How Does Oscar Wilde Show Imperialism

Many works of literature undermine, question, or rebel against aspects of society. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a satirical comedy that undercuts the British aristocracy of Late Victorian England. The novella Heart of Darkness calls into question British colonialism and imperialism. Both works of literature reveal human faults within the English aristocracy and imperialism. The novella Heart of Darkness criticizes imperialism and colonialism through the use of an evil tone and dark imagery, whereas the play The Importance of Being Earnest critiques the English aristocracy with satirical comedy and characterization. The Importance of Being Earnest is a form of critique on the morals of British upper class, and it uses …show more content…
Wilde mocks the aristocrats and their puritanical rules of social conduct, which to Wilde is totally hypocritical. During Lady Bracknell’s interrogation of Jack Worthing she asks “Do you smoke.” (1. 124), Mr. Worthing responds that he does. The audience would believe that Lady Bracknell would disapprove of this, instead Lady Bracknell is “glad to hear it.”, she believes that “A man should always have an occupation of some kind.” (1. 125). In these lines Wilde is critiquing two things: the idleness of the upper class. The fact that smoking could be seen as an improvement and an occupation is absurd. Secondly, the foolishness of their ideas about what constitutes a suitable husband. Additionally Wilde undermines the morality of society. In Act 1, Algernon remarks that Lane’s views on marriage are “somewhat lax.”, he then comments that “if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.” (1. 110). These lines are very ironic. To begin with Lane has only been “married once. (1. 110), and he tells Algernon that “it is a very pleasant state…” (1. 110). Moreover, it is the responsibility in the Victorian society for the ruling class to set standards of moral conduct, not the lower classes. These are just the few examples of how Wilde mocks the aristocrats and their …show more content…
To begin with Marlow mentions that he was “loafing about, hindering you fellows in your work and invading your homes, just as though I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you.” (1. 59).Conrad use of diction creates a strong emotion among the audience. The idea of the “heavenly mission to civilize you [Native Africans]” represents the idea of the colonist mind set. The diction of the word “heavenly” makes it seem that the colonist believe that it was their god given right to come into other countries and exploit the people and their resources. This implies that the colonists’ arrival with their goal of civilization is undesired by the Native Africans. Furthermore, when Marlow reads Kurtz close writing, Marlow describes it as “a beautiful piece of writing” (2. P. 117). In the opening paragraph Kurtz writes that the “whites” have to “approach them [Native Africans] with the might of deity,’ and so on, and so on. By the simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good practically unbounded.” (2.p.117) Marlow admires Kurtz’s eloquence even though the content of his words are frightening. Kurtz tells the “white” men to approach the Native Africans as gods, to incite their worship so they can “exert a power for good practically unbounded.” (2 p. 117) Marlow is carried by away by Kurtz’s idealism and his “unbounded power” (2.p. 117) of eloquence. This reveals the mindset that the colonialists