The author Oscar Wilde of the novel “The Importance of Being Earnest “ uses literary

devices such as satire and hyperboles to describe the world around him as a way of bringing
light to social problems in a digestible way for the public. With the use of satire, hyperbole and
irony he describes the problem of inequality between the social classes, concerning power and
social rules that prove to be ridiculous and unhelpful to society. The difference in power between
classes and social standing are main points within the book because those types of hierarchy
were the most prevalent in the time period the novel is set, the gross misconduct of power over
public goods caused lower class people to be at a disadvantage within their own society.
In the first act we are introduced to the deceiving main character Jack in the country, but
is also earnest in the city. With this first description of Jack/Earnest Oscar Wilde brings to light
how selfish higher class people are, Jack uses a faux brother named Earnest as a way to evade
his responsibilities as a parent which most higher class people can afford to do, as opposed to
lower class people who cannot. He then uses the travesty of a police force to show how higher
class people abuse it which renders it completely useless. While talking with Algernon, Earnest
states that he had”been writing letters to the Scotland yard” about his lost cigarette case. With
this use of satire we are forced to see how the misuse of the police had become so ridiculous
that one who has money can call the police and have them look for something as trivial as a
cigarette case while people could be in actual danger and need assistance but cannot access
the assistance they need because the police are preoccupied with a wild goose chase for the
wealthy and their small insignificant possessions.
Whenever Algernon and Earnest spoke of marriage there is a distinct difference between
their beliefs and this is because of the different societal rules based on hierarchy, that are
established in the country versus in the city. Whenever Algernon speaks of marriage he speaks
of it as if it is business because that is what he was taught to view it as within the social circle
that he resides in. While Earnest views marriage as a bond of love which is shown through his
mutual flirting with Gwendolyn which disgust Algernon. Jack grew up in the country where many
lower class people lived and he witnessed them get married to people they loved because they
could not afford a divorce while in the city he witnessed people who didn't love each other but
loved the others money get married and divorce soon after. This juxtaposition shows the
advantage money gives to the wealthy in all aspects of their lives.
With the introduction of Cecily also comes the introduction of higher class diaries,
feelings and emotions. The diaries in this novel are used to symbolize the misconduct of power
because diaries are emotion driven and do not hold facts other than how the author feels in the
moment. When Cecily exposes a faux engagement that she knew was “real” because she wrote
it in her diary it showed just how manipulative and disingenuous the higher class is. When
Cecily and Gwendolyn began arguing they were using their own personal diaries as evidence
and even changing what they had written so that they were always correct .After Gwendolyn is
exposed to the fact that Cecily is engaged to be married to earnest she says,”From the moment
i saw you i distrusted you” which directly contradicts what she had said when she had first met
cecily and she stated that she was jack's ward and shows how easy it is for wealthy people to
be “correct” all the time. They are correct because they adjust their statements whether it's a
little bit of if it is the exact opposite of what they had said originally. Who are common people to
doubt higher class people who hold more power then they do, who are they to question the
people who sit at the top of society looking down upon them.
 The significance of the book is to expose just how unequal social classes are when
compared to each other and that point was seen as taboo to speak of because of just how much
power higher class people held in that time period. The book was also meant as a tool to bring
enraged lower class people together to oppose the higher class which had abused their power
since the beginning of time.