Dorian Gray vs. Frankenstein According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, a monster is a “strange or horrible imaginary creature”. But monsters don’t necessarily need to be fictional; even humans can be monsters. The only thing that distinguishes us from fictional monsters are our appearances, human-monsters are hard to detect. Therefore, it’s easy to treat people based on their appearances since the human mind gets deceived by looks. The purpose of this essay is to show how two different “creatures” such as Frankenstein’s ugly monster and the beautiful Dorian Gray are similar despite their different appearances. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a novel written by Oscar Wilde. The story takes place in England, where the artist Basil Hallward paints a portrait of the young and beautiful Dorian Gray. During his stay at the artist’s studio, he gets introduced to Lord Henry who later becomes one of the most influential people in his life. Dorian Gray becomes aware of his amazing beauty and youthfulness due to the portrait and wishes that the portrait ages instead of him. His wish comes true, Dorian remains beautiful and youthful while the portrait changes. Lord Henry becomes his best friend and motivates him to live in abundance, to sin and always strive for beauty. After a while, Dorian discovers that his portrait doesn’t only age, but also changes face expression as a result of all his sins and evil deeds. Dorian gets anxious by the fact that the portrait shows his evil soul and is scared that somebody will see it, therefore he hides it. The portrait haunts Dorian although it’s hidden. As Dorian’s sins gets worse, he feels that he can’t handle the pressure anymore and decides to destroy the portrait that shows his true self. “Franken... ... middle of paper ... ...that had to become evil in order to get what he wants. It was Frankenstein and the society’s fault that the monster actually turned into a monster, they didn’t reach out to him, and instead they froze him out of the society because of his looks. In conclusion, both novels have the “monster” theme and show us society and its preconceptions and that society judges by appearance. The monster was mild and beautiful inside, but "ugly" and horrible outside and therefore everyone feared him. They never gave him a chance to prove his gentle nature. Dorian was stunning but had an awful inside, yet everyone loved him and spoke well about him. This shows us that anybody could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. People are more than their appearances; therefore appearance isn’t enough when you’re trying to get to know a person. As Shakespeare said “All that glisters is not gold”.
The main focus in Frankenstein is the immense accentuation put on appearance and acceptance in the public eye. In society and in addition in the general public of Frankenstein, individuals judge one singularly on their appearance. Social bias is frequently established on looks, whether it is one 's skin color, the garments that one wears and even the way a man holds himself or herself. People make moment judgments taking into account these social biases. This recognition in light of appearance decides the conduct towards the individual. In Frankenstein, the general public of that time is like our own today. It is an appearance-based society that the ugly figure of Victor Frankenstein 's creature can be compared to a typical person of today.
Throughout the novel, Shelley investigates the idea of monstrosity. She makes the point that a monster does not have to be genuinely evil in order to be considered monstrous. Shelley presents two characteristics of mankind in order to prove her case. The first example is Frankenstein’s creation. Upon first being introduced to his creation, the reader initially labels him as a monster because of his physical appearance. He is portrayed as a man with “…yellow skin scarcely cover[ing] the work of muscles and arteries beneath…watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set…shrivelled complexion and straight black lips” (Shelley 58). Not only does the reader view him as...
In the beginning of the book, Dorian seems to be an innocent, charming, beautiful young man, and even referred to as “a wonderful creation” (ch 2). Dorian is described as this amazing person, with looks comparable to a God, charm that could swoon any woman, and a mesmerizing persona about him with the ability to draw anyone near, yet he seems to be so imperceptive to himself. His attitude of simplicity causes readers to be fond of him, passing their first judgments that he could not possibly be evil. As the story moves along readers see the first inkling that Dorian may not be so perfect. Dorian comments on “how sad it is…[that he] shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But the picture will remain always young” (ch 2). This statement lets readers inside Dorian’s thoughts, showing how shallow and frivolous Dorian views life to be. He places so much value and esteem on looks alone, forgetting that being painted should be an honor, or at the very least...
The definition of ‘monstrosity’ and what it means to be ‘monstrous’ can be understood to mean something that is visually unattractive, malformed and/or terrifying. However, monstrosity is not exclusively about something aesthetically ugly, it can also apply to what differs from what is considered ‘normality’. What is ‘normal’ versus what is ‘monstrous’ is closely linked when exploring ideas about the human condition. The representations of monstrosity in Frankenstein and in The Tempest reveal how what is monstrous and what is normal are often found side by side, challenging the idea that it is limited to outcasts who do not ‘fit-in’, and that deep down, a desire to be understood, accepted and included and to live life with meaning are central to the human condition and that monsters in society often reveal our deep seated fears and anxieties about our own existence.
