Question

In The Importance of Being Earnest, Jack and Algernon clearly have a preoccupation with food. In this lesson, you explored the deeper meaning of this preoccupation. Using what you learned in this lesson and what you have read in the text, discuss how food serves as a symbol for obedience to impulse and the pursuit of pleasure. How does this symbol help Oscar Wilde to comment on and satirize society? with textual evidence

Answer 1

Food serves as a symbol for obedience to impulse and the pursuit of pleasure in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Jack and Algernon's preoccupation with food is a reflection of their desire to indulge in the pleasure of the moment and to follow their impulses. For example, when Jack and Algernon are discussing Jack's proposal to Gwendolen, Algernon says, "I think it is perfectly charming of you to come down and propose to her in this way, after lunch. It is so delightfully irresponsible" (Wilde, Act 1). Here, Algernon is suggesting that Jack's proposal is a result of his impulse to act without considering the consequences, and that it is a pleasure to do so.

Wilde uses this symbol to comment on and satirize society. In Victorian England, society was highly structured and people were expected to follow certain rules and conventions. Wilde uses Jack and Algernon's preoccupation with food to show how they are rejecting these conventions and instead choosing to follow their own desires. By doing so, Wilde is suggesting that society should be more open to the idea of following one's impulses and pursuing pleasure. He is also satirizing the idea that people should be bound by societal conventions and instead encourages them to be more open-minded and free-spirited.