In the Victorian world, men, for the most part, have substantially greater influence than women in everyday society in many different ways. Men make important political decisions for the well being of their families, while women tend to the normal chores of keeping the house clean and the children in check. The ways in which society places value over men and women is also drastically different. Men are generally admired for their intuition, understanding, reasoning and intelligence, while women are extremely enticing to men based on their chastity and elegance. However, in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, critical questions are raised regarding gender roles by placing women like Lady Bracknell in positions of dominance and
…show more content…
Although they continuously comment on their bodies and masculinity, acquiring praise from others, Jack and Algernon also are portrayed as incredibly feminine individuals. Both of them display ungentlemanly and trivial pursuits that can be seen as deliberate and comical in making men seem less powerful and serious. Algernon is a little too concerned about his outfits and style as he criticizes Jack saying that he had “never known anyone to put so much effort into dressing and to produce so little effect” (Wilde). Algernon is overly obsessed with appearances, hardly the type of man that would be appreciated within the Victorian era. Wilde is satirizing both of them and makes them embody a feminine character, possibly stemming from his personal experiences with being homosexual. They are not only feminine towards each other either. Jack is waiting for Gwendolyn to propose to her. Instead of seeking her out himself and taking initiative, like a normal man would, he takes an extremely passive role and even asks her directly if he can propose to her (Wilde 11). A true man, whether Victorian or not, would never ask the women he is proposing to if it was alright to do
Although they continuously comment on their bodies and masculinity, acquiring praise from others, Jack and Algernon also are portrayed as incredibly feminine individuals. Both of them display ungentlemanly and trivial pursuits that can be seen as deliberate and comical in making men seem less powerful and serious. Algernon is a little too concerned about his outfits and style as he criticizes Jack saying that he had “never known anyone to put so much effort into dressing and to produce so little effect” (Wilde). Algernon is overly obsessed with appearances, hardly the type of man that would be appreciated within the Victorian era. Wilde is satirizing both of them and makes them embody a feminine character, possibly stemming from his personal experiences with being homosexual. They are not only feminine towards each other either. Jack is waiting for Gwendolyn to propose to her. Instead of seeking her out himself and taking initiative, like a normal man would, he takes an extremely passive role and even asks her directly if he can propose to her (Wilde 11). A true man, whether Victorian or not, would never ask the women he is proposing to if it was alright to do