The Importance of Being Earnest: Theme & Key Quotes: Social Class
The Importance of Being Earnest: Theme & Key Quotes: Social Class
Theme Overview: Social Class
- The theme of Social Class in “The Importance of Being Earnest” exposes the rapid class-concerned and status-concerned nature of the Victorian society.
- The characters are either overly concerned with the protocols, customs, and norms of high society, or they are trying to subvert or manipulate these social constraints to their advantage.
- Lady Bracknell’s character serves as the focal point of this theme, as her major concern is maintaining a high status and marrying Gwendolen into a similarly high, if not higher, status.
- Jack and Algernon fight the constraints of their social status by inventing alternative personas, though they ultimately adhere to society’s expectations by the play’s end.
Key Quotes and Analysis
- “I hate people who are not serious about meals. It is so shallow of them” - Algernon
- This quote highlights the inflexible rules of the Victorian upper class, even extending to meal times. Wilde uses humorous hyperbole to critique how earnestly the upper class takes these trivial rules.
- “Never speak disrespectfully of society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.” - Lady Bracknell
- Lady Bracknell’s views on social class and status are made clear from the start through this quote. This illustrates her deep concern for social appearances and reputation.
- “I do not approve of mercenary marriages. When I married Lord Bracknell, I had no fortune of any kind. But I never dreamed for a moment of allowing that to stand in my way.” - Lady Bracknell
- The ironic tone in this statement reveals hypocrisy and the superficial values of the Victorian upper class concerning money and marriage.
- “Well, I don’t think it is very likely that you will be called to the Bar this summer, and there will be plenty of time for you to acquire a perfectly aristrocratic demeanour before you actually go into Parliament.” - Gwendolen
- This dialogue shows the importance of class-related expectations, such as having the right demeanour and encouraging ambition not for its own sake but to maintain or elevate reputation and social class.
By understanding the theme of social class and its crucial role in “The Importance of Being Earnest”, one can analyse the characters’ motivations and actions, as well as Wilde’s critique of Victorian society.