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?
Do not restrict your discussion to your reading for this lesson; include Acts I and II in your analysis and commentary.
^ people like that piss me off. like why cant you be nice and help or just ignore it?
So in saying that people like that piss you off, you become one? Sure, I myself am now one as well, but at least I'll recognize that.
To discuss the deeper meaning of food in The Importance of Being Earnest and how it symbolizes obedience to impulse and the pursuit of pleasure, we need to analyze the text and the lessons we have learned.
Firstly, let's understand the context. Oscar Wilde wrote this play during the late Victorian era, a time known for its strict social norms and the importance placed on appearances and rigid morality.
Food is consistently mentioned throughout the play, particularly by the two main characters, Jack and Algernon. Their constant preoccupation with food suggests a desire for immediate gratification and the pursuit of pleasure without restraint.
In Act I, Algernon explains his philosophy on life through his eating habits: "I hate people who are not serious about meals. It is so shallow of them." This statement implies that Algernon considers indulgence in food as a serious matter, prioritizing pleasure over societal norms.
Similarly, Jack pursues pleasure through deception by creating a fictional character named "Ernest" when in the city, allowing himself to enjoy the pleasures and freedoms associated with that alter ego. He states, "I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital importance of being Earnest." Here, the pun on the name "Earnest" suggests a double meaning - the pursuit of pleasure while maintaining a facade of seriousness.
As the play progresses into Act II, food continues to be used as a symbol of indulgence and impulse. Algernon, in a playful conversation with Cecily, declares, "I hope, Cecily, I shall not offend you if I state quite frankly and openly that you seem to me to be in every way the visible personification of absolute perfection." His exaggerated language and exaggerated compliments reveal his penchant for extravagant pleasure and enhanced enjoyment in the company of Cecily.
This portrayal of food and indulgence allows Oscar Wilde to comment on and satirize Victorian society. He highlights the hypocrisy and superficiality of the upper class, who often adhere to strict moral codes while secretly indulging in their desires. Wilde uses food as a metaphor for the hidden impulses and pleasures that exist beneath the surface of society.
Additionally, the characters' obsession with food parallels their obsession with appearances and the importance they place on social status. Jack, for instance, is concerned about his lineage and the social implications of his adoption, just as he is concerned about maintaining the facade of "Ernest." By using food as a symbol, Wilde underscores the artificiality and shallowness of societal expectations, ridiculing the obsession with appearances and the repression of natural desires in order to conform.
To answer this question fully, it is important to analyze other instances of food symbolism and explore their impact on the play's themes and commentary. This includes examining Lady Bracknell's attitudes toward eating, the cucumber sandwich incident, and other humorous references to food throughout the play.
By utilizing food as a symbol for obedience to impulse and the pursuit of pleasure, Oscar Wilde effectively critiques and satirizes the restrictive social norms and hypocritical behaviors of Victorian society. The characters' preoccupation with indulgence serves as a vehicle to expose the superficiality and artificiality lurking beneath the manners and moral codes of the era.