Chapter 3
Thesis: Chapter 3 of Oscar Wilde’s novella explores the themes of allure, materialism, hedonism, gothic horror, influence and manipulation and the perception of self-importance to serve as a cautionary tale depicting the destructive consequences of succumbing to societal pressures.
"Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world’s original sin. If the caveman had known how to laugh, history would have been different.":
This quote challenges societal norms and the perception of self-importance by suggesting that humanity places excessive weight on its own significance. It touches upon the fact that people tend to be self centered and lack a wider world perspective. This is contrasted with Dorian’s pursuit of pleasure and hedonism along with his rejection of societal expectations.
Both Dorian and Lord Henry, although in different ways, reject the seriousness and constraints societal norms and instead embrace a hedonistic and pleasure-seeking lifestyle. Henry has a more care-free, ironic and satire view on hedonism and really lacks seriousness when it comes to the topic through mocking and jokingly ridiculing society. On the other hand, Dorian takes the idea of aestheticism and ultimately hedonism more seriously and this ultimately leads to his downfall.
This quote highlights the consequences of disregarding moral responsibility and the negative outcomes when individuals prioritize their own individual desire above society.
Perhaps alternatively, by labeling this as the world’s “original sin” conveys the idea that even if the earliest version of humans had a sense of humor history would be completely different. This demonstrates the view that a lighthearted and humorous approach to life may have resulted in a more positive and harmonious society today. This lighthearted, life not ever being that deep mindset re-emphasizes this theme of hedonism and not taking life seriously.
Furthermore, at this time period Christianity was extremely prevalent making this claim extremely provocative and a serious claim, in order to emphasize the impact and importance.
“Dorian Gray never took his gaze off him, but sat like one under a spell, smiles chasing each other over his lips and wonder growing grave in his darkening eyes”
“sat like one under a spell” → this sense of supernatural component that this beauty is so incredibly captivating that completely absorbs him.
Touches on the fact of illusion vs reality as this beauty is just a “spell” it is an illusion
The theme of hedonism is present throughout the quote as this want to only focus on the shallow illusion of beauty of someone feeds into this overarching theme of succumbing to the urge to only pursue beauty and sensual pleasures.
"wonder growing grave in his darkening eyes" → eyes are the window to the soul so by doing this they really get to know the person.
“wonder” → creates this sense of curiosity, fascination or awe, showing that he is becoming more and more intrigued and captivated with Lord Henry.
“grave” → this juxtaposition with “wonder” implies a deepening tone of seriousness within Dorian Gray’s emotional experience. It perhaps suggests that his fascination is becoming more profound and potentially it hints at the gravity of the implications of his actions. Perhaps as well this play on words with the illusion to death and Dorian’s ultimate downfall.
The phrase “darkening eyes” further reinforces this growing darkness within Dorian’s moral compass and suggests a transformation into a more mysterious and perhaps even more sinister state of mind.
This quote overall captures the duality of Dorian’s emotional journey and as his initial wonder and fascination begin to transform to darker undertones in order to foreshadow both the moral and psychological complexities that follow in the rest of the novella.
“Young people, nowadays, imagine that money is everything.”
This quote suggests a critique of the perspective that is often held by youth regarding the significance and the role of money in people’s lives. It illustrates the fact that the younger generations place an excessive amount of importance on wealth and material possessions or items, perceiving them as the ultimate image of success and happiness.
“imagine” → conveys this sense of illusion versus reality, showing the fact that this is all just an illusion or a prediction and they haven’t experienced this themselves. Perhaps this quote is potentially implying that this younger generation has this false perspective that money will solve all of their problems and that the reality of this is that it won’t and in fact it is all just a facade.
“young people, nowadays” → this is referring to the next generation, the future of humanity. Perhaps this is emphasizing the fact that our society is moving towards placing more and more of an emphasis on material wealth and that this is misguided, wrong or shallow. This quote suggests that there are other more meaningful aspects of life that should be considered or prioritized and the acquisition of wealth shouldn’t be potentially at the expense of other values or aspects of life.
Serves as a social commentary, to challenge societal expectations and challenge the status quo to critically look at the priorities and values of the younger generations and encourages a reevaluation on the grave importance of material possessions.
"There was something fascinating in this son of Love and Death":
In this quote Wilde personifies “love” and “death” when Lord Henry describes Dorian’s character. This adds depth to Dorian by associating him with these powerful and contrasting forces. In doing so, the author emphasizes Dorian’s charismatic and magnetic nature, depicting him as a character of fascination from others. This fascination reinforces the themes of allure, emphasizing Dorian’s irresistible quality that captivates those around him which ultimately results in Dorian’s journey into hedonism. The reference to Dorian being the “son of Love and Death” is symbolic as it alludes to the fact that when Dorian was born it was during the unfolding of his parents’ demise, establishing the aspect of gothic horror in this novella. This sets the groundwork for the ultimately tragic ending of this story. This quote is represented in Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” as it depicts the goddess Venus emerging from the sea symbolizing a force of beauty and love, contrasting with the ocean which represents elements of unknown and perhaps danger, creating this juxtaposition that similarly relates to Dorian Gray’s duality of being both captivating yet mysterious and possibly dangerous.
