The Secret Life Of Saeed The Pessoptimist And Oscar Wilde

In Emile Habiby’s The Secret Life of Saeed: the Pessoptimist and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest the idea that names actually mean what they say saves these two works from becoming tragedies because it gives The Importance of Being Earnest a comedic plot, the names in The Secret Life of Saeed: the Pessoptimist represent present choices for Saeed, and the characters in both works inhabit worlds that do not reject the notion that names have meaning. The meaning of names is incredibly important in both stories. Without them both Ernest and Saeed would have to deal with situations that are much more tragic. The characters in The Importance of Being Earnest, particularly Gwendolyn and Cecily, believe in the notion that one’s name indicates one’s characteristics. While he is under the guise of Ernest, Jack confesses his feelings to Gwendolyn and she comments that her â€Å"ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest† because â€Å"there is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence† (Wilde, 299). Gwendolyn believes that the name Ernest grants one certain trustworthy qualities even though that it not necessarily true. Even Cecily echoes these lines to Algernon, saying that â€Å"it had always been a girlish dream of [hers] to love some one whose name was Ernest† (Wilde, 299). When Jack asks how Gwendolyn would feel if his name was actually Jack, she expresses displeasure towards the name because â€Å"there is very little music in the name Jack† (Wilde,