Author: womaninthewallpaper

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest demonstrates the overemphasis society places on women being in love through exaggerating “girlish” silliness to an extreme.

The play’s two young women, Gwendolyn and Cecily, are depicted as very emotionally fickle. Algy and Jack joke that soon after the two meet they will already be calling each other sisters (though not without calling each other a few names first). Of course, their prediction comes true. The girls become incredibly passive aggressive towards one another when they believe they are both marrying “Ernest,” but consider one another sisters minutes later when Algy and Jack admit their lies. This behavior implies that women fluctuate from emotional extremes, these emotions often revolving around the behavior and attention of men. Further, their quickly changing emotions suggest that their emotions are surface-level and shallow (despite them taking them very seriously). As Gwendolyn says, “I never change, except in my affections” (306).

Their obsession with the name Ernest further contributes to this idea that their feelings of “love” are actual love (though they take these feelings very seriously). Both like their male suitors based on something as simple as their name, even saying that they would not love their husbands if their names weren’t Ernest. Ironically, both girls seem to love the name Ernest so much because it holds connotations of earnest and honestness, which Jack and Algy are the opposite of (nevertheless, they happily marry Jack and Algy). Their belief that a person’s character is defined by their name and the changeability of their opinions highlight their lack of emotional intelligence. Cecily even creates a whole love story between her and an “Ernest” she has never met, going so far as to write letters from him to her, and feeling she has been engaged and in love with him before even meeting him. Hilariously, Jack says “Cecily is not a silly romantic girl, I am glad to say,” ridiculously normalizing this behavior, and Algy doesn’t even bat an eye when being told by Cecily that she has mentally been in a relationship with him for months (269).

Their emotionally changeable if not delusional behavior (that is treated with total normalcy), suggests that Victorian societal ideals of love, and the expectation for women to be in love, were placed so overwhelmingly on women that often times their understandings of love became entirely superficial rather than genuine. Similar patterns of falling in love with an idea of love rather than actually being in love continue to today with the overwhelming amount of love/relationship content presented on social media.

Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass points out the significance people (often subconsciously) attach to names and words. When Alice meets Humpty Dumpty and he asks for her name, she questions “Must a name mean something?” (174). Humpty Dumpty answers, “Of course it must, my name means the shape I am” (174). Humpty Dumpty’s name is reflective of his appearance and character. The word “hump” and the shape of the letter “u” illustrate his oval shape, and the “ump” invokes feelings of falling down or “thumping,” matching with his fall from the wall and inability to get back up. 

Carroll often uses made up words, such as in “Jabberwocky” when he uses the terms “brillig” and “slithy.” Despite these being made-up words, they still invoke feelings in the reader, and ideas of what they could mean. The “twas” before “brillig” seems to imply that “brillig” is a time, and “slithy” sounds like a combination of “slimy” and “lithe.” The use of these made-up words explores more deconstructionist ideas of semiotics; rather than a word or name being just that– a “clothing” of speech that gives a fixed name to a concept (Saussure), a name/word is an extension of language that can change in relation to time, other words, and the changing of other words (Derrida). Carroll’s frequent use of wordplay and creation of new words demonstrate this concept by showing that words have connotations that invoke feelings/ideas and connect to other words, rather than having one solidified meaning. For example, with the knowledge of the words “slimy” and “lithe,” readers are able to create a relationship to “slithy.” 

Further, Carroll’s emphasis on names specifically highlights how names hold connotations that can impact our perception of a person. Humpty Dumpty wants Alice’s name in order to understand her business, but then concludes that her name is not one fixed identifier, saying “With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost,” continuing to reflect this deconstructionist concept of language (175). Curiously, Lewis Carrol’s real name was Charles Dodgson. It is interesting to think about why he chose this pen name, and how he might have thought about the impression his name would leave on readers. “Carol” seems to immediately set up the idea that he is a storyteller.