As time goes on, many things tend to change, and then they begin to inherit completely different images. Over the years, the character, created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s famous novel, has changed dramatically. The monster, regularly called “Frankenstein,” has been featured in numerous films, such as Frankenweenie and Edward Scissorhands. Although, the characters in today’s pop culture and the monster in the well-known 1800’s novel have similarities, they are actually very different. The many similarities and differences range from the character’s physical traits and psychological traits, the character’s persona, and the character’s place in the Gothic style.
Monstrosity is not just defined by disfigurement, but also by the actions and obsessions of man. Most, if not all, tales of monsters often came about as exaggerations of sins and immoral actions. Others see men who become too obsessed with the idea of overstepping their own humanity and playing God as monsters in society. Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray reflect this idea. While the painting and the creation mirror the monstrous nature and the sin Gray and Frankenstein enact throughout the course of each novel, both Dorian Gray and Victor Frankenstein are the true monsters.
There is a strong thematic relationship between the texts; Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The texts show us two individuals that are influenced by the outside world to make monstrous decisions. In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, a scientist with the intention to bring about life to the world ends up bringing about a hideous creature. The scientist, Victor Frankenstein, is horrified by what he has created and wants nothing to do with him, which causes him to become a terrible human being. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, a beautiful man named Dorian Gray commits many unforgivable acts. Lord Henry Wotton influences Dorian into thinking that he should view the world in his way and in turn creates a monster. That sensual
Such as that, Frankenstein was also a monster in the common sense of the word. All too often we have seen movies or TV shows about a mutant of some sort, who, because of his looks, assumes that no on will love him, and because of ...
Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes Basil's life change drastically by having him paint a portrait of Dorian Gray and express too much of himself in it, which, in Wilde's mind, is a troublesome obstacle to circumvent. “Wilde believes that the artist should not portray any of himself in his work, so when Basil does this, it is he who creates his own downfall, not Dorian” (Shewan 36).
Monsters: they are the ones who intentionally and repeatedly hurt others, physically or emotionally, without remorse.
Monsters can come in various physical forms, but all monsters share the same evil mentality. A Monster is a being that harms and puts fear within people. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a prime example of how appearance does not determine whether a creature is a monster or not. In the story, Victor Frankenstein tries to change nature by creating a super human being. The being appears to be a monster. Victor becomes so obsessed with his creation and then rejects it. Victor is the real monster because of his desire for power, lack of respect for nature, and his stubbornness.
In chapter 20 of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian reflects on his past and wonders whether he will ever regain his innocence. In this passage, Gothic elements underline the idea of the pursuit of individualism. Dorian’s wild, racing emotions clearly show how much he is driven by his readiness to fulfill his desires under any circumstance. Through this, the use of specific words and punctuation markings also highlight Dorian’s personal yearning to let go and forget about his past.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel written by Oscar Wilde. Dorian is a stunning young man with looks that would make a woman go nuts. He has a youthfulness that will never leave him no matter how old he grows or what he does. Although he might look like an amazing guy, he is no angel. Dorian is a sinner, a deadly sinner and has no problem continually doing it. Dorians sins are the worst and no matter what happens he seems to keep his composure and not let anything stop him from his wrong doings. Sin is not something Dorian can run away from and in the end payback is going to come.
A monster is defined as an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. By this definition, Victor’s creature who is depicted to be eight feet tall and hideous
Dorian Gray's life is dictated by his physical appeal. His beauty lies within his youth. Dorian's perception of beauty allows him to love. He is convinced that his beauty allows him to accomplish anything he desires regardless of the consequences and still be loved by his friends. He uses his beauty to mitigate his evil actions. Dorian says, “I don't wish to know anything about them. I love scandals about other people, but scandals about myself don't interest me. They have not got the charm of novelty.” Youth and beauty are the most precious things to Dorian. In his life, beauty is of utmost importance. Then he sees the picture of himself, painted by Basil, absorb his sins and this changed his view. “I hope it is not about myself. I am tired of myself tonight. I should like to be somebody else,” Dorian said. He aspired to have had a good life rather than one filled with artificial meaning and beauty. The moral beauty of Doran lies within the portrait of himself. The portrait imitated his life. He finally realized that beauty cannot help him escape his evil actions. He deeply lamemted his wish that the portrait bore the burden of his age an...