The Importance of being "Earnest"

For the young male in the Victorian era, the idea of living a double life was looked at with an ammount of secret passion.The story takes place in Victorian era in the countryside of England. As the story begins, we see that friends Jack and Algernon are both living double lives, implying that the two are well off. The two were using the identity of Ernest Worthington, the older brother in the family that Jack was adopted into. Until this point, the partners had transistioned from a luxurious city life to a life in the country, using their single identity to make things more convieniant. We then learn that Jack is love with a woman named Gwendolen, who happens to be the grandaughter of a wealthy aristocrat with regul blood(Lady Bracknell). A problem arises when Lady Bracknell learns of the two's relationship and begins to investigate "Jack's" pedigree. When Lady Bracknell learns that Earnest is actually an orphan, she gives him a choice. Jack must find a family to marry Gwendolen into, or he doesnt get to marry her. Meanwhile, Algernon proposes to the woman of his dreams; Cecily as Earnest, the same Ernest thats trying to marry Gwendolen. Cecily happens to be under legal guardianship of her Uncle; Jack, who isnt very approving of any courtship with Cecily and other men. Gwendolens arrival at the estate only makes Jacks facade as Ernest even harder to keep under wraps. After a jealous arguement over tea, Gwendolen and Cecily uncover the truth; there is no Ernest. Well, Earnest is really two people; Jack and Algernon. Both of the womens indignations are shorty lived, especially when the two lean that "Ernest's" love for them is also fake. The storm finally calms between the few, until Lady Bracknell returns and begins to questions the newly discovered lineage of Jack. Being Cecilys legal guardian, Jack wants nothing of Algernon on she being wed. The truth is then revealed, Mrs.Prism had dark secrets and this entire mess has her to blame. Almost thirty years ago, on her daily walk she mistakenly placed baby Jack into the handbag and the novel into the baby carriage. She then proceeded to drop baby Jack onto the doorsteps of the Victoria Station, thinking it was the novel she simply misplaced him. With this revealation of truth, we realize that Jack has a younger brother; Algernon! So the connection is made that Jacks real last name is Moncreiff, the same as Algernons. What of Jacks real first name however? After searching for who his real father was they discover that he was a military general. After a breif consult with the Army, Jack discoveres that his real name is in fact Ernest. With all the pieces in place, everyone is at peace. Algernon and Cecily proceed to get married, soon after so do Gwendolen and the newfound Ernest.

Oscar Wilde makes a blatant pun with the name Ernest. The adjective "earnest" means honest or sincere, which was anything but what the Earnest in the story was. Ironically, there is no character named "Ernest," but everything depends on pretending to be Ernest. Trouble arises when Algernon, who has his own version of Ernest, catches on to the scheme and shows up at Jack’s country manor impersonating Ernest, just as Jack decides to kill off his pesky younger brother.Finally, things start to unravel and the truth is revealed. We’d like to say that Jack and Algernon are finally being earnest, but they can’t really take credit for the events that occur. When Jack’s identity is revealed, he still doesn't know what his real name actually is. But then he finds out that it is Ernest. So he really has been "earnest" the entire time. The ending, where Jack cheekily tells Lady Bracknell, "I’ve realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest" is ambiguous. Is Jack saying that he’s learned the importance of being honest, or the importance of being named Ernest? It's just as important to be named Ernest in the end as it was in the beginning, since Gwendolen still insists on loving a man named Ernest. Either Jack really does learn the value of honesty at the end of the movie, or he simply holds tighter to the importance of being named Ernest.