Essay Questions

What is the importance of a name?

In The Importance of Being Earnest, the two main characters create fictional personas in order to facilitate their role in society. The character of Lady Bracknell, an old woman of extreme snobbiness is meant as comedic satire of the strict social structure. While Lady Bracknell is completely against Ernest marrying her daughter when she believes him to be without respectable family relations she allows the two to be married once she discovers that Ernest is her late sister's son. Likewise, the two women Gwendolyn and Cecily exaggerates the society's fixation with a name by both professing to love their men because of an indescribable attraction towards the name Ernest. The complete and utter power that a name posses reveals the society's prioritization of social standing and appearance rather than actual character.