"Earnest" LRJ #2 (Act I)

Ian Decker
Ms. Johnson
10 IB/ Per 5
5/9/09

Throughout the play, each character comes across several problems. I find each of the problems that the characters face in the first act to be highly ironic. For example, Lady Bracknell runs out of her cucumber sandwiches because Algernon eats them all before she arrives, "Why are there no cucumber sandwiches?" (Wilde, Pg. 126). This is ironic because Lady Bracknell is a greedy individual, as seen in how she asks primarily about money when trying to determine whether or not Jack is a worthy suitor, and to have something materialistic that she cares about taken away by someone who has an apathy towards the feelings of others strikes me as ironic.

Lady Bracknell does not fit into the stereotyping of women from the 1890s at all. She is too proud of a woman to be able to follow anyone's view's but her own. This pride is seen in how she automatically takes charge of the situation when she finds out that Jack and Gwendolen are engaged, "You are not engaged to anyone. When you do become engaged to some one, I... will inform you of the fact" (Wilde pg. 130). This shows that she will only allow something to happen if she approves of it, and will not let anyone else do anything she does not approve of.
Gwendolen, however, fits the role of a woman from the 1890's much better than her mother does. This is seen in how she seems to be a little bit shallow. The reason for her being shallow is that she says that she wants to marry someone who's name is Ernest, and she doesn't name any more requirements for her lover, "My ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest" (Wilde Pg. 128). This is important because women were supposed to be exnentions of their husbands and not think for themselves, which is seen in how the only thing that Gwendolen looks for in a man is a name.