HT:Reference

The Importance of Being Earnest not only shares the purpose of satirizing Victorian Era life, but it also shares common thematic messages. In Importance, Wilde explores marriage and society’s pressures regarding marriage. Gwendelon’s courtship, or at least the advice given to her by Lady Bracknell who reflects the societal beliefs at the time,  parallels Louisa’s marriage to Bounderby. Marriage here is used as a vehicle for social mobility which is a trend seen in Importance. Louisa finds herself pressured to marry Bounderby by Tom and her father who are motivated both by Bounderby’s wealth and nature. Importance also satirizes the Victorian Era’s strict societal code of behavior. This is similar to Hard Times’s commentary on a fact-driven society, void of fancy in that both societal codes promote strict societal adherence which is demonstrated in the pronounced segmentation of social classes in Hard Times.