Society's Prejudice: Beauty Over Character in The Picture of Dorian Gray - Essay Sample

Introduction

It is not surprising that society prizes beauty, as well as judging individuals from what is on the surface. Instead of judging a person by what their character or the ideals that they held, Lord Henry, Dorian, and the company that they kept judged people based on the fact whether they were handsome or not. Being good-looking, according to them, was a qualifying agent for the innocence, trustworthiness, and a confirming factor for the issue of the individual's coachability. This being so, Dorian transforms into a type, to fit the category that is accepted by the people that he stays around, as well as the society that he lives within. While he can live a care-free life, developing into a psychopath and narcissist who hides behind the youth and beauty that he possessed (Wilde, 1). His morals suffer since he indulges in a morally loose lifestyle, with his good looks being his alibi, and helping him to go through life.

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The bad behaviors and attitudes held by Dorian do not get him ostracized. Still, instead, he is transformed into a socialite who is invited to all the social events in the London social scene. Even when his way of life is known to the public, they still include him into their plans, on account of his beauty, and innocence as seen from his face (Carroll, 1). The society that Oscar Wilde was describing was the same as the one that we are currently in, where people are judged from their looks instead of the character, showing everything that is wrong with the society.

In the Victorian society that Dorian lives in, the ideals of body image were brought into close attention of the reader. They focused on the body more than the principles that an individual went by, therefore making much of the evil that went on in the society to go unnoticed, or at least being ignored when it was in the full glare of the community because society opted to concentrate on the beauty of the individuals, using the beauty to prove the innocence of the individual. The society viewed the body to be a representation of one. Therefore it is possible that the people who did not look as good as Dorian was shunned and took all the blame for the wrongs that the guilty parties like Dorian and Lord Henry took part in or orchestrated (Carroll, 1) The physical bodies that people possessed were a determinant of the way the society would treat them, the social class that they would belong to, as well as the ease by which they would be able to make it out of situations that would otherwise be stick to other people who may not be as good looking as them.

Dorian's wish of having the portrait painted by Basil to bear the consequences of his actions is a representation of the superficial nature of the society in which Dorian lived in, as well as a reflection of the reality of the society of today. While the society views the beauty of an individual to be a determinant of the treatment that would receive, it is therefore understood why Dorian was treated with such high regard, despite his real self being revealed to the society at some point. The superficial nature of the society in which Dorian lived in can be seen in Dorian seeking to get his portrait painted so that he could always look at himself, as well as being able to be admired by others for his beauty, and not on the merit of his good deeds or behavior. Dorian's wish to have his soul trapped inside the painting, while his body remained young and free of the disease shows the value attached to the beauty of an individual, compared to their character (Wilde, 1). It is also noteworthy the ease at which Dorian was able to substitute his character and his soul, which represented his entirety, for the sake of the ability to remain favorable to the eyes of the ignorant society that he lived inside.

There is a conflict between the aesthetic value of individuals and the original ideas held within the society throughout the Picture of Dorian Gray, going on to show the level of superficial thinking of the society. In the preface of his work, Oscar Wilde sums up the whole matter by saying `all art is quite useless' (Wilde, 1). This one sentence held in a preface, not even the body of a written work, has been viewed as an encapsulation of the value that the aesthetics had been given in the VictoriNovelciety that Dorian lived in. While art is responsible for the beauty to be enjoyed for the eyes, and have no further influence on the individual viewing it. It is sad that the society in the Novel coNoNoveld art to be a pointer of the direction in which the community was headed (Carroll, 1). Art should not be a representative of the moral identity or the ideals held by a society. Still, from the Novel, it is possible to see the relevance that society laid on the aesthetics, so much so that Dorian had to get a portrait of himself done by Basil, as if to show the amount of emphasis put on the arts, leaving the essential factors to chance and to the discretion of the people who were in the moral crossroads, instead of using the time that they spent giving attention to the aesthetics to the construction of moral order that would have come in handy in determining social order in times when people faced ethical dilemmas.

GiveNovel attitude of the society towards the idea and practice of homosexuality, yet it was a generally shunned practice, is a representation of the superficial nature of the society depicted in the Novel. There was the sexual tension between Dorian and Lord Henry, and Lord Henry's insistence that Dorian should not hold back from undertaking particular social misdeed can be read as a way to show Lord Henry's approval of the affection of the romantic kind that Dorian held towards him (Wilde, 1). Additionally, Dorian's insistence on being handsome and never aging can be seen as a way to seek the attention of the homosexual partners that he needed. Despite the lack of a clear definition of the sexual acts happening, there was underlying gay tendencies and attitudes held by the interactions held by Dorian, Henry, Basil, and Alan Campbell. This can also be seen by the views held by Basil towards Dorian, so much so that he offers to paint the beauty of Dorian, a move that can be seen as an attempt to satisfy his sexual fantasies as well as to be able to spend time with the man whom he loved. Another incidence that can be seen to show the gay relations in the characters mentioned above, Dorian threatened to use some information, probably the relationships that they had against Alan Campbell, thus making him destroy the dead body of Basil, whom DNovel had killed.

