The Position of Women in Society in ‘An Ideal Husband’ According to Marxist Theory

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The Position of Women in Society in ‘An Ideal Husband’ According to Marxist Theory
Introduction
The Marxist Theory Lens is one of the most credible tools for literary analysis, since it provides critical insights into the various aspects of human life, often the subjects of literature. A Marxist critique performs the literary analysis by raising various fundamental questions that have a correlation with the themes tackled by the author of a literary work under scrutiny. For instance, the fundamental issues often raised by using the Marxist approach to analysis of a literary work include how an author’s work brings a reflection of his or her ideologies. Most authors portray such ideologies through creation of fictional world’s characters, the settings and the relationship between the themes tackled. An Ideal Husband is a play by Oscar Wilde, whose storyline revolves around a couple facing a blackmail scheme. The blackmail scheme results into a scene of reflection in which the couple attempt to reflect on their moral standards, bringing an idea of the political class who also believe in ethical purity. Subjecting Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband to a critical analysis, it is evident that the book is a vivid representation of key aspects of a societal life, through its reflection on marriage as the main theme, as well as other themes such as womanliness and feminism, aestheticism, as well as the art of living.
Oscar Wilde Biography
The author’s general life depicts a background of affluence and higher social class. It is possible to assert that his successful childhood life, which introduced his future success in education and publications, was a result of the perfect union of his parents. Wilde was born to two accomplished parents, with the the father being a surgeon for top government officials, and the mother a career politician and an activist in Dublin (1854). Having borrowed the artistic skills from his respected mother, who was also a poet, Wilde manifested excellence in his artistic works during his youth through composition of award winning poems (Adut 214). He therefore won prestigious awards throughout, including scholarships to the Trinity and the Magdalene colleges. While college life would have been sources of new challenges to his life, Wilde acquired new opportunities to advance his poetic and writing skills, and won more awards. The many poetic engagements that he participated in also served as an opportunity for incremental development in the discipline. While in college, Wilde built a name and a reputation as a writer, and a wit. The two names, Oscar Wilde, have depicted lavishness and romance, which have evoked the ideologies of the Irish myths and sense of heroism (Adut 217). In this case, this set of names convey a message of love patriotism, and pride that the parents had for their Irish nationalism.
From background, it is possible to assert that Wilde derived much of his lifetime impetus from the nature of his family environment, which is a product of marriage. His father’s life was a success story, having risen to the high ranks of operating on European Monarchs during his career. In addition to the father, he also had a successful mother, whose life also wrote a success story not only as a historian, but also as an activist and a political commentator. From his mother’s efforts, she became a prominent contributor to the formation and operations of the freedom movements that delivered independence to Ireland later in 1921. Having been well-accomplished role players in their career lines, both parents published many materials ranging from essays, poems and fairy tales, a trend that Wilde adopted and toed to build his success as well (Adut 214). In many cases, a successful child is usually a manifestation of a good family environment, which depicts a perfect marriage. The success of an entire family is also a product the smallest unit, which is marriage in the case of married people. It is therefore evident that Wilde’s family, stemming from his parents’ marriage is an example of a perfect marriage.
Prior to the peak of his fame and success, Wilde had excelled in excelled in school, graduated from college and established himself in London (Peter 415). Alongside his dedicated efforts in publishing, he also became a magazine editor, during which his fame rose in London not only as a wit, but also as a dandy. He then advanced to become a renowned public speaker, a duration followed by his marriage and subsequent birth of two sons (Adut 213). The publication and subsequent premiering of the book, An Ideal Husband, marked the pinnacle of his fame in 1895, as well as introducing the period of his later downfall. Due to accusations of indecency pegged on suspicions of homosexual acts, Wilde was found guilty and imprisoned for two years, an event that marked the end periods of his fame in London. Wilde later relocated to France after his release from prison, where he wrote among his last books De Profundis and Ballad of Reading Goal, before his final death in 1900. Considering the Wilde’s biography, which is a success story till the end of his time when a tragic turn of events engulf his prowess, one would want to imagine that he had been an ideal husband to his wife, as well as an ideal father to his two sons (Adut 234). Just as his father may have been considered an ideal husband during Wilde’s childhood and growth, and having followed an example of his mother’s artistic skills of writing, one would have advanced such expectations to imagine that he would have been an ideal husband in marriage.
