Jack Worthing Symbolism
EN 112
Mitsuru Takayashiki
Intro to Literature Drama Paper
In The Importance of Being Earnest, character itself is one of the most important symbols. There are two major symbolical characters. Jack Worthing is the protagonist in this story. For years, he has pretended to have and irresponsible younger brother named Ernest, whom he is always having to bail our of some mischief. More than any other characters in this story, Jack worthing represents conventional Victorian values. He wants others to think he has such notions as duty, honor, and respectability even though he flouts those notions. Algernon Moncrieff is the secondary main character in this story. He is seems like the figure of the dandy than any other character. Like Jack, Algernon
invented a fictional character, named Bunbury, to give him a escape from his real life. Both characters invented a fictional character to live another life and escape from their real life. However, a difference between Jack and Algernon is that Jack does not admit to being a “Bunburyist”, even he’s been called on it because of his pride, while Agernon not only acknowledges his wrong things but also is delightful to be it. In the story, food and scenes of eating appear often in the story and these are important symbol as well. For instance, The climax of Gwendolen and Cecily’s little argument who is really engaged to Ernest Worthing comes when Gwendolen tells Cecily, who has just offered her sugar and cake. That sugar is “not fashionable any more” and “ cake is rarely seen at the best houses nowadays.” Cecily responds by filling Gwendolen’s tea with sugar and her plate with cake. The idea of fiction figures in this story in variety of important ways. Several characters attempt to create a fictional life for themselves, which, to some extent, becomes real. At the beginning of the story, for example, Algernon, has begun to suspect that Jack’s life is at least partly a fiction. Bunbury is also a fiction. When Algernon says “More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read,” he may be making a veiled reference to fiction, or reading material perceived to be immoral. Through the whole story, morality is a favorite topic of conversation. In Victorian society, morality doesn’t necessarily mean earnestness. These two words rather mean opposite. There is a irony in this story that characters such as Jack and Gwendolen, who seem to be sobriety and honest in moral, are hypocrites. We can see through the story that truly moral is not something about earnestness, but something about irreverence.
Mitsuru Takayashiki
Intro to Literature Drama Paper
In The Importance of Being Earnest, character itself is one of the most important symbols. There are two major symbolical characters. Jack Worthing is the protagonist in this story. For years, he has pretended to have and irresponsible younger brother named Ernest, whom he is always having to bail our of some mischief. More than any other characters in this story, Jack worthing represents conventional Victorian values. He wants others to think he has such notions as duty, honor, and respectability even though he flouts those notions. Algernon Moncrieff is the secondary main character in this story. He is seems like the figure of the dandy than any other character. Like Jack, Algernon
invented a fictional character, named Bunbury, to give him a escape from his real life. Both characters invented a fictional character to live another life and escape from their real life. However, a difference between Jack and Algernon is that Jack does not admit to being a “Bunburyist”, even he’s been called on it because of his pride, while Agernon not only acknowledges his wrong things but also is delightful to be it. In the story, food and scenes of eating appear often in the story and these are important symbol as well. For instance, The climax of Gwendolen and Cecily’s little argument who is really engaged to Ernest Worthing comes when Gwendolen tells Cecily, who has just offered her sugar and cake. That sugar is “not fashionable any more” and “ cake is rarely seen at the best houses nowadays.” Cecily responds by filling Gwendolen’s tea with sugar and her plate with cake. The idea of fiction figures in this story in variety of important ways. Several characters attempt to create a fictional life for themselves, which, to some extent, becomes real. At the beginning of the story, for example, Algernon, has begun to suspect that Jack’s life is at least partly a fiction. Bunbury is also a fiction. When Algernon says “More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read,” he may be making a veiled reference to fiction, or reading material perceived to be immoral. Through the whole story, morality is a favorite topic of conversation. In Victorian society, morality doesn’t necessarily mean earnestness. These two words rather mean opposite. There is a irony in this story that characters such as Jack and Gwendolen, who seem to be sobriety and honest in moral, are hypocrites. We can see through the story that truly moral is not something about earnestness, but something about irreverence.