“Jack: …You have seen me with it a hundred times, and you have no right whatsoever to read what is written inside. It is very ungentlemanly thing to read a private cigarette case.
Algernon: Oh! it is absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one should read and one shouldn’t. More than half the modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read” (Wilde 124-130).
In this scene, Algernon confronts Jack about the inscription inside his cigarette case that reveals Jack’s true identity and status as Cecily’s uncle. A point of importance in scene is how the judgement of their actions reflects Victorian values of the time but also sets up the hypocrisy and double standards that exist. This moment demonstrates how Wilde structures his criticisms of Victorian double standards.
For instance, Jack calls out Algernon for not being “very gentlemanly” by snooping on his private cigarette case while not being the exact picture of perfect gentlemanliness himself. Jack emphasizes the need for privacy and implicitly connects it with the moral alignment of gentlemanliness. While Jack is enforcing the standards of Victorian society, he is simultaneously being made as of example of the hypocrisy that exists. He calls on Algernon to behave in acceptable manner while carrying out a deception of his identity and name to carry out frowned upon behavior and actions.
A conduct guide for men like Mrs. Humphrey’s Manners for Men demonstrates the kind of expectations placed on Victorians but more specifically men. Humphrey writes that men must be mindful of the needs of the women in tea time. They should “rise every time a lady enters or leaves, opening the door for her exit if no one else is nearer to it” (Humphrey 171). These rules provide insight into the structure and expectations that rules are set on. For the Victorian values, there is an expectation of control and awareness as demonstrated in the rules around tea time. The emphasis on instant reaction leaves no space for a freer sense of self. There is much focus on strict, instant adherence to expectations of propriety, a minor mistake can be seen as indicative of a larger moral failing. This strict dichotomy makes little space for nuance or forgiveness.
Wilde continues the criticism of Victorian society and expectations through Algernon’s remark in response to Jack. He resists the idea that there are things acceptable to read and things that are not, essentially arguing against Jack’s offense. He states that much of Victorian society is defined by what should not be read. This reflects a continuous theme of talking about certain topics through taling about the avoidance of it. By remarking about these rules, Algernon points out the larger contradictions that exist in Victorian values and the enforcement of them.
Wilde levels his criticism of Victorian societal values and expectation on 3 levels. He uses the contradictions within character values and behavior, contradiction on a larger cultural context along with ones that exist in specific settings like tea time. Through this, he is able to create a multiple faceted critique and demonstrates on how these contradictions and hypocrisy exist in real life situation. By not just using a straight forward critique (like Algernon’s statement in the last line), Wilde is able to show how these ideals are integrated and enforced on the levels of large, medium and small scale rather than a general overall critique that does not show the complexities that lie in expectations existing on multiple levels. The existence of multiple levels emphasizes the impossibility of the numerous expectations and how overwhelming dominant they are in determining the social experience of people.
I am glad you highlighted Wilde’s expert use of contradiction in this play. Not only is this technique humerous, but it also makes a lot of important comments about Victorian society. I believe Wilde uses the character of Algernon to both subvert and model “gentlemanly” expectations. He says at one point that he would never let his duties as a gentleman get in the way of his personal pleasures. On the other hand, he also calls out Jack for lying about his identity, which is “ungentlemanly” of Jack. Algernon also dresses and conducts social rituals like tea time in a typical Victorian English manner, even if he does snoop and defend reading “inappropriate” things. Wilde is an expert of creating contradictory characters, and this play displays that masterfully.