Social Class
The concept of class has remained an integral aspect of societal lives. In many cases, there are fundamental parameters that define the particular class where an individual or a group of people belongs. For instance, the level of education and the amount of accumulated wealth often become the most common factors that define social class. In this case, members of a society with high levels of education tend to belong to the same social class, often higher than the uneducated. In addition to the level of education, the amount of accumulated wealth, in which those with more wealth (the rich) belong to higher social classes, as compared to those with relatively little wealth. In the Oscar’s Wilde’s book, “An Ideal Husband,” the concept of social class is evident from the first scene. In this case, the author uses education as a defining tool that places the members of this society in different classes.
In a conversation between Mrs. Marchmont and Lady Basildon, in the octagon room at Sir Robert Chiltern’s house in Grosvenor Square, the two introduce the scene in a rather argumentative manner. Sir Robert’s house is depicted to reflect the Greek affluence and success, usually obtained by those ranking higher than other members of the same societies do. While in this house alongside a couple of other guests, Mrs. Marchmont shows her interest in acquiring education from Sir Robert’s house. She states in Act One Scene I, “I come here to bed educated (pg. 1).” Mrs. Marchmont’s confession at these early stages of the play point to the fact that that education is a critical theme in the subsequent stages of the play, perhaps a defining measure of social class.
However, even though she expresses her strong desire and the efforts she makes to receive education, her friend belongs to a contrary school of thought, and immediately detests dreams of getting education. Lady Basildon seems uncomfortable with education, and confesses stating that she hates being educated. During the same conversation in Scene I, Act I, she is heard saying, “Ah! I hate being educated! (pg. 1).” Mrs. Basildon’s rejection of education at this stage of the play could also be a further pointer to the fact that education contributes to the creation of social classes, since others welcome and use it to acquire better status in their societies (Veronica 158). As a point of correction, Mrs. Marchmont attempts to correct Lady Basildon’s ideology about education; by stating the significant role, it plays in helping one acquire a serious purpose in life. According to her, education is among the few effective tools through which one can use to discover, develop, and perhaps sustain their desired dreams in life. She responds to Lady Basildon’s hatred for education in Act One Scene I, she states that, “So do I. It puts one almost on a level with the commercial classes, doesn’t it? But dear Gertrude Chiltern is always telling me that I should have some serious purpose in life. So I come here to try to find one (pg. 1).”
Considering Lady Basildon’s ideology and her public hatred for education, it is possible to not that she is an epitome of the old generation, in which the society did not expect women to know, nor understand much (Veronica 161). Her position on education paints a negative picture on women, as a group of people within the society that represent ignorance and illiteracy. Furthermore, if one uses education to create social classes in the Oscar Wilde’s society, perhaps women, as the uneducated lot would occupy a lower status, as men keep the lead as the educated. Lady Markby, in her response to Lady Chiltern in a conversation about the factors affecting happy marriage life, she blames the conditions of the House of Commons for ruining their husbands, and further refers to higher education for women as a horrible thing.
Her statement partly says in Act II Scene 1, “I think the Lower House by far the greatest blow to a happy married life that there has been since that terrible thing called the Higher Education of Women was invented.” However, since there are a couple of her friends who advocate for education, especially for women, Lady Chiltern corrects her statements by confessing a contrary opinion. Lady Chiltern in response to Lady Markby states that, “Ah! It is heresy to say that in this house, Lady Markby. Robert is a great champion of the Higher Education of Women, and so, I am afraid, am I.” In this battle of words, both women belong to different ideologies regarding the need and role of education, depicting a division of ideologies and plight.
Womanliness and Feminine Role
Even though Oscar Wilde uses the title An Ideal Husband, which invites an ideology and speculation about an ideal husband, there are also features of feminism and womanliness across the story. In order to acquire a deeper comprehension of the features of womanliness and feminine roles in Oscar’s An Ideal Husband, it is important to contrast some principle characters. Part of Oscar’s story relies on the existing opposition between Lady Chiltern, described as a virtuous woman, and Mrs. Cheveley, portrayed as a demonic woman. Mrs. Cheveley’s villainy and wit are among the few traits that have made her a pleasurable character. Oscar Wilde uses Mrs. Chiltern to depict the womanliness of the female members of the society, and portrays her a model Victorian woman, and epitome of modernity in the face of women. While working as an editor with the Women’s World Magazine, Wilde took the opportunity to elaborate on the positive images of women, especially those who represented modernity such as Mrs. Chiltern. For instance, Wilde described Mrs. Chiltern as a morally upstanding, highly educated, as well as supportive. This description made the readers to have a positive view about Mrs. Chiltern’s character and aptitude.
