The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

I am currently helping a friend to cull old, worn, and no longer viable books from the University Library where I teach English and came across a lovingly used, copy of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (1913), acquired in 1916 from “Friends of the Library”—thank you very much for donating this treasure! This is one of the few books from that has been checked out multiple times- 27 times since 1998.

Oscar Wilde

What’s in a Name?

Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland, into a prominent and cultured family that significantly influenced his upbringing and later work. The name Wilde was renowned in Ireland and Oscar was proud to share his family name in society and academic circles in his early years. Unfortunately, there was much financial difficulties and scandals which would become central themes in his life and work.

While living his final years in France, Wilde sought solace and anonymity from his imprisonment for gross indecency due to his homosexuality. He lived under the pseudonym “Sebastian Melmoth” which is a key to understanding main themes in The Importance of Being Earnest. He died in 1900 and is buried in Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris. His tomb is one of the most visited in the Cemetery-next to Jim Morrison.

The Importance of Being Earnest

In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses the concept of “being earnest” as a central theme, exploring the ideas of sincerity, honesty, and the social expectations of Victorian society. Wilde’s play is a satirical comedy using a pun in the name “Earnest”, which generally means to be sincere, serious, and, to critique the superficial values of the time. In the play, the characters are anything but earnest—they lie, adopt false identities, and engage in deception for personal gain or convenience.

Jack Worthing, the main character, adopts the persona of Earnest possibly to escape feelings of rejection and the longing for acceptance as he was orphaned as a baby in a cloak room at Victoria Station. Jack was discovered and raised by Mr. Thomas Cardew, a kind gentleman of no social importance and therefore Jack decided to use the name and made-up identity of Earnest in society to build an artificial status. French society at that time, much like Victorian England, valued appearances and social status.

His love interest, Gwendolyn, was obsessed with the fact that he was named Earnest and almost denied his proposal. The male protagonists, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, are neither named Ernest nor particularly earnest in their behavior—they invent false personas to escape social obligations and pursue pleasure. Ironically, Wilde denied his family name while living in Paris just as Jack denied his adopted family name.

Personal Reflections

For the purpose of this blog, I am not focusing on the themes of Wilde’s critique of heteronormative expectations and mockery of heterosexual courtships in The Importance.

Rather, I had a personal connection with this story as I too was orphaned as a baby. I can identify with Jack in living with the empty feeling of not knowing where I came from or who I belonged to. I was adopted within three weeks of birth and given a name by my adopted parents, but really struggled with identity issues. There were also social stigmas of being adopted at the time of my birth and many questions like “do you know who your REAL parents are”? Therefore, I can understand Jack’s need to “adopt” a new persona in order to feel accepted by society.

Jack’s struggles with identity issues and abandonment

Jack is acutely aware of his ambiguous origins, describing himself as “a man of unknown parentage.” Perhaps Jack’s desire to be accepted by Gwendolen’s family and marry her can be interpreted as a subconscious attempt to secure legitimacy and a sense of belonging that he has been denied due to his mysterious past.

Belonging to a healthy family was also very important to me. I married a man of strong character, the oldest of four brothers in a vibrant, Christian family. Think “Leave it to Beaver”, homemaker Mom in pearls, strong values, homemade meals around the table, family centered. My husband’s family name, Lowrie,  has been respected and honored by generations dating back to the early 1800’s—this name is still revered to this day. I greatly desired to be a part of this heritage. I have been proud to be a Lowrie for 42 years now!

Is it better to laugh or cry?

I like how Wilde uses comedy through the absurdity of Jack’s origins. Jack was found in a handbag at Victoria Station. Abandonment is a hard subject for adoptees to face. Wilde reduces the gravity of Jack’s abandonment by turning it into a farcical plot rather than focusing on Jack’s personal trauma. [This is one reason I have a hard time reading Oliver by Charles Dickens-it is too real.]

I also like Wilde’s concluding theme of forgiveness and reconciliation. The beauty of fiction is that you can write any ending that fits your ideal. Jack discovers that he is not actually an orphan, but the lost son of Lady Bracknell’s sister which makes him Algernon’s older brother, an aristocrat after all, and was given the birth name Earnest. Jack quickly regains a legitimate identity and a sense of belonging.

Isn’t that tidy! And convenient. If it were only that easy and tidy.

All is forgiven and the original family is reconciled.

What’s in a name? As proud as I am to be a Lowrie, my married name, it is also important for me to be earnest-to be a sincere person, true to myself. Who I am, how I am, not just what I am called has been my goal in life.

A name given at birth, an adopted name, or a name given in marriage…I have come to learn that it is not the name that sets our identity-rather, it is how we chose to live that gives us our identity.

Is it important to be earnest? Yes.

Work Cited

Oscar Wilde. The Importance of Being Earnest. London: John W. Luce & Co. 1913