The Importance of Being Earnest

Part A

One symbol in The Importance of Being Earnest is food. Specifically, food becomes the source of conflict in the play a number of times. Repetition of certain foods like cucumber sandwiches, sugar, tea, cake, and muffins serve to underline the lack of substance in the characters' lives. In a society in which being imporant and proper is of utmost importance, arguing is frowned upon. Rather than arguing about important subjects, these important subjects take the shape of innocent items like food. While the characters are arguing repeatedly about food, they really are trying to find a source for their desires that they cannot seem to attain in their stuck-up society due to precedents that pertain to proper etiquette.



Part B

Lady Bracknell: "To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which I think is never advisable" (Wilde 48).

This quote by Lady Bracknell shows the upper class's attitudes toward marriage. Marriage is incredibly important in their society, so much so that it has become thoughtless. It is not fashionable to consider the consequences of one's actions. As long as someone is married, they let the details of their marriage come out after the wedding. Learning the characteristics of one's mate is surely unwise, according to them, and this quote clearly defines the stance the upper class has taken on what many would consider to be incredibly important, life-changing issues.

Part C

I very much enjoyed reading this play. Part of its appeal was its length; I felt that it had just enough meat to it to convey Wilde's main ideas. The fact we were able to read and discuss the entire play in class was also a plus. It was easier to understand exactly what the play was talking about when we broke it down and were able to talk candidly about what was going on. Some of the exchanges between characters were very funny due to the fact that their superficial discussion seemed to have no meaning or importance. Another reason I enjoyed the play was the fact we got to act it out! Strangely, when I read things out loud or get into character I am much more capable of retaining information and understanding complex ideas. The satirizing of upper class snobs was enjoyable to read and I hope to read more plays like this in class at some point.