Wilde elaborates the supportive role of Mrs. Chiltern by referring to the role she played in forming the political career for her husband. In this case, Wilde relates her successful role in supporting the husband’s political career to the positive traits, some of which include the high level of education, as well as the high moral standards that appealed to the public. Furthermore, Mrs. Chiltern is portrayed as an embodiment of the role of fostering unity through reconciliation and forgiveness. In Act IV, Mrs. Chiltern emerges with a new face and a new role as the champion of forgiveness, as well as a caretaker. While manifesting her new role and traits, she recommends pardon rather than punishment, and makes it an exclusive mission for the female members of the society.
Mrs. Chiltern’s role of forgiving, supporting and providing care to her husband as he builds his political career is a representation of modern Victorian womanhood. In addition to her new role of advocating for forgiveness, offering adequate support and caretaking, Mrs. Chiltern also comes out as the symbol of differences between the new generation and old generation of women. There are remarkable differences between herself and Lady Markby who represents the old generation of women, also referred to as the embodiment of old group of society wives. Some of the differences include their attitudes toward education, in which Lady Markby represents those with little or no education, while Mrs. Chiltern comes out as an advocate of modern education.
Ambition and Politics
Ambition has persisted to be an integral component of any political life or dream. It is usually the genesis of one’s ideology, and the desire to appeal to the public, with a message of ability to create a difference. The regime and practice of politics in the previous generations such as the 19th century remains similar to the modern times, with regards to the existence of ambition (Lisbeth 4). Just as the modern day politicians, the politicians in the olden days in England also painted themselves as public servants, who carried the public interests at heart with a primary aim of delivering positive change. Wilde paints a picture of the route to high ranking political positions, and asserts that in order for one to attain such political ambitions, they need to harden themselves, and perhaps develop ‘steel nerves, and very thick skins. This enables one to withstand criticisms and criticize alike. It also emboldens one to speak out their mind on sensitive political issues, and also be able to fight to win support for their political agenda, even if it had small proponents at the start.
This implies that one has to display extra-ordinary energy required to cope with the pressures that come from the public, opposition parties, as well as the mainstream media. While there are members of a politician’s inner circle who may also attempt to outmaneuver their ambitions, the media may also tend to dig deep into the private lives of such ambitious politicians to promote personal interests. In many cases, journalists use such opportunities to promote the sales of their stories, by digging into crucial matters such as individual weaknesses about the aspiring politicians (Lisbeth 6). It therefore implies that for a politician aiming at a high-ranking position, there is a natural need to display extra ambition to match the resulting challenges and pressures. The ambition becomes the drive that helps such a politician endure all the pain and suffering that accompany the journey to their desired success. Wilde presents Sir Robert Chiltern as one such politician with a burning ambition to succeed. For instance, at a relatively younger age of 40, Chiltern made to become an under-secretary, after which the Prime Minister also offered him a cabinet position.
Conclusion
An Ideal Husband is a true reflection of Wilde’s ideologies on various aspects of their societal life. Such aspects range from education, the historical role or plight of women in the society, politics as well as the art of living. Wilde believes that education is a significant tool for success in life, and uses it to create the differences between the higher commercial social class, and the less educated who lack serious purpose in life, and belong to the lower social status. The overall background and setting of the play revolves majorly around his family, consisting of his parents who had achieved greater success through education. Wilde also belongs to a higher social class, having been born and raised in a rich family. This is evident from the lifestyle that Wilde lived, her social circles and the professional pursuits of the parents. Furthermore, Wilde paints a picture that there are two different generations of women, each with a unique set of features. He therefore gives credit to the later other the former, since the former have education, high moral standards, advocates of forgives and support in the family. However, he belongs to a school of thought that one has to have strong ambition to achieve their goals. He uses an example of Chiltern with the political ambition, who stood all the challenges such as blackmail to rise to top political ranking (An Under-Secretary) at a relatively young age of 40.

Works Cited
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Beechey, Veronica. “Women and production: a critical analysis of some sociological theories of women’s work.” Feminism and materialism (2013): 155-197.
Dickinson, Peter. “Oscar Wilde: reading the life after the life.” Biography 28.3 (2005): 414-432.
Wilde, Oscar, et al. The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: The picture of Dorian Gray: the 1890 and 1891 texts. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press, 2005.