The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: First Impressions

My first impression of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is that it is very amusing and comical. This play by Wilde is a complete 180º turn from Wilde’s other novel that we read this year, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Contrary to this novel, The Importance of Being Earnest is a lighthearted and flippant comedy that reveals Wilde’s clever and witty side, while also entertaining readers by mocking society and people’s ridiculous affairs. So far, this play has been quite humorous and the characters are eccentrically funny, especially Lady Bracknell (who’s actually my favorite character so far). Although this play is “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People” (haha), it still possesses significance in portraying the ambiguousness of identity (especially in Jack), deception, and the dynamic between known and unknown truths.

Wilde immediately presents the interplay between the serious and trivial in Act I. Wilde introduces us to a society where the characters’ language is unconventional and highly intricate. This is particularly true in Algernon, who is full of sharp and shrewd criticism, as well as ironic humor. Algernon is a very interesting character to say the least. He is full of witty comments and his insults are so perfectly disguised in elegance and refinement that they are hard to detect. Also, in the Act I, Wilde emphasizes the concept of a double life in the protagonist, who is “Ernest in town and Jack in the country.” In a sense, Wilde highlights the distinction between public and private life in Victorian society, since appearance is so highly esteemed. Wilde captures the importance of appearances in society during this time prominently through Jack’s character and his deceiving image of being an upper class citizen when in fact, he literally does not know his identity (his parentage).

In fact, Jack’s ambiguous identity is appalling to Lady Bracknell, who believes social ranking and relations is of the utmost importance. Once again, Wilde uses Lady Bracknell’s beliefs regarding the insignificance of one’s genuine goodness in order to make fun of the values of London society. Similarly, Wilde also satirizes Victorian society’s fixation with image and façades through Gwendolyn, a young woman who is completely infatuated with Ernest…..’s name. Not with Ernest himself, but his name because it is oh so romantic! Clearly, Wilde is sending a big fat message about Victorian society and this time, it is not quite so subtle, but rather, as plain as day. This scene made me ponder, is Ernest really earnest? He’s not very honest with himself, but is he honest with others despite the fact that he is masking his true identity? Does he even know his own identity?

On another note, Lady Bracknell is a very intimidating woman (or so it seems) whose comments are very complex and inventive, especially in her conversation with Jack when she remarks that, “To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness,” which is an incredibly absurd and insensitive thing to say. However, Lady Bracknell clearly cares less about seeming polite, as much as she cares about Jack’s personal affairs. Although this scene with Lady Bracknell and her excessively shameless attitude is highly amusing, I was concerned for Jack because he has to put up with this brash woman in order to be able to marry Gwendolyn.

Final Thoughts on Emma After the Seminars

This week, we had two seminars on the novel Emma, and we discussed several important thematic concepts regarding the novel and the characters in it. Several interesting topics we covered include human fallibility, the role of society, Mr. Woodhouse as a villain and Mr. Knightley as a hero, and the conclusion of Emma. There were a lot of points that people made that were interesting regarding Emma’s character and her role in society during that time (Regency era). One important question I am considering is whether society influences Emma for the better or for the worst, because I think that is one of the key themes in this novel that unlocks a lot of Austen’s purpose.

Another question relative to the story is does Emma successfully learn from her mistakes and improve herself as an individual with the help of Mr. Knightley, or does she simply learn to tame her imagination with his restraint of logic?

I still have many more questions about the novel, like why Austen decides to end the novel on such a bittersweet note. I want to feel happy for Emma, but at the same time, I’m not sure if marriage is ultimately the best decision for her. Is Mr. Knightley indeed the perfect match? Or will he replace Mr. Woodhouse as Emma’s new prominent “father figure”? Will Emma’s relationship with Mr. Woodhouse—her not-so-manly father—change after her marriage with Knightley? Also, what is Austen’s purpose in including Mrs. Elton’s opinion of Emma’s wedding at the end? Is this all part of Austen’s satire? In the article I read for class, “Emma: Jane Austen’s Errant Heroine” it mentions Emma as an independent woman whose pride does not diminish at the end, despite her marriage to Mr. Knightley. Is this true? Does Emma still remain emotionally independent after marrying Mr. Knightley?

