bracknell responds by stating that “You must be quite aware that what you propose is out of the question.” (Wilde 93). The fact that Bracknell promptly accepts Cecily as the wife for Algernon simply because she is afraid that Jack would not give her daughter shows that Bracknell does not believe that love is the ultimate reason for marriage. Rather she thinks that fortune, beauty, education, and charming are the ultimate characters that one should assess when finding a marriage partner. As a result, Lady Bracknell paints a picture of an outdated character who views marriage in the Victorian society as an aspect of materialism, duty, and honor rather than love and pleasure.
In the book “the importance of being earnest” the characters’ way of valuing society shapes their perspective of marriage. The idea of marriage in the Victorian era is quite different from the current perceptions as demonstrated by the various characters in the play. For instance, while Jack views the aspect of marriage like love, romance, and pleasure affair, Algernon perceives marriage to be an aspect of wealth, business, and class. Similarly, apart from being romantic in marriage, Gwendolen and Cecily believe that a woman has more vital roles in marriage. They think that a Modern Woman in marriage should have certain values and roles such as being smart and persistent as they pursue their marital goals. Although these characters are more attracted to the aspects of marriage in a modern society, Lady Bracknell has different perceptions. Her ideas on marriage are old fashioned as she believes that marriage is an aspect of duty and honor rather than love and pleasure. From the play, it is evident that the meaning of marriage can only be perceived by rational individuals who embrace true love and passion.

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Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. , 2005. Print.Bottom of Form