Man In Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance Of Being Earnest'

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Being an only child, raised by a single mum, has allowed me to understand the person I wanted to be. From a young age my mother has instilled in me certain characteristics, qualities and the importance of being a true gentleman. As a young male living in the 21st century trying to behave in a gentlemanly manner I was dared by my mates to ask a girl out. Instant rejection followed; her response “Sorry, you are just, how should I put this not ideal.” Later that night as I buried my face into my pillow, it hit me. How am I not ideal? Heck what does she mean by ideal? Is it possible her view of me was influenced? I needed to find out if the feminine view of males has been clouded by media and classical literature. It would make an interesting story, so I started with Oscar Wilde 's famous play ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (1895). Jack’s character is portrayed as having a main focus on marriage and he is evaluated based on his worth as a husband. Wildes representation of the ideal man is inverted to the normal embodiment of the ideal man of that era as Jack was portrayed as a dandy, in order to force the reader to question the upheld masculinity ideals of Victorian society. Although history proves that Victorian men upheld their masculine qualities they were certainly not concerned with courtship, proficient in playing an instrument and overly obsessed with their state of dress as Jack was so portrayed throughout the play. To see how the impression of the ideal man has been influenced by female views, one only has to see the perception of Jack through Lady Bracknell; the mother of

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