Novel Analytical essay

Linda Sun

Mr. Dibblee

English IV

10/22/2020

Thus - The Importance of Being Named Ernest

Through Gwendolen and Jack’s conversation towards the beginning of the play and

Gwendolen’s response to Jack’s question regarding the name Jack is evidence of Gwendolen’s

preference for the name Ernest. Gwendolen questions Jack for even asking her about the name

by saying, “Jack? . . . No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does

not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations… The only really safe name is Ernest”(15). It is

shown through these quotes that Gwendolen is fixated on the name Ernest. In fact, in the play,

she is obsessed with finding a husband by the name of Ernest. The dislike for the name jack is

also fueled by Cecily's dislike of the name. They both agree that the name Jack is boring and has

no rhythm or music to it. Another reason Gwendolen dislikes the name Jack is that it closely

resembles john. Gwendolen states that she “[pities] any woman who is married to a man called

John”(15). This is ironic because Gwendolen is in love with Jack. Even so, as Gwendolen

laments the names Jack and John, she does not know that she addresses John Worthing who is

also named Jack. It then becomes clear that Gwendolen defined the basis of liking named

according to her stereotypes.

An in-depth analysis of the whole play suggests that dramatic irony is an important aspect

of its writing. Dramatic irony is best described as a form of irony where the audience is aware of

the situation while the character is not aware. The fact that the character is oblivious of what is

going on in the play is the humorous aspect of the play that Wilde has intentionally set forth. In

the context of the quote, Jack confesses his love for Gwendolen. Gwendolen's response to Jack is

that she also loves him just as much as he does her, but for different reasons. Gwendolen points

out that the real reason why she loves him is because he has the name, Ernest. She is inspired by

the name Ernest, and this is a dramatic irony to the audience because they know that the

character's name is Jack. Gwendolen outlines that since she was first told by Algernon that he

had a friend named Ernest, she fell in love. Gwendolen's love was ideally for the name of the

person but not the person himself.

Cecily and Gwendolen take names very seriously as compared to Algernon and Jack.

Algernon and Jack take names trivially, and they both lie to the two ladies that their names are

Ernest. Cecily and Gwendolen both share the love for the name Ernest and both point out that

they may not marry the two men because of their names. Gwendolen's reply to Jack suggests that

every Jack she met has been plain, and Ernest may be interesting and safe. However, it is critical

to remember that she has never met Ernest in her life, and she has no grounds to base her

conclusion of people named Ernest to be interesting. This begs the suggestion that Cecily and

Gwendolen are obsessed with the image of an individual, or maybe in fact the image of their

names rather than the personality they possess. Cecily had only just met Algernon when she

points out that she has been in love with him for months. But rather, she has been in love with

the name Ernest. When Algernon asks if Cecily would marry him if he had another name, Cecily

refuses and states that she would not be able to give him full attention. Both Cecily and

Gwendolen do not care for the personality of Jack and Algernon, and they do not want to know

much about them. They are interested in the fact that they are named Ernest. The quote

ultimately translates to the title of the play, the importance of being earnest. At first, one may

conclude that the play outlines the importance of being honest and truthful at all times. However,

as the passage from Gwendolen outlines, it is the importance of being named Ernest.

Additionally, it is important to note that Gwendolen does not care if Jack is honest or truthful;

she cares only that his name is Ernest. The same goes for the case of Cecily and Algernon.

Ideally, the four are farthest from the description of an earnest individual.

Dramatic irony and humor are the essential aspects of the passage and the play as a

whole. The gentlemen, Jack and Algernon, are nearly not as honest or earnest as required to be.

Cecily and Gwendolen, on the other hand, do not care what kind of men they are, but as long as

their names are Ernest. The quote analyzed outlines that Gwendolen was never in search of a

husband with a good character or a good personality but rather was in search of any man who

was named Ernest, hence the title of the play, importance of being earnest.