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The Characters Of Jack By Ernest Worthing

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The two main protagonists, upon closer diagnostics, appear to have very similar qualities with each other; the more prominent of the two being John Worthing, who often goes by the nickname Jack. As described in the story, Jack is a serious man who lives in a countryside manor in Hertfordshire, England that was passed down to him by his deceased adopted father. He lives at this manor with his niece and ward, Cecily Cardew, “who addresses [Jack] as her uncle from motives of respect” (Wilde 5). He is very affectionate towards Cecily and he wants her to live the happiest life that he can create for her. Under his eyes, sweet Cecily is like a daughter to him and all fathers want to see their daughters succeed. On the other hand, a lot of effort is put into raising her, and such a task may be seen as tedious. Although he lives lavishly, Jack feels that the country lifestyle is too prosaic for him and he seeks to find a way to escape from the responsibilities. He does so by telling Cecily and all of his friends that his estranged brother, Ernest, who suddenly wants to restore their broken relationship, is urging Jack to visit him more frequently in London. This seems like a heartfelt gesture, however, Ernest Worthing does not exist. He is an imaginary being that Jack conjures up to use as an excuse to leave his countryside duties at his whim to finally enjoy life the way he sees is fit. This is selfish of him to abandon his work in Hertfordshire in an attempt to “come up to

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