Manipulation in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray
"I do not think that one person influences another, nor do I think there is any bad influence in the world," Oscar Wilde uttered when under trial (Hyde 353). Although this statement may be true, one of Wilde's most famous works shows a great deal of the effects of people shaping one another, causing one to wonder about Wilde's sincerity in that statement. The Picture of Dorian Gray shows variations on the existence and purposes of influence, displaying two types of personal influence: obvious manipulations such as that of Lord Henry upon Dorian and that of Dorian over Sybil Vane, and those that are more often overlooked such as the more subtle manipulation of Dorian over Basil, of Dorian over Lord Henry, and in the interaction between Dorian and his portrait. Wilde demonstrates the many possible impacts made in these two categories, proving that there is more to a relationship than an outside viewer may perceive, and eventually leading the reader to the unavoidable morbid ending of the book, in which the characters meet their own pathetic ends, with Dorian Gray committing what could be considered a ghastly suicide. Taking into account Wilde?s own life of controversial relationships, this book is especially poignant in its autobiographical suggestions.
Dorian Gray is first described as a naïve and attractive young boy, with a striking resemblance to Adonis, having the physical description of a Greek god. The beauty and innocence of youth cause him to be quite attractive, and the fact that he is unaware of the power of this beauty is even more appealing. Dorian?s beauty is the source of Basil Hallward?s obsession, which peaks in the act of Hallward painting Do...
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...rinceton University Press, 1967. Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 353-60.
Shewan, Rodney. Oscar Wilde: Art and Egotism. The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1977.
Excerpted in Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 374-84.
Spivey, Ted. R. "Oscar Wilde and the Tragedy of Symbolism," The Journey Beyond Tragedy: A Study of Myth and Modern Fiction. Copyright 1980, Board of Regents of the State of Florida, University Presses of Florida, 1980. Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 501-2.
Summers, Claude J. "In Such Surrender There May Be Gain: Oscar Wilde and the Beginnings of Gay Fiction, " Gay Fiction: Wilde to Stonewall, Studies in Male Homosexual Literacy Tradition, Continuum, 1990. Excerpted in Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 398-401.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford University Press, New York. 1994
When the colonies were being formed, many colonists came from England to escape the restrictions placed upon them by the crown. Britain had laws for regulating trade and collecting taxes, but they were generally not enforced. The colonists had gotten used to being able to govern themselves. However, Britain sooned changed it’s colonial policy because of the piling debt due to four wars the British got into with the French and the Spanish. The most notable of these, the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years’ War), had immediate effects on the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain, leading to the concept of no taxation without representation becoming the motivating force for the American revolutionary movement and a great symbol for democracy amongst the colonies, as Britain tried to tighten their hold on the colonies through various acts and measures.
In response to the Tea Act of 1773, the colonists had various reactions. The Tea Act was suggested by Lord North in order to save the East India Company from bankruptcy. This act also allowed the East India Company to bypass most of the taxes placed on tea, except for the Townshend Act tea tax. The Tea Act made the East India Company’s tea the cheapest, even with the tax. The colonists were
Taxes were a hard part of every day life in the colonies. Many of the taxes Britain placed on the colonies seemed to be very unreasonable to the colonists. One such example of the unreasonable taxes is the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act was put in place to help pay for some of the cost from the French and Indian War. Everything from newspapers to playing cards was taxed. This infuriated the colonists greatly, because the tax from the Stamp Act affected every one in the colonies in some way or another.
There were no elected members from the colonists in Parliament which denies them the power to impose taxes on them. The British East India Company already owed the British Crown £1 million and didn’t have enough time to collect all the money. They had to come up with something quick because 21 million pounds of tea is just stored in a warehouse in China. The company came up with a plan and asked permission from the government to export the tea directly from their Chinese warehouses to the American colonies instead of shipping it through Britain. The government agreed to the company’s request and passed the Tea Act of 1773. £1/80 per pound was the duty that was put on directly imported tea.
The protagonist is not concerned with anything but himself and his appearance; he leads an easy life, made of parties and women. In the preface of the book we can find for instance, an accurate quote which defines Dorian Grey as an absolute
The problem for many American colonists was not that taxes were high (the taxes were actually quite low, particularly compared with those paid by ordinary citizens of Britain), but that the colonies were not consulted about the new taxes, as they had no representation in Parliament. The colonists did not have any voting rights with regards to the taxes and so in order to avoid having to pay the taxes imposed on them the colonist’s boycotted British goods. This eventually led to the Boston Tea Party and other boycotts.
meant many things to many people. Most girls do not attempt to define it anymore.
