Dishonesty

     In The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde portrays this theme of dishonesty through many of the characters. Whether it is lying to further their personal pleasure, or to avoid akward social gatherings, or to avoid having to reveal their true nature, these characters (most prominently Jack and Algernon) lie more than they tell any truth whatsoever. Through epigrams stated by Algernon one gets the feeling that he feels lying is quite common and not a horrible thing, rather the opposite. This is fairly ironic considering that he ends up lying to Cevily, saying his name is Ernest which is an allusion to truthfulness. The title seems to contradict the play, for most of it is lies and deception, however the title relays a message of how important it is to be truthful. Marriage in the play, as quoted from Algernon, is "business." The aristocratic people look at it as an opportunity to gain one of two things: inherited money or land. He also portrays the idea that just because someone got an education doesn't mean they're far superior or that they have a greater intelligence level. Wilde also seems to put satire on the religious practice of baptism. He makes it sound like a great and overwhelming ordeal, then contrasts that by basically saying it's the act of dumping water on a vulnerable child.
     In the play The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde greatly satirizes the aristocracy of the Victorian Age. He shows that they are able to do as they please and have little consequences. For example, Algernon has massive amounts of debt because he's able to blow money as he sees fit, for he will always inherit more. He puts heavy emphasis on the fact that dishonesty for your own pursuit of pleasure is wrong, and that it happens all the time. He shows that although this dishonesty is not very moral, there are people who may always get out of anything.