Question

What does food symbolize in The Importance of Being Earnest?

Answer 1

In the play The Importance of Being Earnest, which is a is a trivial, comedy written by the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde and performed for the first time on 14 February 1895 at St James's Theatre in London, food is used as a symbol.

In this play,  the consumption of food is used as a symbol which represents excess, or overindulgence. For instance, the fact that Algernon cannot stop eating cucumber sandwiches, or muffins when they are put in front of him, might suggest that his appetites are just as excessive as his extravagant airs.

Similarly, every occasion when food is mentioned it is related to conflict, which might represent another carnal desire: sex. For example Algernon’s opening discussion of wine with his servant and the guys’ climactic fight over muffins.