The Importance of Being Earnest

by

Oscar Wilde

Jack’s Mourning Clothes Symbol Analysis

Jack’s Mourning Clothes Symbol Icon
Jack’s extravagant mourning attire for a brother who is nonexistent and not even dead represents the extravagance of the dandy as well as duplicity.
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Jack’s Mourning Clothes Symbol Timeline in The Importance of Being Earnest

The timeline below shows where the symbol Jack’s Mourning Clothes appears in The Importance of Being Earnest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2, Part 1
The Art of Deception: Fact v. Fiction Theme Icon
Name and Identity Theme Icon
Hypocrisy, Folly, and Victorian Morality Theme Icon
Jack enters slowly dressed in mourning clothes , surprising Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble. Jack tells them that his brother “Ernest” has... (full context)
Act 2, Part 2
The Art of Deception: Fact v. Fiction Theme Icon
...back to the train station. Algernon refuses to leave until Jack changes out of his mourning clothes , saying that he is absurdly over-dressed. (full context)