The Picture of Dorian Gray demonstrates a gap between aesthetics and morality that Oscar Wilde depicts by giving each character a very specific character who challenges or indulges in immoral vices. of life. All this while Dorian remains paralyzed between two very different ideologies. The Freudian concept that within us all is a split between the DI, the Super Ego and the Ego; an inner battle between three distinct mentalities, becomes more and more evident as the novel progresses and sheds light on this war within the mind. Dorian is unable to find a balance between these three subconscious minds; he feels like he must conform and become a hedonistic esthete like Lord Henry, or lead a life that coincides with the moral idealism that Basil represents. If he had the opportunity to analyze The Picture of Dorian Gray, Sigmund Freud would most likely interpret it as an illustration of how his mechanism for understanding human behavior plays out in literature. Charles Darwin would most likely say that Dorian fails to maintain this crucial yin yang balance between aesthetics and morality and inevitably gives in to his primitive animal instincts. These biologically programmed drives on which Dorian acts can be best described from the perspective of Darwin, an English naturalist and geologist, best known for his groundbreaking work on the theory of evolution (Desmond). It is conceivable to assume that the art critic Walter Pater had a profound impact on Wilde during his university years, which very likely could have influenced his citation in De Profundis, where he states that Pater's work was “this book which had such a strange influence” on my life. (Michael, 1) (Schroeder, 1) By analyzing the ideologies of these brilliant intellectuals not only to highlight, but also to demonstrate the commonalities between Darwin's evolutionary theory, Freud's perspective on subconscious human behavior and Pater's characteristic of viewing art subjectively - all of which play a crucial role in understanding Oscar Wilde's portrait of Dorian Gray. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Charles Darwin embarked on an enterprise that led to a ban. discovery that changed the way we understood the origin of humanity. For once in history, there was a logical explanation for our existence on earth and its unprecedented diversity could previously only be explained by means of religion or the environment. The origin of species could be explained by science was considered immoral and not contemporary. If Darwin had not begun complex research in 1838 that led to the publication of The Origin of Species, we would not be able to fully understand the inner workings of the species. the spirit of Dorian Gray; Darwin's theories demonstrate how, at a pre-programmed biological instinctual level, the malevolent hedonistic tendencies he displays are innate and inevitable. (Darwin Manuscripts, 1) The character of Dorian Gray is an example of how these tendencies can consume an individual, rendering them powerless and unable to fight their primal urges. Before Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was created, even the world's most brilliant scientists attributed variations to species. to strictly environmental factors; such as the availability of their food supply or the climate in which the species in question was raised. Darwin rejects this notion by dismantling this narrow-minded philosophysupposedly supported by science and demonstrates that there is much more to this idea of ​​evolution, namely those instincts that are pre-programmed in each of us to seek out a partner with the most favorable characteristics in order to have the best odds. to have offspring who do well in life. In a process of conscious selection invented by Darwin, a breeder selects the animal exhibiting the most desirable traits like eccentric physical beauty and qualities that would contribute to the perpetual survival of that species. All species, even human beings, are subject to this subconscious process called unconscious selection. In other words, we will instinctively act hedonistically, desire materialistic pleasantries, and embody vanity as our central goal when it comes to whom we choose to procreate with; in Dorian's defense, it is in our nature to act according to this principle of aestheticism and to give the greatest value to decadence. (Darwin, 1-13) Darwin demonstrates that even without the influence of breeders, animals are shown to instinctively compete to find the mate with the most attractive outward appearance and traits essential to the survival of their species. (Darwin, 4-13)After considering Darwin's philosophy, a different perspective of the inner workings of Dorian Gray's mind is consequently formed. The fact that he chooses to live immorally and place such high regard on beauty could be seen as a direct result of these inner biological urges that he is unable to control. As a 21st century society, we see examples of this superficial hedonistic behavior everywhere we look, as it has become deeply ingrained in the social and biological fabric of humanity. For example, consider the modeling industry; society tends to view outward appearance as one of the most important aspects of life. Girls grow up seeing tabloids with quintessential central models, barely dressed, with bodies and faces that are generally out of reach and inaccessible to the vast majority of the population. This translates into this desire to be beautiful, because being physically attractive tends to give people what they want in life and, biologically speaking, gives them the best opportunity to obtain the most desirable partner. From Dorian's point of view, his appearance is the one thing he can't imagine living without; this inevitably leads to its demise in some way. The fact is that animals always act this way, they act without thinking on these impulses because it is in their nature; humans, on the other hand, have the intellectual capacity that allows them to take into account factors other than mere appearance and the qualities that would give rise to the most promising offspring. We take into account many other characteristics because we are humans and not animals. Dorian's inability to act in this way is mainly due to the influences of Lord Henry and his own unconsciousness; this portrays him as someone who acts solely on his primal animal instincts. Darwin might view people who act like Lord Henry and Dorian Gray as more primitive and less evolved than the majority of the human race who have the ability to think subjectively about another human being as a whole, not just their physical appearance. By carefully examining Darwin's On the Origin of Species, we are enlightened by scientific facts that can explain why Dorian acts the way he does from an evolutionary biological perspective. In a certainextent, its behavior is the result of those innate biological tendencies that