The Importance Of Being Earnest-Satire

To be a Victorian provokes the question whether if it is better to be or not to be. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play that uses satirical comedy to analyze aspects of society. Jack, Algernon, Cecily, Gwendolen, and Lady Bracknell are all over dramatized representations of the shallow, pretentious British upper class. Characters trade smart remarks, but they seem oblivious to the humor and absurdity of their statements. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the satire of an upper-class Victorian society can also be interpreted as Wilde humorously treating serious issues and conflicts that existed within Victorians to highlight the disadvantages of having such a posh society.
The issues that arise in The Importance of Being Earnest, apply to the author, Oscar Wilde’s, personal life. During his childhood, his mother was known for having lavish salons where Oscar could observe society. As he grew up he started to oppose many of the Victorian
Era attributes: “He rejected the idea that literature should have a social or moral purpose, as much of it did at that time, and instead he became involved in the Aestheticism (or Decadent) movement, a key tenet of which was creating art for art’s sake” (biography.com). For Wilde, moral lessons were not something he saw being a part of literature. Instead, he wanted to steer readers to a new type of literature that not only confront societal norms but also reflected his writing style. His writing style consisted of paradoxes, epigrams, and constant exposing of human nature. Wilde uses epigrams to expose the hypocrisy of the upper class. His play, The Importance of Being Earnest, was designed as a commentary on the classist society of Victorian England: “By indirectly parodying the artificial construct of Victorian aristocratic morality, Oscar Wilde transcended the confines of stereotypical comedic melodrama by using the repetition of ironic witticisms and the invocation of mythos to convey his ultimate unspeakable purpose— the representation of the farcical state of hypocritical England in the nineteenth century” (theodessyonline.com).
Near the end of the nineteenth century, England saw its cultural and social values turn against Queen Victoria’s reign. Small business owners formed a new middle-class society in England as they climbed the social ladder and later desired to be part of aristocracy by owning houses in other regions and becoming patrons of art. Many began to question the values of their society and decided to step away from mass-produced goods. Others stemmed away from the idea that had to have morals in its message: “As a reaction to the conservatism and restrictive moral and social code of the Victorian Age, the Aesthetic and Decadent Movements championed artistic excess and rejected morality as a measure of the value of artistic expression” (classroom.rfisd.net). From there the term “art for art’s sake” was born and people started to decide what art meant to them. This movement inspired Wilde to use the movement as a muse for his literature.
Though Wilde’s play humorously confronts victorian values, there were two main issues with the play that drew criticism. Attendees felt the play had a disregard for morality. After seeing the original production, playwright George Bernard Shaw heavily criticized the play’s “real degeneracy” in his article which appeared in Oscar Wilde: A Collection of Critical Essays: “Wilde's ‘first really heartless play’, seemingly a "pot boiler" that represented a real degeneracy produced by his debaucheries. I thought he was still developing; and I hazarded the unhappy guess that The Importance of Being Earnest was in idea a young work written or projected long before..."(Shaw). Shaw’s opinion was heavily received, and many let it influence their decision about the play.
Still, critics could never come to an agreement when deciding what category The Importance of Being Earnest belonged in. Otto Reinert, author of Satiric Strategy in the Importance of Being Earnest went against popular criticisms like Shaw’s: “Wilde’s comedy results in an exposure both of hypocrisy and of the unnatural convention that necessitates hypocrisy. As a consequence, Bunburying, the reliance on white lies that keeps polite society polite, gives the plot moral significance” (Reinert 15).
The upper middle class haughty and arrogant nature is critiqued by Wilde. Everything from marriage to wealth is shown in a hypocritical viewpoint. Algernon is one of the first characters to show hypocrisy while discussing marriage with Jack: “Lane's views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility” (Act 1). Algernon thinks lower and middle classes an example of good morals for the privileged societies like the Victorians or the aristocrats. He, supposes the higher classes are problematic, yet it appears just as he has no issue with the hypocrisy that occurs.
The topic if earnestness is a topic that is heavy in the play that Jack, Algernon, and even Lady Bracknell deal with: “The upper middle class haughty and arrogant nature is critiqued by Wilde. Lady Bracknell arrogantly dismisses Jack's proposal to Gwendolen. Her haughty manner makes an appearance when she interrogates Jack whether he is really qualified to be her son in law or not. To the utter shame of the readers, she had kept all the bio-data and testimonials of those who dared to propose to Gwendolen but proved unqualified suitors for her daughter. It is really unbecoming of lady Bracknell to take such a complete control over her daughter's right to choose a suitable life friend. This haughty trend available in the upper-middle-class people is critically exposed by Wilde in this play” (bachelorandmaster.com).
Though Lady Bracknell respects traditions, she does not about the reality her professed traditions are supposed to conceal. She assumes that both Algernon and Bunbury are Bunburying, and her behavior exposes the polite cynicism that negates all values she degrades them for: “Both man and woman became the victims of hypocrisy and the vice of double dealing. These evils persisted in Victorian society. Particularly, the upper middle classes were encumbered by the folly of rushing for the hollow ideals of earnestness. Both Jack and Algernon represent the upper middle class. Their lives were full of vices and follies” (bachelorandmaster.com).
“Satire is a literary technique in which behaviors or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society.
What sets satire apart from other forms of social and political protest is humor. Satirists use irony and exaggeration to poke fun at human faults and foolishness in order to correct human behavior” (Applebee 584). Satire may rely more on understanding the target of the humor and thus tends to appeal to more mature audiences. However, in The Importance of Being Earnest, when Wilde used satire as a way to mock Victorian society it was frowned upon and ultimately banned in multiple theaters. The risks that Wilde took to make people come face to face with societal flaws is what makes The Importance of Being Earnest such an iconic piece in literature history. The play is filled with witty Victorian aphorisms and Wilde’s own brand of wisdom which show how the satire of an upper-class Victorian is Wilde humorously treating serious issues and conflicts that existed within Victorians to highlight the
disadvantages.