In addition, I find it very interesting that Mr. Woodhouse is often perceived as an evil character; one who controls and manipulates Emma. While reading the novel, I was completely oblivious to the fact that Mr. Woodhouse’s influence could be perceived as selfish and slightly cruel. Instead, I attributed his egocentricism to his high social status and position. So it is really an environment vs. personal disposition type of situation. However, after the seminar, I now see that Mr. Woodhouse isn’t as minor of a character as I thought he was. He is actually quite devious in a subtle way, but I still thing Emma’s is her own biggest enemy/obstacle. I believe Emma has to overcome her attachment to her fantasies and her tendency to resist society’s influence in order to grow and develop into a mature young woman. I think that is why Austen ties up all the loose ends of the novel. The story comes full circle in the end. In the beginning, everything was quite orderly, undisturbed, and blissful in the small town of Highbury, but then, things start to get chaotic as Emma begins to meddle in the business of others. The bulk of the novel consists of commotions, misunderstandings, and mixed emotions that emerge in many of the characters. It is not until the end, when Emma resolves to conform to society’s values by marrying Mr. Knightley that everything returns to normal. After all the matches in the novel get paired off, a calm, happy, and hopeful feeling settles over everyone at Highbury. I think it is very interesting that Austen depicts society in this sense, because I think one of Austen's points is that we are all susceptible to our own mistakes, and that we must be open to change or else we can never grow for the better.

 

Volume III of Emma

Thus far in Volume III of Emma, I am sensing a great change in several characters. For one, Emma does not come across as naïve as she once was in Volume I, for instance. However, one thing that still bothers me is the fact that she is so obsessive with Frank Churchill, when he is clearly not the man she perceives him to be. In fact, I think Frank is secretly a cynical and scheming trickster who is just trying to mislead Emma by acting like a decent and good-mannered gentleman. Evidently, Emma has grown a great deal, as she now exhibits signs of a cautious and observant young woman, rather than the wildly imaginative girl she used to be.

In Chapter 37, the commencement of Volume III reiterates the fact that Emma has greatly matured by revealing her honest feelings towards Frank in a very logical and realistic manner. Unlike previously, when Emma flattered herself by believing that Frank was madly in love with her, she now calmly admits that “it was not for herself she was feeling at all apprehensive or embarrassed—it was for him” (299). Thus, through Emma’s point of view, Austen exposes Emma as a vastly dynamic character. There is a great change in her perspective and thoughts, which makes me wonder…has Knightley finally gotten through to her? Before, Emma only expressed her affection for Frank because he gave her attention and always complimented her on trivial things. However, now Emma realizes that “her own attachment had really subsided into a mere nothing,” and that her feelings for Frank were really superfluous and meaningless. Thus, even on the first page of Volume III, we see a huge transformation in Emma and her character, as her imagination that once clouded her insight is slowly beginning to dissipate. Also, the ball in Chapter 38 is also a subtle indication of Emma’s change in personality. Austen depicts Emma as more attentive and appreciative of others rather than her own status and beauty. Emma’s growth is contrasted directly with Mrs. Elton’s self-centeredness as she “was evidently wanting to be complimented herself” after “a good many compliments to Jane on her dress and look” (307). At the end of the chapter, Emma and Mr. Knightley exchange a mutual appreciation of each other’s opinions, as they both admit their wrong preconceptions about Mr. Elton and Harriet. Emma’s civil acceptance of her own mistakes is also an indication of her growth as a polite young lady, since she no longer insists that only her opinion is the correct one.

Moreover, Emma’s advice to Harriet in Chapter 41 is also significant to the novel and the bildungsroman that Austen so cleverly develops. When Harriet divulges the truth about her little remembrances of Mr. Elton to Emma, Emma is very wise to carefully advise the meek and unassuming Harriet that she ought to “consider what [she is] about” and to “check [her] feelings while [she] can: at any rate [to not] let them carry [her] far” (324), which is extremely valuable advise if Harriet chooses to take it. Overall, I am impressed by how mature Emma is and how much she has grown since Volume I. Although Emma has grown quite a lot, she still possesses qualities of an unassuming girl living in a bubble. This is because when Harriet tells Emma that she has a crush on someone, Emma automatically assumes it is Frank Churchill, when it is really Mr. Knightley. Thus, we can conclude that Emma’s imagination is not completely inhibiting her perception of reality, but it is still a slightly encumbering factor in her character’s beliefs.