Importance of Being Earnest

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Food had a crucial role in the play “The Importance of Being Earnest” because it frequently symbolizes the expression of emotions that are considered disrespectful and impolite in modern day society as well as the society in the play. Throughout the play, Wilde used food as metaphors to allow the characters to use them so they can make sarcastic remarks, one another angry, or a point as well as allowing Oscar Wilde to make fun of that society. At the beginning of Act I, Jack visits Algernon and as they are talking he tries to eat a cucumber sandwich and Algernon reacts by saying, “Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta (takes one and eats it)” (Wilde 30). The fact that Algernon had been absentmindedly devouring the sandwiches the whole time and continues to after he tells Jack to not eat one helped Wilde make fun of how the people of that society were. Wilde used this to say that they were hypocritical people because when they knew something should not be done, they still did it anyways, yet they still looked down on other people that did it. After Jack is denied a cucumber sandwich, Algernon suggested bread and butter which was meant to be for Gwendelon. As Jack starts to eat it, Algernon remarks “you need not eat as if you were going to eat it all. You behave as if you were married to her already” (Wilde 31). Algernon uses the way that Jack is eating her bread to make a sarcastic remark that represents his opinion of marriage, which is that marriage is something where the couple just takes everything from each other without giving anything in return. Wilde uses this remark to shape Algernon into an unromantic character to show that that is how the men of that society were. In Act II, Gwendelon and Jack’s ward Cecily start to get into a small argument but still manage to stay polite. During this argument, Cecily

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