In many works of literature, a physical journey - the literal movement from one place to another - plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
You MUST choose from the following list:
The Importance of Being Earnest
Very few works have their characters simply remaining in one location throughout. That is, the main characters almost always have some form of journey as the plot progresses. One such work is Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. The two protagonists, Algernon and Jack, use their alter-egos to journey away from their respective homes, and Wilde uses these journeys as a means of criticizing the strict and overly moral air of the Victorian Era.
Algernon Moncrieff, the nephew of the prim and stuffy Lady Bracknell, uses his imaginary, invalid friend "Bunbury" as a means of escaping London for the country, and thus the demands of society that come with the heart of the Victorian era. By coming up with various excuses about Bunbury's imminent death (and the subsequent miraculous recovery), so dubbed "Bunburying," Algernon is able to find respite from the society that his Aunt personifies. Algernon's journey to the country in act two represents not just one "transformation," but two, as he must use "Bunbury" to escape his Aunt, but "Ernest" to woo Jack's ward Cecily. Not only is Algernon journeying from London to Jack's estate in the country, but also into the life of Ernest. In opposition to the strict moral ideals of the time, Algernon seeks not to charm Cecily for status or wealth, but merely due to her youth and attractiveness. Likewise, Cecily falls for Algernon ("Ernest") solely because of his name. Such trivialities are used by Wilde to show how pretentious the marriage system in Victorian England was.
Furthermore, Jack Worthing (the "original" Ernest) uses his trouble-making "brother" as a means of escaping the countryside for the city. With each journey, he, in effect, becomes Ernest, a fact that he exploits when attempting to curry favor with Algernon's cousin Gwendolen. Like Algernon, the journey is what in turn causes Jack to "become" Ernest, although Cecily believes Ernest to her guardian's carefree brother, and thus accepts Algernon blindly as Ernest. Though Jack, in returning to the countryside, "kills" Ernest, he actually only aids to open the deception, as Gwendolen and Cecily find out for themselves. As with Algernon, Jack's object of affections is only attracted to his name, and thus Jack must pretend to be Ernest (again, through this journey) in order to remain with Gwendolen.
Altogether, both Jack and Algernon's journeys (and the deceptions that these journeys create) serve to give the work overall a farcical air about it. Wilde's use of such absurdity reveals his intentions for penning Earnest. That is, Wilde intended to highlight the ridiculous aspects of Victorian society. The men's respective adoptions of the Ernest moniker in order to satisfy Cecily and Gwendolen (who are themselves only attracted to the name) is so remarkably inane that it paints a stark picture of the similar (albeit not quite as exaggerated) standards of propriety at the time. Likewise, Jack and Algernon's desires to escape their homes (Jack to the city and Algernon to the country) reveal how suffocating their society is. The two must change their surroundings, each adopting a fake persona to do so. Wilde's criticisms of the Victorian era are quite apparent with the journeys the two undertake, and his witty satire is still felt today.
Algernon Moncrieff, the nephew of the prim and stuffy Lady Bracknell, uses his imaginary, invalid friend "Bunbury" as a means of escaping London for the country, and thus the demands of society that come with the heart of the Victorian era. By coming up with various excuses about Bunbury's imminent death (and the subsequent miraculous recovery), so dubbed "Bunburying," Algernon is able to find respite from the society that his Aunt personifies. Algernon's journey to the country in act two represents not just one "transformation," but two, as he must use "Bunbury" to escape his Aunt, but "Ernest" to woo Jack's ward Cecily. Not only is Algernon journeying from London to Jack's estate in the country, but also into the life of Ernest. In opposition to the strict moral ideals of the time, Algernon seeks not to charm Cecily for status or wealth, but merely due to her youth and attractiveness. Likewise, Cecily falls for Algernon ("Ernest") solely because of his name. Such trivialities are used by Wilde to show how pretentious the marriage system in Victorian England was.
Furthermore, Jack Worthing (the "original" Ernest) uses his trouble-making "brother" as a means of escaping the countryside for the city. With each journey, he, in effect, becomes Ernest, a fact that he exploits when attempting to curry favor with Algernon's cousin Gwendolen. Like Algernon, the journey is what in turn causes Jack to "become" Ernest, although Cecily believes Ernest to her guardian's carefree brother, and thus accepts Algernon blindly as Ernest. Though Jack, in returning to the countryside, "kills" Ernest, he actually only aids to open the deception, as Gwendolen and Cecily find out for themselves. As with Algernon, Jack's object of affections is only attracted to his name, and thus Jack must pretend to be Ernest (again, through this journey) in order to remain with Gwendolen.
Altogether, both Jack and Algernon's journeys (and the deceptions that these journeys create) serve to give the work overall a farcical air about it. Wilde's use of such absurdity reveals his intentions for penning Earnest. That is, Wilde intended to highlight the ridiculous aspects of Victorian society. The men's respective adoptions of the Ernest moniker in order to satisfy Cecily and Gwendolen (who are themselves only attracted to the name) is so remarkably inane that it paints a stark picture of the similar (albeit not quite as exaggerated) standards of propriety at the time. Likewise, Jack and Algernon's desires to escape their homes (Jack to the city and Algernon to the country) reveal how suffocating their society is. The two must change their surroundings, each adopting a fake persona to do so. Wilde's criticisms of the Victorian era are quite apparent with the journeys the two undertake, and his witty satire is still felt today.