The fact that people had to hide their true selves and actions from the glare of society while doing them in secret can be used to depict the true nature of the community in the Novel. Despite being gay, Dorian has to hide this fact from the public by also engaging in sexual relations with females, and even seeming to court them, in an attempt to hide his true sexuality (Wilde, 1). Additionally, Lord Henry is a married man. Yet, he too partakes in sexually perverse ways (as per the social setting in the Novel). Nevertheless, he was supposed to be the custodian of the moral uprightness of the society in which he was in since he was part of the upper and ruling class of the community.

The fact that people in society would instead do heinous acts to hide the truth from being known by others acts as a true reflection of the community in which Dorian lived in. When Dorian shows Basil the hideous painting which represented his misdeeds and wrongdoings, Basil insists that Dorian should repent of his sins. Still, instead of heeding to the advice offered, Dorian gets into a fit of rage, killing Basil in the process. The society in which Dorian lived preferred sweeping issues under the carpet rather than facing public ridicule and disapproval. Therefore, to hide the truth even further, Dorian twists Alan Campbell's arm into agreeing to destroy the dead body of Basil, with the evidence of the evils he had committed going with it too.

Finally, the superficial nature of the society in which Dorian lives in is seen in the way the rumors of Dorian's evil deeds are treated. Instead of launching any investigations into the matter, the people opt to decide on his innocence by looking at him physically. Whenever anyone in doubt experienced Dorian in person, they would end up putting the thoughts that they had of the guilt of Dorian based on the physical appearance. Due to the superficial nature of the society, and the lack of evidence for the misdeeds that Dorian had committed, it can be seen that the community was not pursuing the prosecution of the evil deeds but rather a justification for the transgressions committed by him. A classic example would be the admission by Lady Narborough that despite the rumors going on, society had made Dorian to look good because he looked so good (Wilde, 1). Therefore, morality and ethics of the society were replaced and determined by how good looking the individuals in question were, in this case going in favor of Dorian because he was a conventionally handsome man.

Oscar Wilde's Poem on the Theme Discussed: Ballard of the Reading Gaol- I

In this poem, Wilde (1) expresses the acceptance of the reality of the deeds that one commits, by giving the example of Charles Thomas Wooldridge, a man who killed his wife in a wild fit of rage. While the society in the Picture of Dorian Gray was more bent on avoiding the consequences of the actions that one commits, the case is different in the case of Ballard of the Reading Gaol- I. When he kills his wife in a jealous rage, Woodridge begs the police to arrest him since he feels guilty of his actions and wants to be punished for his actions which ended up killing the person that he loved, his wife. Instead of putting up acts to hide the fact, or trying to hide the evidence of the actions that he had committed, Woodridge admits to his wrongdoings and is willing to pay for his mistakes. In prison, his attitude of accepting the reality that awaited him, the hangman's noose, was a matter that disturbed the fellow prisoners who were with him since it was a new approach to the topic.

While Wooldridge accepted his mistakes and was willing to be punished for it, the society in The Portrait of Dorian Gray was notably different, since they opted to hide the truth even further. For example, when Dorian was unable to keep up with Basil's insistence that he should confess for his sins, he falls into a wild rage, killing him in the process (Wilde, 1). Instead of owning up for the mistake, he further commits more crimes by manipulating Alan Campbell into entering the evil act, forcing him into destroying the dead body. Furthermore, when he realizes and admits that there is nothing that can be done to save his soul, Dorian opts to end his life by stabbing the portrait that contained his soul, instead of giving himself up to the lawmakers, as in the case of Wooldridge. Wooldridge serves as a classic example of the effects of owning up to the mistakes one does has on the person's soul and emotions. The acceptance of the fate that was to befall him was a show of the need for people to own up to their misdeeds. Finally, the poem shows that the justice system in different societies and settings are different and that it works better in some more than in others. For example, in the society that Dorian lived in, it was unusual for the upper class to be prosecuted for their misdeeds. In contrast, the community in Wooldridge's setting showed a justice system that made people pay for their evil actions, giving them even harsher penalties than those that they had initially commuted, a case in the example being the decision to hang Wooldridge, a slow and painful ordeal. Yet, he had quickly killed his wif...