Aestheticism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Register to read the introduction… This is why art’s role in society is to allow an artist to communicate a message and express beliefs, so the audience can create their own interpretation of the art and therefore reflect their own nature in the work. During the Victorian Era in England, refined sensibilities and traditional customs were followed by most of society. However, Oscar Wilde was a prominent figure in opposing these ways of life with his flamboyant appearance and contempt for cultural values. While he was an ambassador for Aestheticism, Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray, which portrayed many of his beliefs. In the novel, Dorian Gray personifies the aesthetic lifestyle in action, pursuing personal satisfaction with abandon. He does not distinct between moral or immoral acts, and simply does what pleases himself without caring about others affected by his actions. Rather than being an advocate for a pure aesthetic lifestyle, Dorian is an …show more content…
To Kill a Mockingbird explores the moral nature of human beings in a time before the civil rights movement. The story begins from the perspective of childhood innocence, where it is assumed that people are good since they have never seen evil, but it later shifts to a more mature perspective, in which they have confronted evil and now must incorporate it into their understanding of the world. Lee’s overall message was to portray that humans, rather than being merely creatures of good or creatures of evil, have both good and bad qualities. This is largely reflected in the character, Atticus Finch, who is unique in the novel because he has experienced and understood evil without losing his faith in the human capacity for goodness. He teaches this practice to his two children, Jem and Scout, where Scout’s development as a character in the novel is defined by her gradual progress toward understanding Atticus’s lessons. This culminates when Scout at last sees the neighborhood creep as a human being. Her newfound ability to view the world from Atticus’s, or in some sense Lee’s, perspective ensures that she will not become wearied as she loses her purity. Winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, the book has never been out of print, and has been used throughout many English curriculums for generations. Even in today’s society the work is seen as a message of standing up for what’s right even when the costs are high. However, some ban it for its use of profanity and others think that it has a one-dimensional depiction of African-Americans as docile, simple folk who require whites to protect them. Also, some see it as taking a powerful stand against racism, and others see it as promoting a kinder, gentler form of prejudice. This shows how the spectators of an art piece use their own nature to create an interpretation of the