The Importance Of Being Earnest, By Oscar Wilde

The image of a weak housewife needing the help of their husband to open a jar of pickles is one painted very clearly in anyone’s head. Men are always seen as the active pillars of the society. During the Victorian Era that was widely reinforced, men needed to follow specific guidelines. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, these expectations can be identified through Algernon and Jack, the “earnest” men of the play. Men had a greater influence and power than women, but there are many steps to take to be considered a “men.” The process is quite tiring; men didn’t only need to gain women’s respect, but also impress society as a whole and their peers sharing the same gender. Being a man was hard, they are the victims of social pressure.
What you present to the world is the essential factor in being masculine. How people perceive you and looking like a gentleman is pivotal. Jack and Algernon know that there are standards they need to fulfill. Being a dandy isn’t something to be ashamed of, it is a characteristic that will aid you to appear neat. Wilde was pointing out the fact that the dandies are the only individuals capable of pointing the right direction, defining what is right and wrong. However, nobody is perfect. There needs to an escape, a break from the standards being presented here. That is how Jack felt, he needed a new life, so why not create one? Creating a new identity meant freedom, a freedom he doesn’t have as a Victorian man. [Dear Reader, are you still sure you want to become a man? It is a way to hard, too many responsibilities. Being a woman is way more comfortable, you don’t even need to speak, your voice is not heard. You need to obey all of the demands of your husband, become a puppet, so much easier right?] Having a double life was very common for young men. During the day, they would provide for the households and act like respectable men, during the night, they resorted using prostitutes. The Ladies of the Night, as they were called, were very common in England, as a matter of fact, it was so familiar for men to sleep with prostitutes, that there was a need to issue a Contagious Disease Act in 1860, which examined women who were sex workers. Men were
As stated before, marriage is of extreme importance. But the thing is, it is not just marrying for the sake of marrying, the wife you choose will also define your recognition as a man. A man must desire an educated woman, a perfect Angel of the House, that will take care of the household and provide heirs. But one couldn’t afford to a have a wife with higher education, men are the intelligent and educated beings. Women are supposed to very calm, pure and quiet; they needed to be ready to fulfill any of the needs that the man has so that one would need an obedient and loyal woman. It is their job to secure the happiness at home; men already have too many obligations to fulfill, imagine working all day and coming back to a messy house with disobedient kids, men would go crazy, that’s why women exist. Don’t think that it's only a good deal for men, women also needed the protection men provided, they are weak, so marrying was also fulfillment in women’s lives.
Jack: I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her
Algernon: I thought you had come up for pleasure?.. I call that business.
Jack: How utterly unromantic you