The Importance of Being Earnest

In his brilliant masterpiece, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Oscar Wilde offers a hilarious satirical critique of the society around him.  A running theme is the preoccupation with ideals and appearance instead of reality.  Appearance is so important, in fact, that the characters have to lie extensively and compartmentalize their lives in order to do things that they want to do.  Algernon says to Jack, “You have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest, in order that you may be able to come up to town as often as you like. I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose,” (page 852).  While telling his ward, Cecily, that he is taking care of his mischevious brother Ernest, Jack actually becomes Ernest and behaves as he wishes.  Ernest is more than a lie, he is an alter ego.  Thus, the discrepancy between truth and appearance is established.  Similarly, Algernon wishes to escape social obligations, but can only do so by pretending to have more pressing social obligations.  His pretense is extremely successful, as Aunt Augusta later argues for the marriage of Algernon and Cecily stating that, “Algernon is an extremely, I may say, an almost ostentatiously eligible young man.  He has nothing, but he looks everything. What more can one desire?” (page 882).  

Cecily and Gwendolen both fall in love with “Ernest”. However, they are more interested in the idea of Ernest more than they are of the people they become engaged to.  Gwendolen states that the name, “has a music of its own.  It produces vibrations,” (page 855).  Therefore, “The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend named Ernest, I [Gwendolen] knew I was destined to love you,” (page 855).  Cecily echoes these sentiments later in the second act when she tells Algernon, who is masquerading as her uncle Jack’s scandalous brother, that, “it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love some one whose name was Ernest.  There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence.”  (page 871)   Their preoccupation with the name Ernest and the ideals that they have attached to it is so strong that both Algernon and Jack are compelled to be re-baptized and change their names!  Thus, Wilde describes the shallowness of society.  It cares nothing for individuality, for human beings as they really are.  It is merely concerned with reputation. The characters of Algernon and Jack, who have both lied extensively, are not called into question at all.  This is also a critique of social relationships, which are based more on social pretense than a genuine appreciation of individual persons. Furthermore, Baptism and Marriage are sacred sacraments.  However, Marriage is treated as shallow and ideal.  Baptism is thrown about flippantly, without reference to the real meaning of the sacrament.  So it appears that Wilde is also critiquing society’s treatment of religion.  It is merely a social convention, a means to appear more acceptable.