The Importance of Being Earnest and the Issue of Social Class
The Importance of Being Earnest is a play authored by Oscar Wilde. The most dominant theme in the play is the issue of social class. Apparently, three categories of classes are portrayed in the play, though only two of them direct the main focus of the drama. That is, the upper class and the lower class. Wilde depicts the two classes through behavior and setting of the respective characters. Based on the scenes in the play, it is ostensible that social class does not only affect the characters but also the setting in the play. For instance, Algernon's sentiment manifests the disparity in the two classes by stating, "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" (Wilde and Gladden 35).
The Contrasting Behaviors of Upper and Lower Classes
The author points out how different people of lower class behave as compared to those of upper class. In this play, members of the upper class are the paragons of pretense and pride. Grounded in Wilde's view, these individuals feel that they are inherently entitled to higher social position and wealth. Besides, these group are synonymous to maintenance of status quo to an extent that they can hastily squash any sign of rebellion. The author seems to satirize the hypocrisy and arrogance of the aristocracy. In connection to this, he portrays the lower class as more humble and pretentious as opposed to their counterparts in the upper class. Even so, they are equally good at cracking jokes.
The Victorian Class System and Marriage
Besides, the Victorian class system, where marriage is only meant for members of the same class, perpetuates the gulf between the lower and the upper classes. Moreover, the aristocratic attitudes preserve the distance between these two groups. In the play, Jack views himself as a Liberal Unionist who has no politics since his home lies on the "unfashionable side" of London (Wilde and Gladden 530). Lady Bracknell reiterates that Jack comes from the "unfashionable" side of the Belgrave Square. Lady Bracknell goes further to approve of the ignorance of the lower class. She confirms this disparity by stating, "The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately, in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever" (Wilde and Gladden 500)
The Aristocrats' Attitudes and Reform
In The Importance of Being Earnest, one might hope that the aristocrats would be cognizant of their erratic ways and be more virtuous in terms of their morality. Even so, they believe they have the most virtuous attitudes and that the 'other' classes should follow their footsteps. In fact, they believe that the other category should see their own errors. For instance, when Miss Prism apparently chides the lower classes for bringing up so many children to christen, she perceives it as a thrift concern. In her statement in Act 11, she claims that, "I have often spoken to the poorer classes on the subject [of christenings]. But they don't seem to know what thrift is" (Wilde and Gladden 255). According to the Victorians, reform is maintaining the current socio-economic system by perpetuating the virtues and economy of the upper class.
Work Cited
Wilde, Oscar, and Samuel L. Gladden. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press, 2010. Internet resource.
