Why Is Oscar Wilde Considered A Crime

The 19th century is a period of time where Oscar Wilde struggles to express sexuality. Unlike most men, he is not the average man that feels an attraction towards women. Instead, he is attracted to men. He lives in a society where he is not able to freely express himself as an individual. He is rejected by the moral beliefs that men are only attracted to, and should be in a relationship with, a woman. However, Wilde disagrees with that. He has a contrary view on how society should revolve around conservative relationships. He believes that people should be allowed to be with anyone, regardless of gender. Although during the time, homosexuality is considered “a crime in England, punishable by imprisonment” (Milne and Sisler 153). Despite being …show more content…
He knows that getting himself involved with male homosexuality means that he was going to risk himself to society if he were to commit to this action. Wilde “consider[s] himself a criminal who challenge[s] society by creating scandal[s]” (“Encyclopedia of “). In order to live life to its fullest, one should never limit themselves to the expectations of society. Everyone has their own personal thoughts and opinion and no other person is alike. For others to say that everyone should stick to society’s way of thinking is absurd. Wilde believes that he shouldn’t have to restrict himself from what others think is the right thing to do. Because of this, he stops taking judgement and criticism about his homosexuality from others and continues to enjoy life the way he wants to. To him, “it is better to experience everything the world has to offer than to spend time worrying about ethics or morals" (Milne and Sisler 151). If people find out about his relationship with other men, he would be breaking Victorian morals. Eventually people begin to find out about his actions and that causes his reputation, as a popular writer, to