Oscar Wilde

Monsters have been involved in society since the beginning of time. A monster is the physical embodiment of everything that humans are afraid of. Monsters are featured in both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. There is a discrepancy, however, in what makes a man a monster. In both Shelley and Wilde’s novels, it is the creators, not the creations, who are the real monsters. Frankenstein is the culprit of his creation’s evil deeds because he abandoned him at…

The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde contains many characters with flaws. Dorian Gray, who is the main character, shows his character flaws throughout the book. At the beginning of the book, Dorian was innocent and kind young man. However, the reader soon figures out that he is a person that actually like bad things and gives up easily. Because of these two character flaws, Dorian sadly dies at the end of the book. First of all, throughout the book, Dorian seems to look like a kind…

Painting the Canvas of the Psyche “I can resist everything but temptation” (Oscar Wilde). Temptation and influences exist all around an individual and it is up to them to choose what can or cannot be of effect. The strength to resist this temptation and influence stems from one’s mental state; the human psyche is similar to a blank canvas. Like the canvas, external and internal forces are what cause changes in a person. As these forces influence an individual their mind is distorted and their…

his roadmap to corruption. It is also arguable that the painting of himself is the strongest influence over him, Art and books are a part of society, they express and enlighten when our own minds can’t. “ “All art is quite useless” (Wilde 4). In this one sentence, Wilde encapsulates the complete principles of the Aesthetic Movement popular in Victorian England. That is to say, real art takes no part in molding the social or moral identities of society, nor should it. Art should be beautiful and…

needs buried so deep within the human soul, begging to be explored. Thus being said, the novel that is the epitome of expressing desire is in fact Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Not only is it masterfully written but its content holds the sins that those in the Victorian era were too afraid to commit themselves. Through the pages of Wildes’ masterpiece reader can witness the shocking consequences without having dirtying their…

By trading his soul for his youth, Dorian rids of the good inside of himself. As the story progresses, it is clear that wickedness actually lies within him. From the moment he made that wish upon the portrait he began to crumble. Even once he reached his epiphany and saw his malicious ways through the portrait, he simply denied seeing it and continued his destructive deeds. Throughout the novel, you can tell that Dorian is very naïve and is very easily influenced. Even though it is seen that the…

The Picture of Dorian Gray, a book by Oscar Wilde, is the story of a man who lost his friendships, trust, and ultimately himself, because of his own insanity. His life was wasted away by his fear of others finding out his true identity, and by his constant state of guilt. Throughout the story, Dorian exhibits many symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. He struggles to maintain the peaceful relationships he has, and these relationships only get worse as his disorder and the story progresses…

A split identity creates an internal struggle for an individual. One has to battle within themselves to determine which identity is their true self. In literature, the use of a doppelganger or a double allows the reader to see the internal struggle of the character expressed externally – essentially uncovering a hidden nature. In the deathbed confession style tale of “William Wilson” by Edgar Allen Poe, a young man by the name of William Wilson travels the world attempting to escape his double.…

“Women have a much better time than men in this world; there are far more things forbidden to them.” By saying this, Oscar Wilde brought attention to an age long battle of the sexes. Bringing light to the vast amount of inequality in the world, he was teaching people that women have worked for their spot as equals, regardless of obstacles, even though men have it easier. The validity of gender roles in today’s society is nonexistent. The original stereotype for women is to be a stay at…

Oscar Wilde once said, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person, give him a mask and he will speak the truth”. Masks reveal one’s self through a different form with the use of different features. Masks have been used widely used through various cultures to hide one’s identity, disguise, or used in (religious) rituals. They can symbolize certain dominant traits, features, ancestry, or imagination. The Majlion (ماجليون), a elegantly made mask, is of fundamental importance to its…