Frankenstein And Dorian Gray Essay
Have you ever seen a monster? Often times, society tells us what a monster is supposed to look like. Our minds conjure images of Frankenstein, Dracula, Michael Myers, or Freddy Krueger. But what if the monster actually looks like the guy next door? History has taught us that, often times, the most threatening of monsters are the individuals who look like the average guy. In the novel, The Picture Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, perception of an individual’s character can be misleading. Similarly, in the novels Frankenstein, and the film, Beauty and the Beast, there is a shared theme-- each story utilizes a “traditional” monster who, in the end, proves to be far less harmful than the seemingly “good guy.” In literature, as in life, the most
…show more content…
Shelley obviously wrote about a scientist creating a creation, and makes him look like a horrible monster, but in the end he actually is not the monster at all. Victor Frankenstein, the scientist, is actually the monster, because he created such a horrible thing to begin with. Victor Frankenstein is the monster, because he abandons the creation from the very beginning. In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray one of the main characters, Lord Henry, who also is perceived as the “devil” in the book, gives Dorian a yellow book which is supposed to help him overcome the grief of his wife's death, but it does the complete opposite. After reading the book Dorian, begins to change, and starts acting like a monster. So the real monster, in the end, is Lord Henry, since he is the one who causes Dorian to kill Basil and himself. In Sharon K. Hall’s article, “Twentieth- Century Literary Criticism” she explains that Lord Henry is the devil towards Dorian, because of his actions towards Dorian. Hall states, “ The brilliant and corrupt Wotton, in fact, plays the role of the devil” (1). Hall clearly describes Lord Henry as the “monster” because of his actions towards Dorian. In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde states, “To be good is to be in harmony with
Shelley obviously wrote about a scientist creating a creation, and makes him look like a horrible monster, but in the end he actually is not the monster at all. Victor Frankenstein, the scientist, is actually the monster, because he created such a horrible thing to begin with. Victor Frankenstein is the monster, because he abandons the creation from the very beginning. In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray one of the main characters, Lord Henry, who also is perceived as the “devil” in the book, gives Dorian a yellow book which is supposed to help him overcome the grief of his wife's death, but it does the complete opposite. After reading the book Dorian, begins to change, and starts acting like a monster. So the real monster, in the end, is Lord Henry, since he is the one who causes Dorian to kill Basil and himself. In Sharon K. Hall’s article, “Twentieth- Century Literary Criticism” she explains that Lord Henry is the devil towards Dorian, because of his actions towards Dorian. Hall states, “ The brilliant and corrupt Wotton, in fact, plays the role of the devil” (1). Hall clearly describes Lord Henry as the “monster” because of his actions towards Dorian. In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde states, “To be good is to be in harmony with