How does Wilde critique social codes through Miss Prism's circumstances?

• A. By showing how social rules govern relationships and test moral choices, exposing their rigidity and hypocrisy.
• B. By showing that Miss Prism's propriety is flawless and unquestioned.
• C. By showing Miss Prism's sense of humor undercuts tradition.
• D. By depicting Miss Prism as a minor character with little impact.

Answer: (A)

Wilde uses Miss Prism’s circumstances to show how social codes regulate private life and judge morality, often treating appearances as more important than truth. Miss Prism embodies outward propriety, but her hidden past—concealing a child and the messiness that goes with it—exposes how rigid rules about birth, virtue, and propriety govern what characters can say or do. The society rewards surface correctness and reputation, even as private actions reveal their hypocrisy; the same circle that insists on moral policing also relies on concealment to preserve status and inheritance. This setup lets Wilde mock the idea that strict codes truly reflect virtue, highlighting how arbitrary and hypocritical those rules can be. Miss Prism isn’t presented as flawless or merely a humorous figure whose tradition is undercut; instead, her circumstances are a vehicle for the satire of social codes themselves.