An Analysis of the Double Life in the Importance of Being Earnest

Zhang Ting

【Abstract】This thesis is aimed to conduct a concise analysis of the double life in Wildes play The Importance of Being Earnest to find out how Wilde uses double identities to foster the characters and create dramatic tensions.

【Key words】double life； Oscar Wilde； The Importance of Being Earnest

1. Introduction

The Important of Being Earnest is a three act play with the theme of switched identities. In order to escape social mores the two protagonists—John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff each has invented a fictional identity for themselves. The fake names cause them a lot of troubles and meanwhile increases the comedic elements of the story. As the truth comes to light in the end of the play， John and Algy finally understood the importance of being earnest with their own experience.

2. The Double Life of Characters

The theme of double life appears so frequently in this play that almost every character has a double identity. The protagonist John Worthing is Jack in the country and Ernest in town. With the help of his fictional brother John enjoys the delights of country life as well as city life. In fact， Johns imaginary Ernest is far more than a device to escape from his social obligations. It allows him to appear more moral and responsible than he actually is. In the countryside John keeps on saying what an indulgent life Ernest has lived and he as the elder brother must help Ernest to abandon those degrading habits. But in town Jack in the name of Ernest is rather an earnest and genteel young man worried about whether Gwendolen will still love him or not after she knows his real name. This anxiety forms a dramatic contrast between what he says and what he behaves. John is still Jack even if he is under the pseudonyms of Ernest. For him， the name Ernest is like a touchstone of virtue. The goodness of his personality is manifested through it.

Algernon Moncrieff has a double life by inventing a fictional friend named Bunbury who suffers from constant chronic illness. When Algy feels tired to obey social obligations his Bunbury would summon him to pay him a farewell visit. Bunbury serves as an amulet allowing Algy to get away from his real life without being blamed for irresponsibility. To some extent， Algy is more indulged in his double life than Jack is. He seldom feels uneasy when pretending to be Ernest. The frivolous side of his personality never changes though he calls himself Ernest in front of Cecily. He finds more pleasure in disguise of others than being himself.

The double life of Gwendolen and Cecily lies in their diaries. Though Gwendolen writes real things in her diary， the word “sensational” still betrays her. How could a diary of trivial things be sensational？ To her， a diary is like an amusement during her journey. She is very likely to put something fancy and interesting， something not real into her diary and thus， makes it more sensational to read. Cecily records details of her first encounter with Ernest （Algy）， their breakup and reconciliation in it. However， how could she remember what has happened between them since Cecily has never met Ernest before his visit to Hertfordshire？ It is unquestionable that what her diary recorded is invented by her own imagination. She imagines a double life for herself， fancies what will happen in the future and then follows the records to arrange her life.

Lady Bracknells past life and her present life construct her double life. From her comments on mercenary marriages readers realize that she probably rises from a lower class family and becomes rich and decent through her marriage with Lord Bracknell. Her affluent present life contrasting with her humble past life provides the play with a dramatic tension. It also explains why she doesnt allow her daughter to marry a man without wealth and family background. The double life of Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble appears in the end of the play. They call each other wrong names： Chasuble calls Miss Prism Laetitia， while Miss Prism calls him Frederick. It may suggest the two lovers love their ideal lover more than the real one.

3. Conclusions

In The Importance of Being Earnest， Oscar Wilde emphasized on the duality and double life of characters. Names， the basic means to identify things， are divided from individuals and gradually obtain a symbolic meaning. Gwendolen and Cecilys fascinations with the name Ernest may indicate the losing of earnest in an age of ideals. Wilde ironically criticized this twisted social morality and trivial social conventions with its happy ending.

References：

[1]Abrams，M.H.The Norton Anthology of English Literature.New York：Norton，2000.

[2]Wilde，Oscar.The Plays of Oscar Wilde.London：William Collins，2011.

作者簡介：張汀（1989-），吉林長春人，長春理工大學外國語學院研究生。