Essay about Oscar Wilde's Social Status

The Picture of Dorian Gray was initially published in the literary magazine Lippincott’s Monthly in June 1890. Upon its release, the novel faced much criticism for its portrayal of Victorian morality and its homoerotic undertones. This resulted in the novel making little money and Wilde released a longer version the following year, in 1891. The longer adaptation contained more subtle allusions to the homosexual relationships between characters, however, opponents of the novel still used it as a source for their accusations against Wilde for being guilty of homosexual offenses. In 1895, Wilde was found guilty of these accusations and was sentenced to two years in prison, and he claims that The Picture of Dorian Gray is the primary reason behind the decline of his literary career. In this novel, Wilde designs his characters in a manner that parallels his internal conflict with sexuality and marriage. Although Wilde claims to be a social rebel who supports gender equality, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, his portrayal of the character, Lord Henry, poses a cynical and critical attitude towards marriage and the appearance of women that agrees with the beliefs of John Stuart Mill in The Subjection of Women (1869) and the ideals of the Victorian era (1837-1901), which are depicted in the British dramatization, Victoria.

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton is the primary character that holds cynical views of marriage which are similar to that of John Stuart Mill. Lord Henry Wotton first states his opinion on marriage in Chapter IV, where he is telling Dorian to never get married, despite being married himself. Lord Wotton states that “men marry because they are tired; women because they are curious.” In comparison, Mill states that marriage is “the destination appointed by the society for women, the prospect they are brought up to, and the object which it is intended should be sought by all of them.” The mill is stating that society has done nothing but instruct and raise girls to be the ideal housewife. Women were expected to desire the concept of marriage because it allowed them to become mothers, rather than pursue marriage to satisfy their sexual or emotional needs. Mill attests that women were considered “bond-servant to their husbands” because she is to blindly followed their husband in all aspects, and did not worry themselves about things outside of domestic duties and caring for their children. Lord Wotton’s philosophies further support Mill’s argument, by stating that marriage makes an individual unselfish, as men tend to their household’s financial needs and women oversee the emotional needs of the children and their husband.

Lord Wotton’s opinions on marriage correspond with the ideals of the Victorian era. Victorian society was split among the two sexes because of the growing popularity of the patriarchal ideology of separate sexes. This ideology used the natural characteristics of men and women to determine their social standing. Meaning that since women were “physically weaker yet morally superior to men,” they were more useful in the domestic atmosphere. The term separate spheres meant that Victorian men and women lead different lives and only came together during meals. This can be seen in the marriage of Lord and Lady Wotton. Both parties have separate social circles; Lord Wotton attends clubs regularly, while Lady Wotton attends church. The couple often meets up in public to enjoy a meal together to keep up the appearance of a happy marriage, but the couple rarely sees each other at home. This scene validates Mill’s claim that a happy marriage depends on intellectual equality between the two sexes. Although Lord and Lady Wotton come from similar social classes, men and women received different levels of education in the Victorian era: men were taught politics and finances, while women were taught household duties such as cooking and sewing. Wilde also criticizes marriage in Chapter XV, when Lady Narborough boldly states that “married men live like bachelors.” This statement corresponds to the increasing prevalence of prostitution in Victorian Britain. Husbands were known to have various affairs with other women besides their wives, typically they could find a ‘lady of the night’ in the “red-light districts of all major cities.” Women, however, were expected to remain faithful to their husbands. Lady Narborough’s description of men parallels King Leopold’s actions in Victoria. King Leopold is known for having various affairs with actresses on who he spends his hefty allowance. Many men of high social standing committed such atrocities against their wives in an indiscreet manner. Queen Victoria was also concerned with this indecent type of behavior occurring in her soon-to-be husband Prince Albert, which resulted in Parliament and Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, constricting his spending allowance to £30,000 in 1857.

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Throughout the novel, Wilde depicts women as ditzy and self-absorbed with their appearance. This can be seen in the scene where Dorian meets Lady Wotton. Dorian comments that Lady Wotton’s dress “always looked as if [it] had been designed in a rage and put on in a tempest.” Further along, he describes that “she tried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy.” A Victorian man was typically attracted to pure and innocent-looking women. Women often adorned themselves in “white muslin, typical of virginal purity, clothes many a heroine, with delicate shades of blue and pink next in popularity.” Women sought the approval of men because it determined if they would be quick to marry. This approval is yet another way that Victorian society placed women in a position that was inferior to men. Lord Wotton claims that women are “a decorative sex,” and that women who do not wear white are liable to have past lovers. Lord Wotton states women who wear mauve should never be trusted because it means she has a history and an ordinary woman adorns herself with sentimental colors, like white, to show her purity.

In contrast to Lord Wotton, Dorian Gray is fascinated with the perception of beauty and artistic intellect. When he sees Sybil Vane for the first time, he is enamored with her ability to portray the beautiful, tragic heroines of Shakespeare’s plays as well as her young, striking features. However, when Sybil Vane does a bad impersonation of Juliet, due to her infatuation with Dorian Gray, he immediately loses his feelings for her and says that she is “a third-rate actress with a pretty face.” Mill states that a clever woman of higher social rank takes great pride in dressing well, and will pass this charming quality onto her daughters. In contrast, Wilde states that a clever woman lacks the charm of weakness, which makes her ugly in the eyes of Victorian society. Victorian Women of the upper class went to great lengths to keep their appearance extremely neat and elegant. In the episode, “Foreign Bodies,” Queen Victoria’s head dresser, Nancy Skerrett, resigns in order to pursue marriage with the chef, Charles Francatelli, thus leaving the Queen without someone who can properly do her hair. Queen Victoria becomes increasingly frustrated that no one can style her hair to her satisfaction, and she becomes worried Prince Albert and everyone in her court will notice and/or comment on her appearance. This scene validates the Duchess Gladys of Monmouth’s statement that “men love with their eyes,” while women “love with their ears.”

When analyzing The Picture of Dorian Gray, many readers assume that this devilish tale is Oscar Wilde’s way of publicly rebelling against Victorian morality. However, Wilde’s portrayal of women throughout the novel shows that he agreed with the ideals of the Victorian era, shown in Victoria, and John Stuart Mill’s argument in The Subjection of Women. Although Mill’s essay is a radical notion calling for the social equality of English upper-class women, he poses his argument in a way that states the opinions of his opposers, who were wealthy Victorian men, which can be compared to Wilde’s novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray is set in the middle of the Victorian period, and the opinions of characters such as Lord Wotton and Lady Narborough reflect those opinions. Men wanted to keep women in a position that was inferior to them, while women wanted to rise out of their subservient position. Wilde uses strong male characters and some clever female characters to portray his internal struggle with rejecting the values that became popular during Queen Victoria’s reign. Through his character's dialogue, Wilde criticizes the concept of marriage and women’s obsession with their appearance.