Individualism In The Importance Of Being Earnest

People are constantly being exposed to societal “trends” and “expectations” around them in their cultures, therefore it is difficult for one to stay fully unique. One may choose to diminish societal influence and preserve their individualism by: Restricting standard social influences, creating a distinct identity, and keeping honesty as best policy. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde, satirically illustrates the image of two men Jack and Algernon fighting for the most precious women in their lives; Gwendolen and Cecily. To be accepted by these women they must create a dual identity, both going by the name of Algernon. As the novel progresses we develop an idea that even though the Victorian Era was a time of strict moral ruling
Introducing himself as Ernest to Gwendolen cause a deep attraction to the name for her. “It had always been a girlish dream of mine to love someone whose name was Ernest. There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence.” Soon after, Cecily and Gwendolen both meet in the country each visiting their own male version of Ernest. There, Jack and Algernon must face the challenge of confronting to their lovers that their names aren’t really Ernest and that they're bunburyists . This was a risky move since both Gwendolen and Cecily presented themselves as displaying deep affection for their name itself. This turned out to be false. Even though Jack and Algy lied, they were still accepted. By Jack and Algy restricting the pressure they felt of the need of being called Ernest ,their lovers still cared for them with their original names. In act II, when Gwendolen and Cecily prepare their marriage proposals with each other that they’ve received from “Earnest” Cecily exemplifies her difference regarding social norms: “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” Most people in that era were infested with their social standing while Cecily was infested with her own life. She didn’t care about learning German with Miss Prism. She disregarded the
Hence, she is quite real and honest in being herself. She also demands the truth in others. It was she who recognized Prism and made her confess to what happened at the cloakroom. In the end, Lady Bracknell is merely a product of her time...but indeed an honest one at that!” The notion of earnest has taken on quite a few different meanings. For Jack, he was pretending to be Earnest, his “brother” and in order to win Gwendolyn’s affections he had to change the way he was acting. He needed to be honest and understand what should be taken seriously in life rather than being deceptive, hypocritical, and superficial. He realizes the importance of having virtues and