Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ both divulge into the theme of faith and doubt. The presentation of faith differs respectively between the authors in alignment with their contrasting perceptions of nihilism versus Christian divinity, as does the use of doubt as a manipulative device in opposition to the intrinsic doubt of nature itself.
Doubt and faith are primarily introduced in two different lights. Stoker adopts the convention of the supernatural to embody human doubt whereas Wilde sets up a Mephistophelian character of corruption in defiance of nature. The Picture of Dorian Gray explores the 20th century emergence of materialism: the theory that nothing exists except matter, its movements and its modifications. …show more content…
Wilde plays on a belief in nihilism, arguing from Nietzsche’s position that “God is dead and we have killed him”. Dorian’s escapades with immorality reflect a society wherein man is left to act against evil by acting as God in the name of God, and this is constantly reinstated with the pursuit of hedonism. According to Lord Henry, those who live with self restraint, “their own souls starve, and are naked. Courage has gone out of our race. Perhaps we never really had it. The terror of society, which is the basis of morals, the terror of God, which is the secret of religion--these are the two things that govern us.” Therefore, in completely abandoning faith and morality, Dorian constructs a world without (perceivable) consequences. This recurring sense of nihilism seems to emanate from a crisis of modernity and a feeling of a lack of identity. Although both authors were writing during the same period, their perception of the evolving social politics of the time was completely incongruent. Wilde presents an outlook which dictates that challenges to the validity of long-standing theological and moral precepts had undoubtedly shaken the faith of people in God and religion. In opposition, Stoker’s characters cling desperately to religion for salvation, hope and guidance. Despite this, legal authority is also questioned in ‘Dracula’ at certain points. Dracula places legal authority in doubt by dismantling the sanctity of monogamous relationships and offering a distortion of acceptable sexual relations. The law is seen as the binding upholding of truth as well as a reflection of the country’s faith, and by challenging this truth he threatens everything that is formally known about legality, particularly in concern of marriage. Nevertheless, this does not detract from Stoker’s intention to defend Christian faith, making several allegories to redemption and the ascension
Doubt and faith are primarily introduced in two different lights. Stoker adopts the convention of the supernatural to embody human doubt whereas Wilde sets up a Mephistophelian character of corruption in defiance of nature. The Picture of Dorian Gray explores the 20th century emergence of materialism: the theory that nothing exists except matter, its movements and its modifications. …show more content…
Wilde plays on a belief in nihilism, arguing from Nietzsche’s position that “God is dead and we have killed him”. Dorian’s escapades with immorality reflect a society wherein man is left to act against evil by acting as God in the name of God, and this is constantly reinstated with the pursuit of hedonism. According to Lord Henry, those who live with self restraint, “their own souls starve, and are naked. Courage has gone out of our race. Perhaps we never really had it. The terror of society, which is the basis of morals, the terror of God, which is the secret of religion--these are the two things that govern us.” Therefore, in completely abandoning faith and morality, Dorian constructs a world without (perceivable) consequences. This recurring sense of nihilism seems to emanate from a crisis of modernity and a feeling of a lack of identity. Although both authors were writing during the same period, their perception of the evolving social politics of the time was completely incongruent. Wilde presents an outlook which dictates that challenges to the validity of long-standing theological and moral precepts had undoubtedly shaken the faith of people in God and religion. In opposition, Stoker’s characters cling desperately to religion for salvation, hope and guidance. Despite this, legal authority is also questioned in ‘Dracula’ at certain points. Dracula places legal authority in doubt by dismantling the sanctity of monogamous relationships and offering a distortion of acceptable sexual relations. The law is seen as the binding upholding of truth as well as a reflection of the country’s faith, and by challenging this truth he threatens everything that is formally known about legality, particularly in concern of marriage. Nevertheless, this does not detract from Stoker’s intention to defend Christian faith, making several allegories to redemption and the ascension