Antigone & Earnest: Two Characters Striving for Social Freedom
In Antigone and The Importance of Being Earnest, both protagonists strive for freedom in societies where social conventions define the quality of life. Antigone, a teenage girl, fights against her male-driven society to bury her brother, even though she is aware of the grave consequences she will face if she does rebel against the social conventions already set in place. Jack, a man who lives a double life creates his second identity solely for freedom, and his friend, Algernon also has a second identity that he uses as well to participate in events that are socially unacceptable for men in their social standings. Both protagonists are aware of the social conventions set in place in their respective societies, but because they desire freedom so much they ignore the social conventions of society to gain freedom for themselves. Both protagonists are heroes in their own ways because they risked the way they lived to live the way they desired to live: freely. Antigone, a teenage girl who some may consider rebellious, decides that she wants to bury her brother; because he is an enemy of the state, she is strongly forbidden not to, and will even risk “…death by stoning publicly” (Sophocles 41). Society denies Antigone the freedom to fulfill her personal and familial obligation, but Antigone strikes back forcefully against the state by burying him anyway. Antigone puts her own freedom before social conventions because she refused to let anyone disgrace her family by not allowing her brother a burial. Antigone absolutely felt that she was right, and she would go to any lengths to secure her freedom – even though death will surely follow her radical decision. Jack lies to maintain his second identity so that he can live his life with freedom and not be judged for his actions. Living a double life allows Jack to do things that he would not otherwise be able to do with the rich and mighty that he surrounds himself with. For the sake of maintaining his decorous image, he