It Is Too Easy

In his play The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde takes advantage of the socially accepted fact that rich people can and will get away with anything. Most people are taught from a very young age that doing something wrong, like lying, will result in negative consequences. The upbringing of wealthy people and the characters in the play must have no effect on how they view doing something wrong because they, Algernon and Jack in particular, seem not to think twice about telling numerous lies just to get what they want. The fact that the men tell so many lies and in the end still get what they want is what makes this play immoral. Wealthy people in the real world do immoral things and seem to get out of them with no more than a slap on the wrist, take Paris Hilton for example. The wealthy Algernon and Jack are found out in their heap of lies yet they are still rewarded with the love of their choosing. They have no negative consequences as a result of their lies. The play would not be as entertaining if the men did get punished and we can therefore surmise that Wilde must have purposely taken advantage of the fact that rich people can basically do no wrong. As far as hypocrisy goes, the reader must notice how Jack seems to vehemently oppose Algernon’s act of Bunburying even though Jack himself is, what Algernon calls, “One of the most advanced Bunburyists I know” (11). Jack denies Algernon’s assertion by saying, “I’m not a Bunburyist at all” (11), but the readers know just as well as Algernon that Ernest is a perfect example of a hypocrite. Oscar Wilde’s use of these immoral wealthy characters makes his play humorous and allows readers and viewers to laugh at the mess rich people get themselves into and then, just as easily mind you, out of trouble.