In The Importance of Being Earnest, socialism and the manner in which ungenerous and unimaginative judgment and stricture destroy and demean the individual in his/her spiritual self-realization...

The way to approach this paper is to disagree with the premise that Wilde was anti-socialist and supported unbridled individualism. Wilde's essay, "The Soul of Man Under Socialism" strongly advocates socialism, and many of Wilde's plays show how greed, social stratification, and unfair laws concerning marriage and women's rights undermine the human spirit. 

Although "The Importance of Being Earnest" has less in the way of overt social critique than some of Wilde's other works, it does show how the capitalist social structure of late Victorian Britain trapped people in social and gender roles for which they were really not suited.

Lady Bracknell, with her strong, decisive character, and liking for managing people, in a less constrained society, could have been a politician or captain of industry, instead of being confined to the trivial task of trying to manage her family and social circle. Similarly, the two young couples seem destined for a life similar to that of Lady Bracknell, of unproductive leisure, determined by a class system in which productive work was considered crass and socially unacceptable for the upper classes. Finally, Lane the butler, who seems far more knowledgeable and intelligent than his employer, would, according to Wilde, under socialism be able to use his talents more productively than in domestic service.