we share with every other species on earth. (Wilde)Sigmund Freud, a world-renowned neurologist, designed a system that allows us to illustrate human tendencies by separating what we think of as human consciousness into 3 distinct drives. Essentially, the result was three personality types; namely the id, the ego and the superego. (Rieff, 173) The ego is often considered the executive branch of our personality because unlike the DI and Super Ego, it uses reasoning to weigh its options and come to an appropriate conclusion about what to do in a given situation. particular situation while considering morale. the implications of “their” actions, but also what feels good to them and what is best for them. The DI prefers to live hedonistically, relying solely on the pleasure principle and preferring to act on impulse without reason, no matter who they have hurt in the process; if they do the morally acceptable thing, it's probably by accident. The superego is another extreme and essentially the antithesis of DI as it is usually derived from a common conservative religion based on the beliefs we learned during our upbringing as children. For example, it weighs religious implications, what is morally right, as well as what is socially acceptable. (McLeod, 1) Keeping Freud's ideology in mind, we begin to notice correlations between the characters in A Picture of Dorian Gray and these three discernible personality types. Essentially, the novel illustrates exactly what Freud has been saying all along, in an easy-to-understand way, as each character represents a specific segment of the subconscious. By understanding this correlation, we come to a better overall understanding of the novel in its entirety and in particular of Dorian himself. Lord Henry is undoubtedly Wilde's attempt to create a literal representation of this ID personality type which he demonstrates through this quote "If a man were to live his life fully and completely, he must give form to every feeling, expression with every thought, reality. with every dream – I believe that the world would receive such a new surge of joy that we would forget all the diseases of medievalism and return to the Hellenic ideal” (Wilde, 19) Lord Henry is constantly working to corrupt Dorian and to coax him . to live a life of hedonistic decadence which he prefers to lead. He believes that in life it is always best to do what is beneficial to oneself, not always what is right. Lord Henry changes and shapes Dorian's ideology to the point that he no longer believes that morality plays a role in life until it is too late. By promoting this idea of ​​always living in a hedonistic, selfish way that ignores morality, he is essentially overtaken by the ID part of his personality and exemplifies Freud's theory. Plus you have Basil and his infatuation with Dorian Gray, he represents the superego because he sincerely wants Dorian to remain this pure, uncorrupted entity. To Basil, Dorian is essentially a work of art, literally and metaphorically, he feels it is his duty to maintain Dorian's innocence that Lord Henry is constantly trying to rid him of. (McLeod, 1) The way Dorian comes into play is that he is essentially Freud's concept of what the ego represents. Dorian is perpetually faced with moral dilemmas and he is forced to weigh the benefits and implications of living one way or another. Just as Freud describes the Ego as that force that lies between the Super Ego and the DI, Dorian is constantly torn in two opposing paths. One direction being LordHenry and his hedonistic ideology which is mainly based on this “ID type” principle. Another is Basil who tries to help him live a morally conscious lifestyle that coincides with the Super Ego. Just like a devil on his shoulder, Lord Henry's influence on Dorian finally comes to a head when he finds Sibyl completely undesirable after her stage performance fails to live up to his standards. He became enamored with the art she created and truly loved it for her; when he discovers that she has committed suicide, he moves on as if it were business as usual, that is, in a cold and unfeeling manner, indulging in carnal jokes and living hedonistically. By understanding this basic Freudian theory, we see the novel in a whole new light as it tends to highlight all of these themes that were previously apparent but were not as understandable without a concrete understanding of how these subconscious forces come into play to influence human behavior. . We can now see that Dorian Gray is essentially a literal representation of Freud's concept of the Ego. So far, we're much closer to gaining a full perspective of the inner workings of Dorian Gray's psyche by assessing his primitive instincts with Charles' help. Darwin's theories of natural overselection in The Origin of Species. We can conclude that more often than not Dorian acted on his animal carnal desires and placed an extremely high value on outward appearance. Additionally, Freud's theories on these three concepts: ID, Super Ego and Ego tended to parallel how Lord Henry, Basil and Dorian himself actually find themselves on a subconscious level. We will then discuss the ideology of Walter Pater and his clashes with Oscar Wilde himself. By understanding how Pater fundamentally understood art and its beauty, we come closer to understanding The Picture of Dorian Gray as a whole. The year 1877 may well have been a turning point in Oscar Wilde's development as a writer; while attending Magdalen College he met Walter Pater. Rumor had it that Pater's work was sought after by Oscar Wilde himself, they met for tea, exchanged ideas and gave each other pointers to each other's work. Although there is essentially no objective truth in how we define beauty, critics of the time would attempt to understand the abstract nature of beauty and explain it in the most generic terms possible without add personal preferences or feelings. Beauty and how we interpret it tends to be subjective; in other words, how you interpret art and the feeling it evokes depends on who you are and your values. Walter Pater, for example, held aesthetics in high esteem, but he had the talent and ability to make no distinction between what is considered beautiful and what is not. (The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry, 1) The reason why understanding Pater's philosophy is so crucial to understanding The Picture of Dorian Gray is the fact that Wilde did not actually intend to write it. consider it a novel focused solely on decadence or what happens when that concept is abused. In the preface to the novel, Wilde even says: “There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written or poorly written. That's all. This idea demonstrated by Wilde parallels Pater's ideology. Overall, this suggests that it is simply the reader themselves who has the ability to think subjectively and who considers the novel to be completely immoral or not.