‘The novel’s contrasting settings portray a gulf between social classes in Victorian society. ‘How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
The contrasting settings, carefully constructed characters and reoccurring theme of dualism all help to portray a gulf between social classes in The Picture of Dorian Gray. This is most obviously shown in the division of London, in a physical sense but also as a state of mind. This schism runs deep in the novel, and must be considered when examining all evidence related to this essay question.
John Hartigan suggests that “Wilde’s description of London clearly bears and element of social criticism, as he speaks of ‘the sordid shame of the great city.’” The contrasts between the West End and the East End as depicted in the Picture of Dorian Gray are truly immense, highlighting working class poverty and upper class opulence, implying Wilde’s distaste for the gulf between social classes in the form of a social satire. The borderlines of the West End can be found in Covent Garden market. As Dorian passes through this area, he is given “cherries form a local vendor”, as he is due according to his lofty social status. Beyond this point lies the West End, a place of distinguished addresses such as “Grosvenor Square” and “Curzon Street”, full of people like Lord Fermor, “whom the outside world called selfish because it derived no particular benefit from…” Sybil’s theatre then acts as a mark of the beginning of the East End, with streets “like the black web of some sprawling spider.” This divide in settings is also reflected in Dorian: the West End is his physical form, pure and beautiful, whilst the East End mirrors Dorian’s corrupted soul. The stark contrasts in general setting help to portray a gulf between social classes in The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Specific locations in the novel also highlight the differences between social classes in the Picture of Dorian Gray. The residence of Dorian is described in the opening of chapter 8: “…on a tray of old Sevres china, and drew back the olive-satin curtains, with their shimmering blue lining, that hung in front of 3 tall windows.” The grandeur of Dorian’s house helps to emphasise the decadent and lavish lifestyle that he and the rest of the West End inhabitants live. The Vane household juxtaposes this idyllic description of Dorian’s house in virtually every sense. The quotation “back turned to the shrill intrusive light…one armchair that their dingy little sitting room contained” shows the vast differences between the lives of the wealthy and the poor. The inclusion of the armchair is interesting, as throughout the novel we see armchairs used frequently to denote wealth. This then reveals something about the attitudes of the two classes’: the rich go to great length to show-off and portray their wealth, whereas the poor attempt to hide from their depravity, again shown in “the shrill intrusive light.”
The gulf between social classes in the Picture of Dorian Gray is also reflected in the characters, epitomised by the strikingly opposite Lord Henry Wotton and James Vane. Lord Henry embodies the upper class gentleman, a man of inherited status and wealth who chooses to reject philanthropy-a cause some of the rich supported-and instead choose to focus on the pursuit of individualism and the ideals of new hedonism: “I don’t desire to change anything in England except the weather.” James Vane is the antithesis of this; James Vane was born into a lower class family, and in an attempt to escape the rot of London becomes a sailor. Similar to Lord Henry, James seems to not believe in the idea of social mobility, and also seems to, somewhat begrudgingly; accept his place in the world’s hierarchy, remarking that only “swell people” walk in Hyde Park. Lord Henry’s life of opulence and luxury and James Vane’s life of poverty and hardship help to establish the gulf between social classes in this novel.
However, two characters attempt to cross the void between rich and poor, all be it only one is successful at achieving this. Mrs Vane is one such character. The mother of two illegitimate children, Sybil and James, Mrs Vane spent much of her life on the stage: “False theatrical gestures…second nature to a stage-player.” This lifestyle of escaping the constraints of social hierarchy has led Mrs Vane to believing that she can create a façade of importance and culture, making her seem upper class when in reality she belongs to the lower classes. However, it is clear to see in the quotations “crooked, false jewelled fingers” and “thin bismuth-whitened hands” Wilde mocks and belittles these attempts, as Mrs Vane is unable to pull-off the illusion as she lacks the power, money or resources to fully convince. Dorian Gray, however, is not constrained by any of these inhibiting factors. In the novel, Dorian acts as a flanuer, a man of social status with the freedom to go ‘slumming.’ Mrs Vane is unsuccessful in her attempts at achieving some form of social mobility, whereas Dorian is able to accomplish this. As one Marxist commentator points out “Dorian’s inherited wealth gives him eternal leisure.” Wilde therefore makes the point that social mobility, arguably the ultimate goal of the lower classes (according to the Marxist critic) is in fact only accessible to those of considerable wealth and status.
The role of dualism is important to the creation of a gulf between the social classes in the Picture of Dorian Gray. This is at its greatest extent when Dorian assumes the role of the transient observer of London. Dorian’s journey into the “cess-pit” that is the East End is portrayed as an apocalyptic nightmare. Strong allusions can be drawn with other texts of shared themes. In Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’, the “combustion down to bottomless perdition, thee to dwell in…penal fire” is clearly linked to Wilde’s description: “strange bottle-shaped kilns with their orange tan-like tongues of fire.” Similarly, Wilde’s description echoes the ‘Hell’ in the ending of ‘Doctor Faustus.’ Through these references to other notable texts, Wilde creates a haunting setting that starkly contrasts with that of the West End: “Dorian Gray was sitting in the conservatory at Selby Royal talking to the pretty Duchess of Monmouth…” As discussed previously, these contrasting settings create the Jekyll and Hyde- like internal division within Dorian. The West End is Dorian’s appearance, beautiful and “unstained”, whereas the East End is Dorian’s reality, evil, corrupted, and decaying, thus bringing in another key theme in the novel, the difference between appearance and reality. Jessica Menz suggests that “the trope of degeneration figures his inner self’s decent through East London’s drug dens and alleys, while his social identity grows firmly ensconced in the realms of respectability.”
The novel’s contrasting settings do help to portray a gulf between social classes in Victorian society in the Picture of Dorian Gray, but one must not underestimate the significance of character, attitudes and duality in the novel. Wilde uses these tools to comment on the state of class disparity that the gulf between social classes creates.
michaelventom 