The Importance of Being Earnest and Pygmalion: Addressing Social Issues
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, the authors write about the issues present in the society during the 19th and 20th century. Despite just being a form of entertainment the books contain underlying messages that laden the public. The main reasons both Wilde and Shaw had about their work are to criticize the issues they see in the society they live in. the plays contain the themes of satirizing the public through the use of humor to ensure the audience is entertained and laugh at their mistakes. Oscar and Shaw through satire hope that the society will recognize their mistakes through the plays and change for the better. This paper, therefore, will provide a comparison of how Oscar and Wilde address social issues in The Importance of Being Earnest and Pygmalion respectively.<\/p>
Morality: A Delicate Issue in Society
Morality is a delicate issue that has a lot of significance in the society. Many people value societies that have good morals, in many occasions condemn, and shun immorality around them. Wilde and Shaw address the theme of morality through the characterization of different people in the play.\u00a0 In the play Pygmalion, Shaw uses Mr. Doolittle to outline the premise of morality in the society. Mr. Doolittle is a common person who spends most of his time indulging in alcohol at a local pub. He occasionally borrows money from everyone even from his daughter Eliza and lives with a woman he has not married. However, his life changes when Henry Higgins refers to him as the best moralist speaker elevating him to the social class (Bernard Shaw, 24). The sudden change forces Mr. Doolittle to adhere to the morality clause of the middle-class people. He has to stop drinking, marry his girlfriend, and attend church on a regular basis. The change that Mr. Doolittle undergoes shows that the middle class viewed his alcoholic behavior as immoral. Similarly, Wilde uses Algernon to make talk about morality. In the play, Algernon states, \u201cMore than half a modern culture depends on what one shouldn\u2019t read\u201d (Wilde, 10). The statement refers to the assumptions and restrictions about the moral code that exist in the Victorian era. Wilde in that declaration demonstrates that wealth and social status had immense influence the differences on morality. Shaw and Wilde illustrate that morality during the two periods were heavily dependent on the social status of an individual. Oscar and Wilde point out these issues to highlight the perceptions people had about morality and instigates changes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>
The Role of Social Class in Society
Bernard Shaw employs the use of humor to address the problems about social class. The play evidently exemplifies that social class was a very important part of life. The class systems divide the society into the working class, the middle class, and the upper class. Shaw uses humor to draw the viewer\u2019s attention to the gap that the social class systems created. Eliza in the bathroom scene does an excellent job in confirming Shaw\u2019s claims. Eliza states, \u201cI tell you, it's easy to clean up here. Hot and cold water on tap, just as much as you like, there is\u201d (Bernard Shaw, 28). This declaration shows that she is not accustomed to that life. In another instance, Eliza says, \u201cNow I know why ladies are so clean. Washing's a treat for them. Wish they could see what it is for the like of me!\u201d(Bernard Shaw, 28). The statement makes the audience reflect on the life of Eliza more deeply. She comes from the working class category meaning that taking a bath is strange. Taking a bath in the working class is luxuries they cannot afford let alone changing their clothes. Oscar, on the other hand, brings to light the differences between class through Cecily and Gwendolen (Krueger, 358). Gwendolen comes from the upper social class and is accustomed to the luxurious background that life offers her. Cecily, in contrast, comes from a lower social class and lives in the country with Miss Prism and Jack. Gwendolen makes rude comments to Cecily when they are taking tea (Wilde, 104). After offering Cecily tea, Gwendolen states the words detestable girl aside and comments rudely to the fact that Cecily wants sugar in her tea (Wilde, 104).\u00a0 The books indicate that individuals placed a lot of emphasis on class and did not value people from the class below them.<\/p>
Gender Inequality: Challenging Existing Restrictions
Oscar Wilde and Bernard Shaw use the plays to explore the subject of gender inequality. He draws attention to the numerous ways women faced limitation in the society. Higgins in the play is someone who does not care for anyone but himself. He does not consider Eliza to be a human being. Higgins instead views her as an experimental object. His attitude towards Eliza is insulting an uncouth. As an illustration in the play, Eliza tells Higgins, \u201cOh, you\u2019ve no feeling or heart in you: you don\u2019t care for nothing but yourself\u201d (Bernard Shaw, 18). It is clear that women in this society had to struggle to rise beyond the established patriarchal restrictions. Equally, Wilde reveals in his play that women during that epoch had little influence over their male counterparts. Wilde uses humor by placing women in a position of power and showing that men can sometimes be irresponsible as Jack and Algernon are (Jones). Gwendolen in the play affirms Wilde\u2019s argument when she states,\u201d and certainly once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate\u201d (Wilde, 96). The statement is ironical since during the Victorian era all women performed the domestic duties. The statement creates wittiness, as the audience will imagine men taking up female duties as their daily activity. Wilde through comedy and irony tries to show that women can lead and take the influential positions men occupy and still be successful. Jack and Algernon are men who devote most of their time in fashion, neatness, and style, a hobby associated with women. Wilde satirizes the two men to show that associating specific roles to a particular gender is wrong. Anyone can take a role and perfect it.<\/p>
Conclusion: Initiating Social Changes Through Humor
In conclusion, the importance of being Earnest and Pygmalion successfully managed to address the injustices and problems in the society.\u00a0 Oscar Wilde and Bernard Shaw use humor as the main method to focus on the society and allow the audience to perceive the problems in a different way.\u00a0 Laughing at the characters and the comedy in the play helps the audience perceive how their actual actions are laughable.\u00a0 The play act as powerful tools that initiate .d social changes in the world they lived in. in addition, the authors revolutionize the methods to pass information to audiences. Humor today is not only a feature for entertainment but also a tool for communication and satirizing social injustices.<\/p>
Works Cited
Bernard Shaw, George. "PYGMALION: A ROMANCE IN FIVE ACTS." Tale Books, 2015, talebooks.com/ebooks/581.pdf.
Jones, Elizabeth M. "Town/Country Identity Exposed as Farce in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest." The Victorian 4.1.
Krueger, Christine L. Encyclopedia of British Writers, 19th and 20th Centuries. Infobase Publishing, 2014.
Wilde, Oscar. "THE IMPORTANCE OF BEINGEARNEST." Rose Tree Media School District / Overview, 1895, www.rtmsd.org/cms/lib9/PA01000204/Centricity/Domain/258/the_importance_of_being_earnest.pdf.