Hamlet - Shakespeare
Chapter 3 of The Picture of Dorian Gray connects with William Shakespeare’s Hamlet through the theme of familial history and the themes of betrayal and murder. In Hamlet the protagonist’s uncles, Claudius, kills his own brother, King Hamlet, in order to seize the throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. This ultimately causes a domino effect that leads to a tragic vengeful ending. Similarly in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Fermor reveals to Lord Henry the dark and twisted history of Dorian Gray’s family. Dorian’s mother who was a noblewoman eloped with a poor soldier which her father didn’t approve of, resulting in her father arranging to have her husband killed. This betrayal of a murder happened just before Dorian’s birth which left him with a legacy of tragic events. In both of these tales, they explore the consequences of familiar histories on the lives of their protagonists. In Hamlet the realization of his father’s murder and his mother’s marriage deeply affected the prince as he is completely consumed by grief, anger, and a burning passion for revenge which ultimately leads to the downfall of several characters in the play. Parallel to this, in Dorian Gray, the realization of his family’s dark past only furthers Lord Henry’s fascination with Dorian. Furthermore, Henry becomes more and more intrigued by Dorian seeing him as someone that could easily be influenced as a result of his tragic familial history. Lord Henry’s desire to influence Dorian’s life mimics the manipulative nature of characters like Claudius in Hamlet who exploit individual's vulnerabilities and emotional turmoil. Additionally, in both Hamlet and Dorian Gray there are themes of illusion versus reality and the corrupting nature of secrets. In Hamlet, the appearance of normalcy in the Danish court covers the deceit and lies that are beneath. Similarly, in Dorian Gray, his outward beauty and youth conceal the corruption and rotting nature that lies within his soul as reflected in the portrait.
Wolf of Wall Street “I've been a rich man, and I've been a poor man. And I choose rich every f**king time" - captures the themes of hedonism and illusion versus reality in the film”
Two of the major themes in this book are hedonism and illusion versus reality. In this quote it shows how living in a hedonistic lifestyle and prioritizing pleasure and immediate gratification above any moral considerations is foolish and ultimately leads to one’s downfall. In this particular story the protagonist Jordan Belfort becomes a very wealthy stockbroker and lives a life of privilege. In this quote it depicts Jordan’s desire for materialistic things in order to quantify his self-worth or happiness. Through illusion versus reality, this quote successfully illustrates how this illusion of the happiness that wealth and success will bring him is contrasted with the ending that his corrupted actions eventually catch up to him. This film ultimately exposes the fact that behind all the parties and clubs, there is this hole from the lack of fulfillment in this character’s life that no amount of money can fix. In the end, this proves the destructive consequences of his choices and suggests that his pursuit of wealth and pleasure is in fact driven by this illusion and destroyed perception of reality where he believes that these things will truly bring him fulfillment and happiness.
Victoria Secret Angels are often referred to as the pinnacle of beauty. They represent this sense of unattainable perfection and attractiveness. They are portrayed as gorgeous, regal, delicate, and
The themes of hedonism and wild aesthetics and this sense of impossible level of beauty is portrayed in our contemporary world through the Victoria’s Secret Angels. Victoria’s Secret Angels are known for their main role in the annual VS fashion show. They are often referred to as the pinnacle of beauty and embody a hedonistic ideal of beauty and glamor. They are often portrayed as the epitome of physical attractiveness as a result of their perfectly shaped bodies, flawless features and their ever so glamorous lifestyles. The wild aestheticism and impossible standard of beauty in this book is similar to Victoria’s Secret Angels as they explore the idea of pursuing beauty and pleasure to extreme lengths and detaching from moral considerations. This ongoing pursuit of this lifestyle where beauty and sensual allure are prioritized above all else is present throughout both pieces of work. However both "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and the portrayal of Victoria's Secret Angels challenge the notion that this lifestyle is really as good as it seems. In this novel, Dorian Gray’s obsession with preserving his youthful looks lead him down a spark road of moral corruption. As well, the portrayal of VS Angels as the idealized version of beauty can perpetuate unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standards and further contribute to the objectification of women’s bodies. Additionally there have been multiple allegations from former Angels that they were coerced into not eating and over exercising or even encouraged to do drugs to lose weight, showcasing the dark side of the VS Angels that isn’t so glamorous. Both of these examples connect to how hedonism and wild aestheticism may appear to be glitz and glamor, however they are instead cautionary reminders of the dangers and shallowness that happens as a result of this overemphasis on external beauty. This serves as a reminder to critically reflect on societal expectations regarding beauty and challenge the status quo that indulging in physical attractiveness alone can bring authentic happiness and fulfillment.
This is an image of a lot of indomie, which is a type of instant noodles in black and white. The fact that this image is of instant noodles which are quick easy and fast meals showcases the theme of hedonism as it is centered around immediate graticiation andindulgence. Instant noodles are known for their convenience and speed, catering to the desire for instant pleasure and satisfaction. The emphasis on quick, easy, and fast meals reflects a hedonistic mindset that prioritizes immediate enjoyment over long-term considerations such as nutrition or health. The image captures the essence of hedonism by depicting a food choice that offers instant pleasure without the need for extensive preparation or effort, reinforcing the idea of indulging in immediate gratification as a primary focus. The fact that this image is in black and white depicts the fact that although there is so much food and a huge theme of hedonism, it doesn't necessarily mean happiness. The lack of color in this picture represents the lack of satisfaction and joy despite the hedonistic nature of the picture.