The French born author, Anais Nin once wrote, “We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative” ("Think Exist Quotations"). Anais is expounding upon the inconsistency all people have in aspects of their personalities. Some days a person may be hailed as a saint for their actions, while other days they seem absolutely evil. In most literature, characters are defined as good or evil based on their revealed thoughts and actions. On occasion an anomaly may be found, where a character is more ambiguous. Dorian Gray’s Actions throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray paralyzes the readers’ ability to condemn Dorian as purely good or purely evil, causing them to be more sympathetic than usual.
Throughout the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” the self titled main protagonist comes into contact with many unusual characters. All of these characters work together to shape the protagonist as well as the theme and plot of the story. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” tells many different secrets about mankind and how easily influenced humans are. Dorian was an extremely vain individual, who was mostly influenced by three people throughout the novel, who believed physical beauty was the key to life and happiness. Dorian was mostly influenced by two of his great comrades who in contrast influenced him from opposite viewpoints. The third influence was his immature lover. These three characters all worked together to change Dorians viewpoint on life as well as his viewpoint on each other. The actions and comments of these three characters shape the novel, theme that beauty is a combination of not only physical appearance but attitude and character.
The relationship between Britain and her Americans colonies slowly deteriorated between the 1750s and the beginning of the American Revolution. When the first British immigrants settled in America, the relationship of the colonies and their mother country was somewhat peaceful. In the following generations, however, their relationship became tenser as Britain imposed policies and taxes on unrepresented American colonists. The British believed they were right in doing so because they had large debts to pay from ongoing wars with France. These taxes caused uprisings among colonists which contributed to British occupation in America, leading to more rebellions. Eventually, the rift in the relationship between the colonists and the British led to the Revolutionary War and the formation of a new country.
The imperial tactics of the British Empire were exercised on the colonists through heavy taxes trade restrictions because of their mercantilist economy. The Stamp Act taxed the colonists directly on paper goods ranging from legal documents to newspapers. Colonists were perturbed because they did not receive representation in Parliament to prevent these acts from being passed or to decide where the tax money was spent. The colonists did not support taxation without representation. The Tea Act was also passed by Parliament to help lower the surplus of tea that was created by the financially troubled British East India Company. The colonists responded to this act by executing the Boston Tea Party which tossed all of the tea that was imported into the port of Boston. This precipitated the Boston Port Act which did not permit the colonists to import goods through this port. The colonists protested and refused all of these acts which helped stir the feelings of rebellion among the colonists. The British Mercantilist economy prevented the colonists from coin...
Obsession in its nature is toxic; it turns people into gods, and leaves no room for their actual selves. Celebrities are the idols of the modern world, where ever they go, a fan follows them dying to get their attention. Dorian Gray, who was loved by nearly all of London for his charm and beauty, who’s biggest fan, Basil, worship of him lead to bitterness. The theme of obsession in The Picture of Dorian Gray is seen through both those who worship Dorian Gray, and the portrait, which is the object of Dorian's obsession. Although Wilde displays obsession through Basil's worship of Dorian, and even Dorian's obsession with himself and his youth, the modern day celebrity is a parallel to Dorian, who is worshipped by many at first for their beauty, wealth or fame, but the nature of the worship eventually leads to chaos.
Various conflicts in the RM system can affect the benefits that can be obtained. It has been argued that performance management systems only provide superficial motivations and have little effect on underlying behaviours and attitudes. Although the RM system can have some limitations, there is strong argument for the benefits, and logic also deems it as a credible strategy to assist in improving employee performance.
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Reward systems in the work place are not a new idea in the workplace, but they are the key to having happy employees and happy employees mean better output. Reward systems are systems used by companies where employees who achieve particular results are paid more or get other advantages. Some employers offer pay as incentives, while others offer benefits, some use a combination of both types. Employees within a company want recognition for the time and effort that they have put into a task required of their job. The use of reward systems not only enhances the company but it gives the employee a feeling of personal connection and investment into the company. Building a reward system can be a great asset to the company, by allowing the employees to feel that they are a part of the company. Reward systems are an important tool and key concept to managing an organization effectively.