How is the consumption of food used as a symbol in the play? What does food stand for in the play? How does Oscar Wilde use symbolism in his social commentary? Use examples from the play to support your answer.Select the link to access the English Essay Rubric.
In Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest", the consumption of food is used as a symbol to represent wealth, social status, and the superficiality of upper-class society in Victorian England. Food stands for the excesses and pretensions of the characters, with their constant indulgence in dining being a reflection of their artificial and shallow values.
Wilde employs symbolism to critique the shallow nature of the upper class and their obsession with appearances. Through the characters' interactions with food, Wilde mocks the trivial concerns of the elite and highlights the hypocrisy and insincerity of their social conventions.
One example of this is seen in Act II when Gwendolen and Cecily have an argument over the quality of bread and butter. Gwendolen exclaims, "I am never wrong... And I would like to be allowed to have something to say in my own house." Here, the trivial disagreement over a simple snack becomes a symbol of their desire to assert power and control over each other, showing the absurdity of their concerns.
In another instance, Lady Bracknell places great importance on the type of cake served, stating "A high moral tone can hardly be said to conduce very much to either one's health or one's happiness. And certainly not to one's cake." This comment underscores the characters' preoccupation with materialistic pleasures and their disregard for more meaningful aspects of life such as morality and happiness.
Furthermore, the character of Algernon Moncrieff constantly snacking on cucumber sandwiches throughout the play is a symbol of his hedonistic and self-indulgent nature. Algernon's constant consumption of food represents his insatiable appetite for pleasure and his desire to satisfy his own desires without considering the consequences or the feelings of others.
Overall, Wilde uses food as a symbol in "The Importance of Being Earnest" to criticize the superficiality and materialism of the upper class. By infusing everyday objects, such as food, with symbolic meaning, Wilde effectively delivers his social commentary, satirizing the façade of morality and the narcissism of the Victorian aristocracy.