Irish Wishing Well

My mother, Marian, and I have not been able to invite guests into our home in America because of Covid-19. This is much to my mom’s displeasure. She keeps saying, "I want to party!” So in order to socialize we joined a virtual (for now) book club, hosted by her smart and well read cousin, Malachy. This month’s selection is in keeping with the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. It is “The Importance of Being Earnest,” by the incomparable poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde. Who is a better literary party guest, when you can’t have actual guests than this highly quotable Irish wit?

The full title of the social comedy is “The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” and that, of course, describes the genre of this three-act play and my mom and I. (We watch cable news and fret that the world is doomed.) The play is a satire of Victorian manners and ideals and was first performed in 1895 and published in 1899, according to Britannica Online Encyclopedia.

In 2021, in advance of the Zoom meeting, my mom and I had the dual responsibility of being both lively performers while reading it aloud and attentive audience members for each other. This somehow seems appropriate given that the play is about double lives. (If you haven’t read or seen the play or films, you might want to stop reading here and just skip ahead to the part about Earnest the adoptable dog because I include some spoilers.)

This is the book I read from, while performing such roles as: the idle bachelor, Algernon Moncrieff; Algernon’s manservant, Lane; the persistent romantic, Cecily Cardew,; the outspoken dowager, Lady Bracknell; and Miss Prism, Cecily’s governess. It is, “Oscar Wilde: Complete And Unabridged,” published by Barnes & Noble in 2006.

Among other roles, my mom played the part of John (Jack) Worthing. He is a seemingly respectable gentleman who strives to be a moral, upright example for his ward, Cecily Cardew. However, this responsibility can feel confining, so he invents a rakish younger brother Ernest, whom he occasionally has to rescue from misadventures in London. This ploy allows him to have a carefree urban existence, which includes an outstanding bill at the luxury hotel, the Savoy.

I played the part of Jack’s friend, Algernon Moncrieff, who has similarly invented someone as a ruse to gain more freedom. His fictitious alibi is Bunbury, a needy invalid, who is a great excuse to escape dull social engagements and head to the country. Algernon calls this practice of deception that he and Jack are engaging in, “Bunburying.” The story, however, takes a turn when Algernon, a gleeful troublemaker, shows up at Jack’s country house, pretending to be Ernest because much to Jack’s disapproval, he is intrigued by Cecily and wants to meet her.

My mom and I were many, “persons of the play.” This is a photo of the Barnes & Noble edition. The opening scene involves a sharp-witted discussion of the piano, cucumber sandwiches and champagne. I knew from the beginning that I would like this … — My mom and I were many, “persons of the play.” This is a photo of the Barnes & Noble edition. The opening scene involves a sharp-witted discussion of the piano, cucumber sandwiches and champagne. I knew from the beginning that I would like this play.

I had so much fun playing Algernon, especially at the beginning, when he is a charismatic, crafty bachelor. As the character who is most like the rebellious side of Wilde, he is a dandy who helps himself to the cucumber sandwiches that are reserved for his guests, while exchanging clever banter for refreshment. He enjoys schemes like “Bunburying,” because they involve living in the moment.

This attitude is revealed in his conversations with Jack. Algernon says, “I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If I ever get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.”

This cheeky philosophy is an obvious contradiction to the high-minded times in which Wilde lived his 46 years. According to Masterplots, a reference book series that summarizes and explores the ideas of important works of literature and films, “Turning on the play of words in the title, the drama also satirizes the very idea of earnestness [which Merriam-Webster defines as “characterized by or proceeding from an intense and serious state of mind”], a virtue to which the Victorians attached the utmost significance. To work hard, to be sincere, frank, and open, and to live life earnestly was the Victorian ideal. Wilde not only satirizes hypocrisy and sham virtue, he also mocks its authentic presence.”

I agree with one of the play’s main themes - that maintaining a stifling public persona out of a sense of duty inhibits freedom - to live as a gay man, like Wilde, or just to escape for awhile. Respectability is not a worthwhile constraint. After this pandemic is over, I think there is a lonely imaginary friend I have to hop on a plane to visit on a beach somewhere or maybe I’ll just eat all the cucumber sandwiches and enthusiastically fib about it.

This is an Earnest who is certainly very important. This handsome boy is up for adoption and rescue at the Chicago Animal Care and Control. Because he is a shelter dog, he also has an ID number too - A225013.

Photo courtesy of Chicago Animal Care and Control Transfer Team.

Here is a description of Earnest along with a link to his profile on the CACC Transfer Team’s Facebook account:

“Earnest doesn’t love the shelter. Who can blame him though. He is slow to come out of his kennel and hates going back inside too. Earnest is low key inside, usually quietly laying in the back corner out of sight. He can be suspicious of the leash but doesn’t put up a big fight coming out. Earnest has mellow energy like an older dog but it’s hard to tell his age by appearance. Outside Earnest is still a mellow guy that doesn’t ask for much. He does some owner searching but will also engage with him [sic] handler. Earnest allows handling all over, really enjoys butt scratches, and his [sic] happy just to be next to someone. He doesn’t show much interest in toys or treats, hates getting his picture taken, and doesn’t appear to know any commands. We might never see the full personality Earnest hides under his shelter worries so a home that allows him to come out of his shell at his own pace is best.” - Chicago Animal Care & Control Transfer Team

Here is the link to more information about Earnest: https://www.facebook.com/cacctransferteam/photos/a.1042130342549976/3712704735492510/