Victorian Class System In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Victorian class system is reflected in "The Picture of Dorian Gray", through the concept of duality and duplicity. Oscar Wilde expresses the separation of the aristocrats from the middle class during the Victorian Era through the use of three key elements, settings, structure of the novel and characters.

Two main characters who show the difference between the middle class and the higher class are "Lord Henry" and "Basil". "Henry" is portrayed to be a wealth, successful and intelligent man, however we see part of his true identity being kept hidden, his corrupt thoughts and influential behaviour remains a secret even to his own wife "I always hear Harry's views from his friends. It is the only way i get to know of them" due to this respectable image that he has built, the discovery of his true identity could be fatal to his reputation. This could be interpreted as a reflection of the lifestyles the higher class lived as family pride and honour was a key aspect of the Victorian upper class. "Henry's" character is contrasted by "Basil Halward" a middle class painter who is shown to be hard working, moral and has a rather simple personality. This idea of being "simple" can be associated with middle class and how they were viewed to be simplistic in comparison to the Aristocrats who were extravagant and lived luxurious lives. The fact that we never see "Basil" and "Henry" together in a chapter, unless Dorian is present, reflects how the Victorian Class system caused separation between people and it was very rare for two different classes to mix due to their differences. However "Dorian" could be viewed as the bridge that joins two different worlds together as Henry (Upper class) and Basil (Middle class) only come together through the presence of "Dorian", he could represent the "fin de siècle" and how it was at this time that the class system was beginning to be ignored and rebelled against allowing people to come together from all different classes without being looked down on. The structure of the novel also reflects the division between classes in the Victorian Era. Chapter 16 is based in the East end of London which during the Victorian Era was occupied mainly by the lower and middle class. Chapter 17 is set in "Dorian's" county manor "Selby Royal". The separation between the two chapters and locations shows how the Victorian society did not let classes mix. The concept of duality can be found amongst settings and "Dorian" himself. Although "Dorian" is from an aristocrat background we see him being positioned in places associated with the lower class, such as the "Opium dens", this creates two sides to "Dorian's" personality, as he is shown to be split between the middle class/lower class and upper class. We could interpret that "Dorian" is being portrayed as the link between Victorian classes as he breaks the norms of what is expected from people of a higher class and is shows to be going against the rules of aristocracy,(such as presenting a respectable image)by going to the "Opium dens". "Dorian's" county manor "Selby Royal" is shown to be a place of pride, wealth and outward respectability in comparison to the image of "Dorian" created when he is shown in the opium dens, which is a image of being lower and inferior to the aristocrat society, an image that the aristocracy would look down on because a man of higher class was being shown to mix with the middle class. The concept of duality is shown here through what we could interpret as the mocking of the aristocracy and upper class, showing them to be artificial in the sense that they are shown to have this respectable image and yet have a hidden side to them that could be fatal to their reputation if it is not masked.

In conclusion the Victorian Class system is reflected through the structure of the chapters, settings and characters. However in my opinion I think that a negative image of the higher class is being shown, it's as if Wilde is mocking the upper class, but portrays the middle class to be moral and hard working, this is shown through "Basil". Unlike "Lord Henry" or "Basil", "Dorian" represents the end of the nineteenth century where many changes were being seen, one being the reduction of separation between classes, and people were beginning to mix with people of higher or lower class than themselves, therefore rather than belonging to a category in the "Victorian class system" "Dorian" is shown to be the link between the classes.