Algernon Moncrieff's The Importance Of Being
Often times, authors and playwrights write characters and plots based on life experiences. These ordeals can very much alter one’s life and the perception of it. Author and playwright Oscar Wilde is no exception to this; with the many experiences that his own life holds, such as his double identity and homosexuality in the Victorian Era, Wilde is able to write his autobiography as a novel or play using characters similar to ones in his own life, as he has. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon Moncrieff defies the Victorian upper class society by using his alter egos, Bunbury and Ernest, to appropriate his bad behavior and ultimately obtain what his desires. Algernon is a reflection of the play’s author Oscar Wilde as he learns about the importance of truth while working through his society-shaped id, ego, and superego. Faced with making decisions that align with Sigmund Freud’s psyche model, Wilde successfully breathes himself into Algernon while satirizing the society in which he grew up. The character Algernon develops his alter egos, Bunbury and Earnest, in the similar way Wilde lives his other life as Sebastian Melmoth (“Oscar
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Whether these characters contain parts or the whole of a writer’s life, the similarities are definitely there. The experiences that Wilde has in his life bring more validation to the satirical components in his play The Importance of Being Earnest. Algernon directly reflects the play’s composer in a way that satirizes the Victorian upper class society through his decisions that fulfill his animalistic and socialized instincts. In this mix of impulses, both Algernon and Wilde understand the value of sincerity within a community of trivialities that the upper class provide. By doing this, Wilde brings the audience to think about their own values and whether those qualities are essential in the life of Algernon
Whether these characters contain parts or the whole of a writer’s life, the similarities are definitely there. The experiences that Wilde has in his life bring more validation to the satirical components in his play The Importance of Being Earnest. Algernon directly reflects the play’s composer in a way that satirizes the Victorian upper class society through his decisions that fulfill his animalistic and socialized instincts. In this mix of impulses, both Algernon and Wilde understand the value of sincerity within a community of trivialities that the upper class provide. By doing this, Wilde brings the audience to think about their own values and whether those qualities are essential in the life of Algernon