Stereotypes In The Importance Of Being Earnest

In Act II of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde the characters Jack and Algernon, and Gwendolen and Cecily awaken thoughtful laughter. This laughter is thoughtful because it shows two stereotypical reactions, and how ignorant they truly are. In Act II Gwendolen and Cecily are two stereotypes. The first stereotype the perpetuate is the typical bembo. Both women turn against each other when it comes to a man, which is something that women in both literature and reality have been stereotyped to do. This scene shows how ignorant that stereotype is because it can be clearly seen both of these women would be respected in society and are probably well educated, so they would be able to work out their differences in a more civilized manner.

The second stereotype they represent is that of a man hating feminists. The two women join together against the men, and begin making comments about how cowardly all men are. This makes it seem as though they think that they are better than men. This also shows the idea that if a woman doesn't want anything to do with men it is probably because she is upset with them. These kinds of idea

After they have just caused a very huge mess they go outside to try to work out their differences. While trying to do so, they are almost so unemotional and unphased by the mess that they’ve caused they find time to argue about snacks. They are perpetuating the stereotype that men don't overreact the way women do, and that they are usually unemotional. This scene is trying to show how although society might see it as a good thing for men to not be too emotional, it is actually infact not a good thing. If the two men would just be straightforward about how they felt and their true intentions, most of their problems could have been solved right away. They could have just told the women the truth, causing them not to be so upset with them in the first