Luke LaValle
Mr. Zeigler
Honors British Literature
Lady Bracknell; The Unlikely Mother-in-Law
“You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter—a girl brought up with the utmost care—to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel? Good morning, Mr. Worthing!” said Lady Bracknell, upon hearing of Jack’s upbringing (Wilde). The mother of Gwendolen, she has very high standards when it comes to choosing a mate for her daughter. Any whisper of marriage for her or her nephew, Algernon, is met with a long string of questions about a number of different issues. It is clear, from her questioning, that her worldview is based on two main concerns, which are nobility of birth and accumulation of wealth. In act I she states, “I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square” (Wilde). This is a view that could only be held by an upper class woman. She believes, as a member of nobility, it is her right to reign over the lower class by allowing them to remain ignorant. The more they know, the more dangerous they are. In her mind, the most important thing is to keep the current class system the way it is. Upon hearing of Jack’s unusual upbringing, she states, “Mr. Worthing, I confess I feel somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me. To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. And I presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to? As for the particular locality in which the hand-bag was found, a cloak-room at a railway …show more content…
It is important to observe the language she uses towards Cecily while interviewing her to verify this fact. Before learning of Cecily’s fortune she speaks to her sarcastically, saying things like, “ I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus” (Wilde). Once she discovers Cecily’s immense wealth, her attitude changes immediately (Huo). Her plans to leave immediately are changed upon her enlightenment, and she begins to say things like, “Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her. Few girls of the present day have any really solid qualities, any of the qualities that last, and improve with time” (Wilde). She then begins to inspect her for “social possibility”. She examines her dress, profile, and even the way she holds her head (Wilde). Money was unquestionably the deciding factor. Without Cecily’s fortune, she was of no value to her. With her inheritance, she was more than happy to jump all sorts of barriers, such as Jack’s disapproval and her grandfather’s statement that she does not come of age until she is thirty-five, to make her a part of her
Mr. Zeigler
Honors British Literature
Lady Bracknell; The Unlikely Mother-in-Law
“You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter—a girl brought up with the utmost care—to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel? Good morning, Mr. Worthing!” said Lady Bracknell, upon hearing of Jack’s upbringing (Wilde). The mother of Gwendolen, she has very high standards when it comes to choosing a mate for her daughter. Any whisper of marriage for her or her nephew, Algernon, is met with a long string of questions about a number of different issues. It is clear, from her questioning, that her worldview is based on two main concerns, which are nobility of birth and accumulation of wealth. In act I she states, “I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square” (Wilde). This is a view that could only be held by an upper class woman. She believes, as a member of nobility, it is her right to reign over the lower class by allowing them to remain ignorant. The more they know, the more dangerous they are. In her mind, the most important thing is to keep the current class system the way it is. Upon hearing of Jack’s unusual upbringing, she states, “Mr. Worthing, I confess I feel somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me. To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. And I presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to? As for the particular locality in which the hand-bag was found, a cloak-room at a railway …show more content…
It is important to observe the language she uses towards Cecily while interviewing her to verify this fact. Before learning of Cecily’s fortune she speaks to her sarcastically, saying things like, “ I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus” (Wilde). Once she discovers Cecily’s immense wealth, her attitude changes immediately (Huo). Her plans to leave immediately are changed upon her enlightenment, and she begins to say things like, “Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her. Few girls of the present day have any really solid qualities, any of the qualities that last, and improve with time” (Wilde). She then begins to inspect her for “social possibility”. She examines her dress, profile, and even the way she holds her head (Wilde). Money was unquestionably the deciding factor. Without Cecily’s fortune, she was of no value to her. With her inheritance, she was more than happy to jump all sorts of barriers, such as Jack’s disapproval and her grandfather’s statement that she does not come of age until she is thirty-five, to make her a part of her