Oscar Wilde develops different themes throughout the play The Importance of Being Earnest. One main theme that is developed is dishonesty. Lying seems a pastime for the main characters in this play. Wilde shows this through epigrams which end up contraindicating the characters. Wilde also describes marriage as a business deal where the only thing that matters is money. Dishonesty is seen when the word earnest means loyal and trustworthy. Ernest the person is a lying man and his personality of earnest makes this a satirical play on words. Wilde also shows that the upper class only cares about money and themselves giving them the impression of being very shallow and having no respect for each other.
Wilde conveys many different aspects through this one main theme. Wilde creates the overall feeling that all upper class people are shallow and that a persons beauty is based on how much money they have. He also gives the readers the feeling that the main characters are troubled and eventually apologize for lying which is something they never had to do before.
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