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? ( unused answer)
Food in The Importance of Being Earnest serves as a symbol for obedience to impulse and the pursuit of pleasure. Jack and Algernon's preoccupation with food reflects their desire to indulge in the pleasures of life, without having to adhere to the strict social conventions of the Victorian era. By having the characters constantly eating, Oscar Wilde is able to comment on and satirize the society of the time. He is suggesting that the characters are more interested in enjoying life than in following the rules of society. This is a direct criticism of the Victorian era, which was characterized by its strict adherence to social conventions. By having the characters constantly eating, Wilde is also suggesting that the pursuit of pleasure is more important than following the rules of society. This is a direct criticism of the Victorian era, which was characterized by its strict adherence to social conventions. By having the characters constantly eating, Wilde is also suggesting that the pursuit of pleasure is more important than following the rules of society. This is a direct criticism of the Victorian era, which was characterized by its strict adherence to social conventions. By having the characters constantly eating, Wilde is also suggesting that the pursuit of pleasure is more important than following the rules of society. This is a direct criticism of the Victorian era, which was characterized by its strict adherence to social conventions. By having the characters constantly eating, Wilde is also suggesting that the pursuit of pleasure is more important than following the rules of society. This is a direct criticism of the Victorian era, which was characterized by its strict adherence to social conventions. By having the characters constantly eating, Wilde is also suggesting that the pursuit of pleasure is more important than following the rules of society. This is a direct criticism of the Victorian era, which was characterized by its strict adherence to social conventions.
