Social class, in its simplest terms, is a way of dividing a population into strata based on their wealth, or access to power, or some combination of two. It is also a subjective measurement, the existence of which often only needs to be implied, so while to some extent one's social class is inevitable, to another it can be easily falsified. Eventually, this led to many texts in which upper class people live as lower class or similar. In Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance, characters fantasize about the lives of classes other than their own, allowing Wilde to offer a particularly insightful commentary on class relations in the late 19th century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay At the beginning of the play, Lady Caroline establishes herself as representing the most explicit aspects of the larger Victorian society of the time, namely that she is a snob. He is quick to assume that America has few country homes because there is no country, rather than that their culture may be different. This reveals that her snobbish view of even upper-class society is very rigid and that she assumes that all upper-class cultures are the same or perhaps simply that the British one is the best. Indeed, his later comments about Lady Hunstanton “mixing too much” (1:11) and his pointed use of the rather accusatory phrase “that Member of Parliament” (1:11) establish quite visibly the snobbery of his ideas about class and social structure. This is repeatedly underlined by Lady Caroline's constant and deliberate changing of Mr Kelvil's name to "Kettle" (1:11, 1:82, 1:156), (not coincidentally an entirely banal object). An interesting side note, as written by Antony H. Harrison in A New Companion to Victorian Culture and Literature, is that unmarried middle- and upper-class women in Victorian society themselves “were traditionally dependent (of their fathers or brothers) ” (Tucker , 2014, p.31) if not their husbands, so Lady Caroline judges others from a position of hypocrisy, having simply been born into this life. Gerald Arbuthnot, by contrast, having grown up in poorer circumstances than anyone else in the play, perhaps gives the reader the most insight into lower-class fantasies about upper-class life. There is no doubt that Gerald is delighted at the prospect of working for Lord Illingworth, calling the job offer "good news" (1:27) and saying that he hopes to prove himself "worthy of it" (1:33). Here he refers, apparently, to the work itself; crucially, however, in the previous line, Lady Caroline refers to it as a "wonderful opening" (1:32) which is a significant phrase and which is repeated word for word by Gerald later (2:454). This is Gerald's only entry into upper-class life and certainly, in Lady Caroline's estimation, it is something for which he should be immensely grateful. However, before Gerald's entrance, she implies that she does not approve of the move from one class to the other, stating that she is "not sure...that Jane is right in removing [Gerald] from his position" (1:17) . Gerald does not appear to have similar beliefs. He sees the opportunity as a paradigm shift, stating that “things that were once beyond the reach of hope may now be within the reach of hope” (1:37). This is a revealing phrase; previously, not only were the things he was referring to out of his reach, they were also out of the reach of his hope. This presents an interesting counterpoint to Lady's rigidity and snobberyCaroline. This implies that he also regards the classes as strata, but in his mind this does not prevent one from moving between them. So, from Lady Caroline's point of view – the view from above, so to speak – people are born into the class to which they belong. From Gerald's, the view from below, which is where people end up instead. So Gerald is, in a sense, an "anti-snob"; He sees the world through the same lens as Lady Caroline and sees the same lines, but crosses them without judgment. Lady Hunstanton clearly identifies with Gerald's position, as she calls him "a nice protégé?" (1:47) and attributes the offer only to "good luck" (1:47), implying that she too believes one can rise in rank given the right circumstances. Wilde cleverly intertwined this “born within” belief with the “may become one” alternative into the narrative; if Gerald's real parents were known, his presence in the upper class would not simply be accepted, but guaranteed. It is the fact that he is known in society as “an underpaid clerk in a small provincial bank in a third-rate English town” (2:502), as Illingworth himself states in his conversation with Mrs. Arbuthnot at the end of Act Two , this is really annoying for him. Illingworth himself is decidedly reluctant to consider Gerald's potential contentment valid, revealing his snobbish tendencies. Gerald's view of Illingworth is clearly respectful if not a little astonished. At the beginning of the third act, Gerald is sitting in a chair – a behavior that implies professionalism and respect – while Illingworth himself is “reclining on a sofa” (3:532). This exposes Gerald and Illingworth's different attitudes when it comes to their understanding of being part of the higher orders. Of course, Lady Caroline comments, near the beginning of the play, that “in [her] youth… you never met anyone in society who worked for a living. This was not considered." (1:17). Illingworth too subtly devalues ​​his job later in the first act, referring to the job he hired Gerald for as "something [he's] stupid enough to think about doing" (1:93) rather than something with more gravitas. This is then echoed in his later statement that "one should never take sides in anything... taking sides is the beginning of sincerity, and seriousness follows soon after, and being human becomes dull" (1:114) . In short, Illingworth intends for his son to emulate his own ease, which seems to be a far cry from the hard work Gerald expects. Although Mrs. Arbuthnot appears to no longer have any positive illusions or fantasies about upper-class life, she may perhaps have some that prejudice her. For example, although her scandal has yet been scarcely mentioned, the casual appearance of Lord Henry Weston's name in conversation (2:387) provokes Hester's outburst about the women she has harmed, and that is the point into which Mrs. Arbuthnot enters. From her perspective, it may seem that people have discussed little else besides her since she left upper-class society, and especially given that Hester is a stranger to her at this point, this may have contributed to the quickness with which relationships sour after this point. . He is reluctant to participate in the conversation he hears when he arrives, for obvious reasons. However, even as the conversation continues, and she is addressed directly or indirectly several times (2:393, 2:395, 2:399, 2:403), she does not respond until Gerald is mentioned by Lady Hunstanton in line 409 There is another way to read this, which is that the ladies consider Mrs. Arbuthnot herself off-stage, so to speak, and so continue their conversation while the waiter faces the "reality" of'.