Dorian Gray Hypocrisy

Beauty as opposed to hideousness, and goodness versus sin are conflicting forces that span the centuries. Victorian literature is no stranger to these concepts, particularly not The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. This fictional novel displays the deepest recesses of man’s heart, and the influence of art, vanity, and personal views of others. In Oscar Wilde’s philosophical fiction novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the author explores the corruption of Plato’s Aesthetic by society, and whether or not there is such thing as goodness.

In Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the author alludes to Plato’s Aesthetics in order to demonstrate a corruption of society’s morals. Oscar Wilde uses the life of Dorian Gray and his interactions

“...the highest respectability is of much less value than the possession of a good chef,” demonstrates to the reader what manner of society these characters are living in (Wilde 136). There is a lack of dedication and sincere concern for morality, despite the hype and criticism for it during conversation. More concern is allotted to appearances of character, but not that actual depth and quality of one’s character. This hypocrisy is especially clear to Wilde, due to the economic and social standpoint of his family, and his personal life. A keen observer of how the lavish lifestyle of wealthy Victorians impacted the world around them, subsequently Wilde’s “...stories explore the price paid in human suffering for beauty, art, power, and wealth…” (Kelly). These recurring themes allow the reader to better understand the implications of this controversial novel. Suffering is not commonly tied to goodness. Therefore, when suffering is the price of beauty it can be assumed that this beauty is not necessarily good. However, the society in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, often confuses goodness with physical beauty. “But you, Dorian, with your pure, bright, innocent face, and your marvellous untroubled youth- I can’t believe anything

Growing up in a wealthy family, thus being familiar with the patterns of upper class society and their rigid rules of acceptability, Wilde presents the common practice of conformity as disdainful. Wilde, who was not a devoutly religious man, holds a specific reverence for Jesus Christ, not because of religious reasons, but because he saw Christ as “... the supreme individualist…” (Astell). Wilde did not favor trends or the heavy influence of another individual. The independent writer often scorned mimicry, finding the lack of originality vile. This theme plays heavily into The Picture of Dorian Gray, where most of the novels problems evolved from the conformity of Dorian Gray to another individual’s ideals. In a paradoxical statement by Lord Henry, the older man convinces Dorian that, “There is no such thing as a good influence,... All influence is immoral-...” (Wilde 18). While the intention within the plot of the novel is actually for the corruption of Gray, it reveals to the reader the personal views of Oscar Wilde, who held great disdain for conformity. Yet, in the novel, Dorian Gray takes Lord Henry’s words, and embodies them in his own life. By conforming to philosophies of Lord Henry and the untitled book that is yet another obsession of Gray’s, Dorian begins to lose his soul. The specificity of Dorian’s corruption