The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

In this passage from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Two women argue with each other for who Mr. Ernest Worthing is really going to marry, as he has proposed to the both of them. However, being part of the aristocracy, both of them engage in a polite conversation filled with thinly-veiled insults. All spoken in polite diction. Despite how heated either of them get, they continue to follow social conventions. Leading to very petty remarks and actions, none of which are actually substantial, which creates humor. The author uses the humorous situation, as well as the pettiness of the women. To point out the true problem in the scene – the social conventions which force the women to be polite to each other.

The scene begins when both women discover that Mr. Ernest Worthing has proposed to the both of them. Causing them to attempt to get the better of one another. By calling each other “My darling” and “dear,” the women feign care towards the other, all the while insulting the other. The resulting humor and ridiculousness serve to emphasize the source of the ridiculousness, which are the social conventions that bind the women to remain polite to each other, despite the argument going on. Being unable to be outright with each other, the women instead look for petty ways to get back at each other, such as when Cecily retorts to Gwendolen’s “prior claim,” that Ernest must have “changed his mind.”

Even more silliness is revealed after the two women, following the insults, indirectly remark that the other women is troublesome, whereupon both feign surprise at the fact. To the audience, it is clear that the women know exactly how troublesome the other is to their love life; however, Wilde includes the mock shock and indignation to emphasize the social conventions that force the two to engage in this indirect method of insulting each other. Furthermore, the two also state that this particular event allows them to speak their mind and cast away the “shallow mask of manners,” but neither of them do they just continue minding social conventions. The prime example of this is when both women immediately stop their fight when the servant comes in. To them, they cannot allow their little fight to be witnessed and possibly gossiped about by the servant, so they both immediately pause and feign a calm tea conversation.

As Cecily pours the tea, however, Gwendolen haughtily insults Cecily’s trend sense, claiming “sugar is not fashionable anymore” and that “Cake is rarely seen.” This drives Cecily mad, but instead of breaking out into a fight, social custom forces her to find more subtle ways of revenge-so she fills Gwendolen’s tea with sugar and gives her cake. These actions are seen by the audience as very petty, which shows how the social conventions of the time created ridiculous situations and discouraged direct confrontations, giving arguments and fights little substance.

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