The Importance of Being Earnest: Victorian Satire and Social Critique

The Significance of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest is a play written by Oscar Wilde, first performed on 14 February 1895 at the St. James's Theatre in London. It is the most renowned of Oscar Wilde’s comedies. It is the story of two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, who create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise, and misadventure. The elaborate plot ridicules Victorian sensibilities with some of the best-loved and indeed bizarre characters to be found on the modern stage.

Symbolism of Ernest and Bunbury's Deceit

The two imaginary people created by Jack and Algernon might symbolize the empty promises or deceit of the Victorian era. Not only is the character Ernest anything but earnest for the majority of the play, but he also does not even really exist. This makes Jack’s creation of him doubly deceitful. Bunbury sounds as ridiculous and fictional as he actually is. Both of them allow Jack and Algernon to live a lie, seeming to uphold the highest moral standards while really misbehaving without suffering consequences.

Critique of Victorian Values and Society

Even when Jack and Algernon are caught in their lies, they never suffer any real punishment. That they can both kill off their imaginary alter egos or friends without much ado shows Victorian society’s real values. The Victorian era did not value honesty, responsibility, or compassion for the underprivileged (neither Lady Bracknell nor Algernon exhibit much pity for Bunbury when he 'dies'), but only style, money, and aristocracy. It is appropriate that the nonexistent characters of Ernest and Bunbury show how shallow the Victorians' real concerns were. Thus, in my opinion, the characters are indeed victims of the Victorian era, where matters such as social status and proper etiquette were paramount. However, more serious issues such as identity, death, or even lost child identity are treated trivially. So, while a person could lead a secret life, engage in extramarital affairs, or have children out of wedlock, society would turn a blind eye, provided the appearance of propriety was maintained.

Susan Van Kirk's Analysis of Wilde's Satire

I appreciate the analysis by Susan Van Kirk of the novel in her book, CliffsNotes on Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, in which she explains:

Wilde humorously captures the absurdity of rigid Victorian values […] The Victorian mania to exclude anyone and everyone who did not conform to social norms is touched on by Wilde’s satire of reform movements. His words come from Miss Prism when she says, “I am not in favour of this modern mania for turning bad people into good people at a moment’s notice.”