In Mona Caird’s “The Yellow Drawing Room,” Clara is depicted as the archetypal “angel in the house.” This term stems from a Coventry Patmore poem describing the ideal woman as tame, docile, and living to serve men. The main character of this story, Mr. St. Vincent, comments that this ideal woman should be “retiring, unobtrusive, indistinguishable even until you come to know her well, and then she is very much like what every other true woman would be under the same conditions” (103). St. Vincent expresses “Certain suspicions which I had harboured that Clara Haydon was my ideal woman grew stronger as I watched her quiet English face bent over the tea-tray… If I was to give up my liberty, the reins should be handed over to a kind, sensible young woman like Clara, who would hate to make herself remarkable, or her drawing room yellow” (104). In other words, a woman who would not actually take the reigns or distinguish herself in any way.

Though St. Vincent clearly feels that Clara checks all the boxes of his perfect wife, it is not Clara that St. Vincent falls for. It is her total opposite– the wild, “new woman” Vanora, who stands out as much as the bright yellow walls she chose for the drawing room. He is incredibly sexually attracted to her, describing her figure as “robust, erect, pliant” and he expresses feeling “penetrated” by her “glowing atmosphere” (105-106). In sexual contexts, the word “penetrates” is usually an action a man does to a woman. Interestingly, here it is Vanora penetrating him, suggesting that she challenges his power and masculinity (not just through her personality, but also her sexuality). In comparison, Clara is physically described with much more boring terms, with a “straightforward look” and “blue eyes and a fair complexion” (104). 

St. Vincent’s contempt for Vanora’s behavior and attitude only seem to increase his sexual attraction towards her. He says, “all the dominating instincts of my manhood roused into activity by this hateful experience,” the sexual connotations of the phrase “my manhood roused” connecting his hatred to his lust (108). Further, this desire to dominate her suggests that he is turned on by Vanora’s disobedience and wants to “tame” her (both emotionally and physically).   

Ultimately, St. Vincent confesses that he loves and wants to marry Vanora. Clara, fades into the background of the story, still “gentle” when wounded by St. Vincent’s choice. 

St. Vincent’s feelings for Vanora, despite Clara meeting every one of his standards for the ideal woman, implies that as the “new woman” emerged, not only were men challenged, but the “angel in the house” was challenged. St. Vincent’s aggressive attraction to Vanora suggests that some Victorian men were intrigued by the “new woman,” desiring the sexual satisfaction of “taming” these women, presenting conflicting guidance for how women should draw in men.

This double standard continues today, as men are often sexually attracted to archetypes like the “femme fatale” that challenge their control. Simultaneously, they don’t want their power challenged, and also to some extent want “traditional wives.” Which is more appealing: an outspoken woman in a tight dress, or a loving, modest woman doing your laundry for you?

When Hartwright first enters Mrs. Catherick’s house, he describes that “On the largest table, in the middle of the room, stood a smart Bible, placed exactly in the center” (484). This large size of this bible and its placement in the center of the room on a special table implies that it has intentionally been set up in order to be as noticeable as possible. Further, Mrs. Catherick brings up this bible when she feels Hartwright has insulted her reputation, saying “Is your mother alive? Has she got a better Bible on her table than I have got on mine?” (488). By emphasizing her bible in this context, Mrs. Catherick uses her supposed faith as a way of defending her reputation. She specifically depicts herself as being more religious than other women by comparing herself to Hartwright’s mother. Through her claim that she is a more religious woman because of the quality and size of her bible, Collins implies that a person is often judged more on the showiness and appearance of their religious beliefs rather than their actual faith and morals.

Ironically, Mrs. Catherick actually strays from most Christian ideals. She is incredibly selfish and cares little for other people other than herself, hardly even showing any care for her daughter’s death (she just puts on black mittens– a performative action). Her taking Anne away from Mrs. Clements even demonstrates a more active type of wickedness (her sole motivation being a whim of jealousy). Her desire for Sir Percival’s gifts indicate that she is very greedy and materially motivated. She is depicted to be very sensual, both in appearance and in her actions (her affair). Her betrayal of her marriage (not just to any man, but to a clergyman) emphasizes her betrayal of the church and its teachings. Interestingly, Hartwright also describes Mrs. Catherick’s hatred with serpent-like language (“serpent-hatred,” “lurking reptile”), evoking images of the original biblical, sinful woman, Eve. 

Through Mrs. Catherick’s immorality (but presentation as a religious woman), Collins suggests that religion is often used performatively to enhance one’s reputation, and can be treated as just another societally constructed way to judge people (especially women).