The Importance of Being Earnest

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The Importance of Being Earnest

The journey of play implies that self-discovery entails a person embracing both the good qualities and corresponding shortcomings. The reader accompanies the protagonist Jack in finding truth by embracing his fallacies. For Jack to actualize his intention to marry Gwendolen Fairfax, he ought to reconcile his two personalities. This point represents the turn of the play, as Jack is ready to embrace the name he uses to escape societal constraints despite the potential exposure to informal sanctions by the conservative Victorian society. Jack Worthington is highly regarded n the circles of Hertfordshire owing to his capacity as a landowner and guardian of Justice in said location.

The turn reveals the flaws in the respective characters. Gwendolen though an intellect is exposed to be superficial concentrating on the name and its potentially positive social implication rather than the person. Similarly, she is attracted to the immoral version of Worthing as his demeanor, and the corresponding reputation of Earnest in London was tarnished (Wilde 35). She is a poor judge of character. Her character is brought to question. Cecil follows the narrative of the story of personal traits being restrained to become consistent with the greater societal norms. Cecil illustrates that human’s fascination with evil is innate requiring no external incentive rather seeking opportunities for actualization (Tropsha, Alexander, Paola, and Gombar 69). The exposition reveals that characters are constrained by their efforts to portray the expected versions of to society concomitantly suppressing their identities. Lady Bracknell works to embody the irony ubiquitous in the play that the first time Jack speaks the truth by narrating his origins, he is judged. It follows that society prefers an allusion of being earnest rather than actual sincerity. Worthing, having been found in a bag in London station by the deceased Thomas Burkew, is actively searching for his identity. His identity crisis can explain his conceptualization of Earnest.

After Jack Worthington’s cover is blown, he perceives that his alter ego has served its purpose. The exposition comes from a confrontation between the two male protagonists about the name found in the cigarette case. The consequent confession leaves expectation in the reader on how Worthington will sustain his deception. Further utilization of said alibi will defeat its original objective, which is to sustain his social standing as a person of high morals and virtues consistent with the Victorian society (Tropsha, Alexander, Paola, and Gombar 73). It follows that he utilizes props to create a mood of mourning as a part of his intricate part to kill his brother Ernest. The props effectively create the expected mood had it not been for Algernon’s interference he would have been successful. While Algernon is proud of his alter ego Bunbury, which he uses to escape boring social engagements, Worthing even after exposure fails to embrace it. The former perceives the creation of said identity as an artistic expression and proof of his extraordinary intellect. On the other hand, Worthing considers his as merely an avenue to escape social responsibility depicting the hypocrisy innate in the Victorian values. The essence of the play is the realization that individuals manage their social impression to control people’s perceptions at the given time (Wilde 39). However, the said overt behavior is often not a true representation of the individual. The author highlights the fallacy of taking things at face value. Conflict arises when the two women both identify with the infamous earnest. Subsequently, they attempt to illustrate to their higher pedigree hence right to be married.

Works Cited

Tropsha, Alexander, Paola Gramatica, and Vijay K. Gombar. “The importance of being earnest: validation is the absolute essential for successful application and interpretation of QSPR models.” QSAR & Combinatorial Science 22.1 (2003): 69-77. Print.

Wilde, Oscar. The importance of being earnest. A&C Black, 2014. Print.