The Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis

Antigone and A Raisin in the Sun are two pieces of literature that are similar in one way, yet very different in another way. Both are very interesting pieces that were written to captivate even the most critical of audiences. This paper will show similarities as well as differences between the two pieces and their authors.

A focal point in today’s society is the judgement of attractiveness. As pawns in the media industry, people flock to whatever is set on the highest stool and that’s how societal standards are positioned. This is what immediately opens the door to discrimination solely based on the looks of a person. As a society, people make the evident mistake of accepting someone based on what one sees rather than who one gets to know. Readers are reminded of this immense and recurrent mistake in Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, where the play teaches the true message behind what this kind of delusion plays in people’s everyday relationships with the fictional character, Christian.

One way the novel’s portrayal of history in relation to modern day can be viewed by analyzing the similarities

When we want to look for New Historicism in a novel or in a movie it is important to first have a look at the author’s biography as well as the social background and it is lastly important to look at the ideas that was circulating the cultural era of that time as well.

In any great work of literature, each action and thought should contribute to the underlying meaning of the entire work. No action should exist for its own sake; it must instead advance the plot and reinforce the symbolism of both the characters’ actions as well as the truth of what the composer or author is trying to convey. This is especially true of acts of violence; great literature must carefully articulate the violence into a logical meaning. Most importantly, violence and acts of extreme passion work best when communicating a character’s inner-struggles as they relate to the motive and effect of each scene and action.

When reading literature we often attempt to use particular threads of thought or lenses of critique to gain entry into the implied historic or legendary nature of literature. To accurately process a tale in the light in which it is presented, we have to consider the text from multiple viewpoints. We must take into consideration intentional and affective fallacies and the socioeconomic circumstances of the presenter/author/narrator. We also have to consider how our personal experience creates bias by placing the elements of the story into the web of relationships that we use to interpret the external world. There also is the need to factor in other external pressures, from societal norms, cultural ideals, and psychological themes, and how

As journalist Kate Fox stated, “Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the ideal physical attributes” (Mirror Mirror). Although the standards of beauty have fluctuated over various eras, Mary Shelley confronted many concepts of beauty in her novel, Frankenstein. According to Face Research, one reoccurring standard of beauty is symmetry, as “...Evolutionary Advantage view suggests that attraction to symmetric individuals reflects attraction to healthy individuals...” This suggests that facial symmetry and human perception of beauty

On the other hand, it could be articulated that the female characters in both the novels have proved their mental instabilities, individualisms and rebelliousness have disturbed the lives of others. Moreover, it could be analyzed in the novels that both the author in their social context has explained the dark secrets of the life of individuals.

The Other is configured in the two writers’ works as victims of power play, their unjust mistreatment subsequently exposing underlying social inequalities. Through adopting the Gothic medium characteristic of Romanticism, the texts induce within the reader emotions of terror and pity towards the marginalised, leaving a profound effect which impactfully conveys the intended social criticism.

Throughout history there has been a general understanding that appearances can be deceiving. A person may go through life without anyone understanding the true reality of their character. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers of all time, understood the relationship between appearance and reality and often gave characters two sides to their personality.

The peculiarity of the first two paragraphs is a wide usage of such stylistic devices, which author employed in order to create the tense atmosphere of a tragedy. The text under analysis is very emotive and causes the reader a sense of terror.

Nothing provides for a more complex and interesting story than having one or more complex and interesting character(s) at the center. Having a character that is not static, or goes through some sort of change or multiple changes throughout a novel can not only make it harder to put down, but can help the reader to understand better the message or theme that the author is attempting to reveal. Often times, said complicated character is faced with two or more opposing forces, is continually plagued by them and eventually gives in to one or the other. In Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character Dorian faces two conflicting forces in the symbolic form of two of his dearest friends, which ties

Beauty and youth is a very fickle topic to most. It is highly desired and some go through somewhat unconventional means to achieve their version of beauty. But how far would one be willing to go? Even if one were to preserve their beauty for an extended period, how far would one be willing to go to prevent others from finding out their true selves? This is what Dorian Gray faces in “The Portrait of Dorian Gray.” Before seeing his portrait, Dorian was a young, pure, and beautiful boy who was very modest and would brush off the many compliments he received. But after taking in his beauty and realizing the fragility of it, he goes in a crazy rage, and wishes that the painting would be the one to grow old and ugly instead of him. His wish is granted and he is horrified as he watches himself decay through the painting. This causes a drastic change in his character and morals as he develops from an innocent boy into a sinful and wretched man.

Media demonstrates certain beauty standards that women are expected to meet, similar to Dorian Gray’s obsession with youth and beauty to conform to society’s ideals. Dorian Gray idealizes Lord Henry, therefore he is influenced by Lord Henry’s view on his passion for youth. Henry exemplifies that, “ for youth [he] would do anything

This socio-historical commentary is valid however; it disregards the fact that the novels are not accurate portrayals of society. Important facts: first the philanthropic attitude in the novels is simply not a reflection of the literal changes in society, the novels cannot be classified an expression of