The Importance of Being Earnest

Drama | Oscar Wilde
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What is the cause of Lady Bracknell’s rejection of Jack Worthing’s proposal to marry Gwendolen?

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What is the cause of Lady Bracknell’s rejection of Jack Worthing’s proposal to marry Gwendolen? [NU: 2019]  

“The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895) by Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) presents Lady Bracknell as a strong voice of Victorian society. She rejects Jack Worthing’s proposal to marry her daughter, Gwendolen, because of his uncertain birth and lack of social respectability. 

Jack’s Unknown Background: Lady Bracknell questions Jack about his family and birth. She is shocked when Jack admits he was found as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station. In Act I, she exclaims,

 “To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life.”  

This shows that Jack’s unclear origin makes him completely unsuitable in her eyes.

Social Rank and Marriage: For Lady Bracknell, m

arriage is not about love. It is about wealth, property, and class. She tells Jack directly in Act I,

 “You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter… to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel?” 

Her words show her prejudice against anyone from a doubtful background, no matter how honest or good-hearted he may be.

Love versus Authority: Though Gwendolen truly loves Jack, her opinion carries no weight. Lady Bracknell’s authority decides the matter. In her view, family honor is more important than her daughter’s happiness. This reflects that Victorian parents often controlled their daughters' marriage decisions.

In Conclusion, Lady Bracknell rejects Jack because he lacks respectable family roots. Her refusal is based on class pride and social status, not love. Wilde uses her rejection to satirize Victorian obsession with appearances, family, and class.  

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Oscar Wilde
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from The Importance of Being Earnest