The play, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde which is a ludicrous comedy where we are shown people running away from their community commitments. There is a lot of satire that has been brought out by the writer in most marriages. In some marriages, people are concerned about the name and advantages that come with it. Some look for wealth while the others aim is nobility that is associated with their counterparts (Hörz, Stefanie 94). Jack opted to propose to Gwendolen at the absence of her mother and her cousin, Algernon. However, Gwendolen is not ready to accept the marriage proposal since the gentleman’s name does not sound noble. The girl had already made up her mind that she would marry a man by the name Earnest. Jack was not ready to conceal his identity and he told her that he was also called Earnest as a way of winning her heart. Immediately after knowing the he is also called
Despite her marriage proposal acceptance, her mother is seen to object it. People were concerned about the class and money that the others had and bearing in mind that Jack as he had been adopted hence had no parents making it hard to know the social class which he belonged. She perceived Jack to be an opportunist who wanted to gain his class by using Gwendolen’s wealth. People are forced by the community to be identified with different names provided that they were in conformity with the high social classes and the wealth (Newton, Christopher, and Oscar 139). I believe that when it comes to marriage, people should base their relationship on the love they have for each other and not the wealth. Most marriages based on the wealth are bound not to last as wealth is short-term.
If wealth happens to be over, then the marriages cannot last. The society should be the one impacting the moral values in marriage institutions. Marriages should not be formed because of money. The element brings about a lot of discrimination as most potential husbands and wives are left out due to their social status. Conflicts could also arise due to the unequal distribution of the resources that tend to go to the already affluent people. Social crimes could also increase as the poor people try to amass wealth to woo their admirers to marry them since it was the most prioritized requirement of marriage.
Jack admits to Algernon to be two different people so as to be in conformity with the society demands. In his Cigarette base, Jack had written, "From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack." This shows that he was related to Cecily who had not been engaged to anyone. Algernon is seen proposing to Cecily at the absence of his friend. He goes ahead to fake as Earnest for the girl to accept him. Could they be playing around with the girls’ feelings to gain more wealth and a higher social status? It shows that everyone could do anything to get wealth irrespective of whether it was right or wrong. However, they portray the society as being the pushing element here in their behavior (Bloom, Harold 213). Jack admits to Gwendolen and asks for forgiveness from her while in the real sense the society knows nothing about him. Conflicting situations occur due to the pretense that comes with the society pressure. Conversely, Gwendolen forgave him in the basis of social status his name had in the society. The husband that Gwendolen knew was totally different from who the society knew. Most couples are with each other because of their communal and financial aptness for each other. The men are in conflict as they had involved lies in their proposal. Jack had earlier cited to Cecily that his brother Earnest had died and there was Algernon faking to be his dead brother.
Encounter arose when the two girls discovered that they had been engaged to the same person. As a way of solving the problem, the men decide to distance themselves from the girls so that they could agree to be sanctified so that they could both adopt the name Earnest. This shows that it was very easy to compromise on owns identity to suit the societal needs of marriage. Before being sanctified, the men agree that there was no need to do it. However, Jack is seen to outline his demands that Algernon was to meet to be allowed to be with Cecily. This was a way of blackmailing Lady Bracknell to allow Jack to be with her daughter putting her into a dilemma. People were not being themselves as they were so much inclined to the social rules.
During the cleansing time, Lady Bracknell, discovers the Prism who had lost her nephew twenty eight years back. After tracing all the processes that had happened in the consequent years after his disappearance, they come to notice that Jack was indeed the lost nephew of Lady Bracknell. Confusion arose on how fate brought them together (Hörz, Stefanie 286). Despite Jack being an adopted child, he able to know who his parents were. He was informed that he was indeed the son of Earnest proving his legal name to be Earnest clearing the doubts and lies he had put into it to convince Gwendolen that he was indeed Earnest. The reality erased the pretense that involved all the proposals. Jack and Algernon found out that they were brothers bringing in the name that they had all assumed to the reality.
The couples ended up together after the revelation that what they were looking for was indeed the truth. The couples end up together as there are no constraints in it. The societal pressures on marriages have both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages are seen when the parties involved have to lie to get what they aspire in marriage. People are never themselves increasing the pretense levels thus becoming difficult for people to know when one is being honest and when lies are involved. It erodes the confidentiality levels in the society conflicting on the society morals.
However, it showed that were it not for the truth coming out, Lady Bracknell would have opposed her daughter’s marriage as she thought that Jack did not have any wealth or high social status in the community. Conversely, she is seen accepting it after the conviction that Jack’s name was indeed earnest (Bloom, Harold 232). The happy ending was enhanced by the names and nothing else. It is unfortunate finding out that the parents, who should be directing their children on marriage issues; they are the ones who like try to choose their suitors for them after having done adequate research on their background to ascertain their wealth and respect their names held. However, Lady Bracknell opposition led to them finding out the true identity of Jack.
Work cited:
Newton, Christopher, and Oscar Wilde. The Importance of Being Earnest. , 2004. Print.
Hörz, Stefanie. Comic Effects in "the Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde. Germany: Grin Verlag,
2001. Print.
Bloom, Harold. Oscar Wilde's the Importance of Being Earnest. New York: Chelsea House Publishers,
1988. Print.
