Dishonesty in The Importance of Being Earnest

One of the main themes in the play The Importance of Being Earnest is dishonesty. In the play, Oscar Wilde there is occasionly s selection of epigrams. An epigram is a brief, clever and memorable statement. An example of one is "the truth is rarely plain and never simple." This is the opposite of what we would think. The truth is always pure and usually never plain. The satire that occurs in this play has a lot to do with which class people were in. The rich, such as Lady Bracknell, only appreciate those who have great fourtune. Because she didn't know Cecily had a large profit she didn't like her. When she Lady Bracknell asked how much funding she had, Lady Bracknell soon had high respect for Cecily. Also since Jack was left at birth, Lady Bracknell did not like the thought of him not having high class parent. The name Ernest verses the trait to be earnest has to do with the pursuit of pleasure. Jack and Algernon both use Ernest for their own enjoyment and to have fun while not being earnest at all.

I believe with the theme being dishonesty, Oscar Wilde is saying that during the Victorian Era upper class people rarely told the truth if ever. Men could have a wife but go to a different women for pleasure. During this era, it seems that people didn't explain their true feelings or emotions. Lady Bracknell suspected the entire time that "bunburying" was not real but doesn't come out clearly accusing him of anything. When Gwendolyn and Cecily find out both of their Ernests' aren't really called Ernest they simply forgave them. This is a stereotype of women during the Victorian Era saying that they are indecisive and forgive easily. It also feels like Oscar Wilde was saying that women and men don't care about the connections between each other, just the fun.