The concept of marriage up until the twentieth century was considered to be prestigious and was the central aim of the English novel. Wilde uses the concept of marriage in The Importance of Being Earnest as a paradox. The characters are disinterested, some repulsed, by the concept of marriage yet it is the final goal and motivation of the play. The concept of marriage is presented in many ways. Each character presents their opinion on marriage, and has had an experience with it. The characters call marriage by a number of names and present it to be a "demoralizing," state. It is portrayed…
