Symbolism in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest At the beginning of the play, the main character Algernon awaits the arrival of his Aunt Lady Bracknell and her daughter Gwendolen Fairfax. Algernon’s friend Jack Worthing arrives to his London home on the West Inn. When Jack arrives to Algernon’s house, he announces himself as Ernest and Algernon finds that a bit odd. Jack begins to tell Algernon that he wants to propose to Gwendolen. Algernon questions why Jacks cigarette case says “From little Cecily with her fondest love.” Jack then explains to Algernon that his name is Jack Worthing when he visits the country, but his name is Ernest when he visits the city. Algernon confessed that he too visits an imaginary friend named Bunbury when he needs an escape to the city. There are many forms of symbolism in…show more content… The case is a symbol of Jacks double life. Jack uses the name Ernest in town and Jack when he visits the country. In the beginning of the play, Jack tries to deny that he knows a woman by the name Cecily, which was the woman who gave Jack the case as a gift. Jack then explains to Algernon that Cecily is his aunt that lives at Tunbridge Wells. Jack’s handbag is another example of symbolism in the play. This handbag is the same bag that Jack was found in when he was a baby. The bag was placed in one of the cloakrooms in the railway station, Victoria the Brighton line. The handbag symbolizes the mistakes taken place within the play. From the crazy mistake of leaving a baby in a cloakroom to the confusion of who identifies as who. Although there are many other forms of symbolism in the play The Importance of Being Ernest, I have just highlighted a few. Symbolism can be found in many places throughout the play and they can work to foreshadow and look back upon some of the events that will or have happened. Symbolism is one of the most interesting things to look at when reading a book or
