Gender and Queer Theories application to “The Importance of Being Earnest”

Gender and Queer Theories application to “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
Despite the efforts to define gender roles accurately in the society and putting an end to male chauvinism in the society, the society continues to promote patriarchy knowingly and unknowingly. Times are changing, and it is high time that people wake up to the realization that women are capable of performing beyond the duties of home management. Various actions also show that men are also vulnerable to faults and irresponsible behaviors.
The Importance of Being Earnest is a question on the perception of gender in the society. The role of gender in every community is attached to power and authority. In the play, men are more influential than women are. Unlike women in the play, most men decide on political matters in the household. Women in the Victorian community presented in the play the role of household caretakers. They take care of children and spend the most time doing house chores. The author of “The Importance of Being Earnest” presents a society where the value of men is pegged on their judgment and intellectual capacity. In same society, men rate the value of women for beauty and chastity.
The principal concern in the study of gender and the queer theories lies in the perception of gender and sexuality (Anderson 212-214). Queer theories examine the issues related to power, and campaign for women to be freed from patriarchy. According to Wilde’s play (N.P), Miss Prism represents the women who are awakened in the society.

Miss Prism serves Cecily, the governess. Furthermore, she writes novels, which is an indication that she speaks her minds freely to people in the society. It is important to note that Miss Prism was serving another woman (governess) and not a man. The idea is very sensitive Queer theories, which calls for independence of women. Perhaps Wilde figured out that the only way a woman could be seen to have risen is by not clinging to a man to be successful. Queer theories are also concerned with women educating their society on the plight of women through literature (Anderson 212-214) such as novels. Therefore, the fact that Wilde play has a woman character is not a coincidence but advocacy for queer theories.
Gender roles and queer views suggest binary understanding introduced by feminist, who calls for equal treatment in the duties of men and women (Anderson 212-214). In the play, Cecily and Gwendolyn practice this idea in their discussion. They suggest possible shifts in gender role where men could start taking the chores that were formerly termed feminist. They point, “home seems to me to be the proper sphere for the man” (Wilde N.p). However, despite the radical beliefs of feminism women in the play women are still subjects to marriage ideas. For instance, Jack has to decide for Cecily the mature age where she can enter into marital relations. This statement presents the author’s disappointment that despite the efforts to define gender roles, women would still find an obstacle that hinders the evolution of women in their community.
Wilde makes the play interesting by breaking the monotony of the gender functions. Lady Bracknell is an exclusive lady in the society where men assume absolute control. She is a woman in authority and reliable in making sound decisions. The author uses woman Bracknell to assert queer theories, which suggest that women can be trusted with power and critical decisions concerning the community. Furthermore, wild contradicts patriarch’s belief on absolute trust on men by exposing the wild side of men. Jack and Algernon help the readers to appreciate those men are humans like women and are vulnerable to making bad decisions and irresponsible behaviors.

Work Cited
Anderson, Angela. “Excluded: Making Feminist And Queer Movements More Inclusive.” Journal of Gender Studies 23.2 (2014): 212-214. Web.
Wilde, Oscar. “The Importance Of Being Earnest.” Gutenberg e-books. N.p., 2006. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.