Analysis Of The Picture Of Dorian Gray: The Superficial Nature Of Society
I. Introduction
The topic which this diploma paper investigates is “The Superficial Nature of Society” in Oscar Wilde’s single novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. The main reason why this novel has been chosen is because the title of the novel attracted my attention. Moreover, the idea of a portrait that changes appearance raised my curiosity to read and analyze the novel. The goal of this diploma paper is to explore the disagreement between Victorian values and reality by reading and analyzing the above mentioned novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray does not display exactly the theme of society, yet it has an important role in the novel. Wilde’s novel mirrors ideally the Victorian society as very superficial, and its impact on the individual …show more content…
It is evident that it is impossible to analyze the main character apart from others, so other characters that are closely related to the protagonist and that have important roles in the story will be analyzed. Dorian, the title character, is the perfect example of man in the Victorian society. At the beginning of the novel, Dorian is a young, beautiful, innocent and wealthy man, who possesses all the qualities that the Victorian society longed for. His double, the picture which his friend Basil Hallward paints him, bares all his sins while Dorian himself remains young and beautiful. In Wilde’s time one’s appearance was valued above everything else even before morality. It was the society’s unrealistic expectation that that motivated individuals of that time to live double lives, so that to gratify the others and to gain respect from others. Lord Henry Wotton is an example of those who valued physical beauty the most. His philosophical lessons that he gives to Dorian about his beauty and youthfulness, after he sees the picture that Basil Hallward has painted, have an incredible affect on Dorian’s life. It appears that the innocent hero was not aware of his rare beauty before meeting Lord Henry and before listening to his
The topic which this diploma paper investigates is “The Superficial Nature of Society” in Oscar Wilde’s single novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. The main reason why this novel has been chosen is because the title of the novel attracted my attention. Moreover, the idea of a portrait that changes appearance raised my curiosity to read and analyze the novel. The goal of this diploma paper is to explore the disagreement between Victorian values and reality by reading and analyzing the above mentioned novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray does not display exactly the theme of society, yet it has an important role in the novel. Wilde’s novel mirrors ideally the Victorian society as very superficial, and its impact on the individual …show more content…
It is evident that it is impossible to analyze the main character apart from others, so other characters that are closely related to the protagonist and that have important roles in the story will be analyzed. Dorian, the title character, is the perfect example of man in the Victorian society. At the beginning of the novel, Dorian is a young, beautiful, innocent and wealthy man, who possesses all the qualities that the Victorian society longed for. His double, the picture which his friend Basil Hallward paints him, bares all his sins while Dorian himself remains young and beautiful. In Wilde’s time one’s appearance was valued above everything else even before morality. It was the society’s unrealistic expectation that that motivated individuals of that time to live double lives, so that to gratify the others and to gain respect from others. Lord Henry Wotton is an example of those who valued physical beauty the most. His philosophical lessons that he gives to Dorian about his beauty and youthfulness, after he sees the picture that Basil Hallward has painted, have an incredible affect on Dorian’s life. It appears that the innocent hero was not aware of his rare beauty before meeting Lord Henry and before listening to his