The Attitudes of Men and Women - Case Study Example

Sexuality and the Victorian Age Introduction The Victorian age is quite possibly unique in terms of the hypocrisy that was present in society particularly with respect to sex and sexuality. The attitudes of men and women were defined by the norms of the time and those norms expected that women were to be shown the utmost respect by men. However, the norms also limited the manner in which the women could take part in society and how they were to be seen by men (McKenna, 2006). Essentially, British society and the culture of the Victorian age became restrained and repressed to the point that even literature showed a rebellious attitude towards it. As representatives of that type of literature, we have Oscar Wildes first novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and Henry James’ The Turning of the Screw both of which contain themes of hidden sexuality and criticise the manner in which society treated sex. James suggests that sex is an unmentionable topic in society while Wilde said that homosexuality is a love that dare not speak its name (McKenna, 2006). In fact, beyond these two authors, there are several other related examples of writers using their craft to show the awkward and extremely uncomfortable relations that existed between society and sexuality during the Victorian era. In essence, the literature of the time certainly shows that many artists and thinkers working at the time were entirely dissatisfied with the way society was progressing (Beckson, 1979). To better understand the significance of the two primary works under consideration, it would be ideal to examine them individually and link them to sexuality in the Victorian age. The Picture of Dorian Grey An understanding of the Picture of Dorian Grey has to be taken in view of the life lived by Wilde and the times he was living in. The conservatism of society at the time and the repressive attitudes expressed in the social order were the hallmarks of how individuals were expected to behave in social scenarios. For instance, pursuing and finding a good husband was seen as the only social duty of a lady while professional circles were limited to men and many young people had to actively avoid getting married as per the dictates of their parents. Men who chose not to get married or women who selected the single life were seen with suspicion and were largely considered social outsiders (Beckson, 1979). Wilde himself was married to Constance Lloyd but his homosexual tendencies remained quite obvious to those who knew him well. His literary works were not well accepted as far as his poetry was concerned but the social commentary contained within his plays was much appreciated (McKenna, 2006). In fact, he is known more for his plays than anything else since his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was not considered a critical success. The second revision of his novel was essentially a rewrite since he added six more chapters and explained his writings in the preface to the novel as the aesthetic school of art in which art was not seen as a moral guide (Beckson, 1979). In essence, Wilde presented his view of art as not the basis of morality as society of the time had seen art but instead, he looked at art as the process of creating something beautiful and that was an end in itself. Art for the sake of art was his mantra and the search for meaning, a deeper reason or a subtext within the work was unnecessary (Willoughby, 1993). Nevertheless, the words contained within the novel certainly go to show that there was something there which can be given many different colours and that makes an analysis of the novel a necessary task. The Perfectly Repressed Gentleman In the novel, the famous artist Hallward clearly represents a perfectly repressed gentleman of the times who is cultured and rich. His meeting with Dorian Gray and his subsequent attraction to the young man is played out in the manner in which Hallward spends hours looking at him and painting portraits of the young man (Wilde, 1891). It is interesting to note that the portraits often depict Dorian as Greek mythological figures which certainly link to the idea of homosexuality that was quite acceptable amongst the ancient Greeks. McKenna (2006) reports that the love which Hallward has for Dorian Gray could certainly be linked to the love Wilde had for Lord Alfred Douglas with whom he had a homosexual relationship. In fact, Hallward adores Dorian to the point of idolatry but does not ever declare his love for Dorian. As a perfectly repressed gentleman of the times, he exemplifies the hypocrisy of society where individuals deny themselves pleasure just so that they can appear proper (Wilde, 1891). This idea of sexuality in the Victorian age was something which Wilde abhorred and as shown by Hallward, it only created an emotional investment for him on which there was no return (McKenna, 2006). Beyond the sexual attraction which Hallward has for Dorian Gray, there is also the protective instinct which Hallward displays quite openly for the young man since he wants to protect him from the negative influence which Lord Wotton might have on Dorian. It seems that despite being in love, Hallward has to find socially acceptable means of showing his love for Dorian and while the emotions he had for the young man are anything but religious, he even tries to convince him to mend his ways in order to save his soul. He even dies at the hands of Dorian while he is trying to convince the young man to report and come back to the straight and narrow (McKenna, 2006). Of all the characters in the novel, Hallward appears to be the perfect representation of Victorian attitudes towards sex in general and homosexuality in particular since he represses his emotions to the point of absurdity. The Lord of the Manor While Hallward represents one aspect of Wilde’s personality as a repressed homosexual artist, Lord Henry Wotton may represent another as he is an incredible wit with a charming personality and a misleading influence on young minds. He says things which are supposed to shock the readers and does things which would also be quite objectionable to the Victorians. His intellectual powers are well accepted and his charming ways lead Dorian towards the life of hedonism and pleasure that they both willingly embrace (Wilde, 1891). Despite the apparent wisdom which Lord Wotton displays, it becomes quite clear that the realities of life often escape him. His flamboyant ways and his lifestyle blind him to how he has negatively influenced Dorian while he also fails to understand the message which is carried in the fall of the young man. In fact, as a character in the novel he does not show any growth or personal developed throughout the story since he appears to be pretty much the same person as he is at the beginning and the end. However, he does criticise Victorian values quite frequently and even presents a response to Wilde’s critics since he does not take any book to be immoral as The Picture of Dorian Grey was first considered on its initial publishing (McKenna, 2006). While being a Victorian, he represents an outsider’s view of the world because he does not consider himself bound by the rules which are applicable to others. His manners, his dress and everything he does are slightly different from what others would want him to do while his charm and his wit endear him to young impressionable minds (Wilde, 1891). At the same time, while he encourages others to follow an immoral life, it seems that he himself does not actively engage in a dangerous lifestyle as he led Dorian towards. He does go to parties and take in the odd show but he does not lead young people to suicide. The readers may consider him to be a world wise individual but Lord Wotton also shows a remarkable tendency towards immature behaviour and says things which show that he is perhaps more naive than any other character in the book. For example, he believes that Dorian could not have committed murder or any other criminal act since criminal activity only takes place amongst the lower socioeconomic strata of society (Wilde, 1891). However, Dorian does commit murder amongst many other crimes and perhaps the worst offense he committed was the failure to live by his own morality. Who Killed Dorian Gray? Reading the text as a critique of the Victorian society makes it obvious that failure to live up to one single moral code was what killed Dorian Gray. Had he remained faithful to the moralistic ideals he had at the beginning of the novel or had he remained connected to the ideals of hedonism which were given to him by Lord Wotton, he certainly could have survived. Following the guidelines towards sex and morality given by Victorian society would have made him a person who is willing to do anything to repress his emotions and not engage in deviant practices or have illicit affairs. On the other hand, had he continued to be a hedonist, he could have lived on for as long as he wanted to with eternal youth since his picture would have taken all the burdens of his soul. However, it was the attempt he had made in the middle of his hedonist ways to change himself which eventually resulted in his death. It is easy to imagine that if he had stayed on the path of good as Hallward wanted him to be or if he had remained hedonistic without feelings of guilt as Lord Wotton suggested he should be, he would not have stabbed the painting and thus caused his own death. Not being able to select one path is what led to the downfall of Dorian Gray despite the presence of his youth, beauty and wealth. The hedonism taught by Lord Wotton is something that is certainly attractive to Dorian since he seems to fully accept that pleasure seeking is the way of life he wants to follow (Wilde, 1891). Conventional moral systems which were given by society appear to be useless and only as a controlling mechanism which society imposes on the individual and that control is something which Dorian rebels against. However, this path also makes him lose his soul since his love for Sibyl is shown to be as shallow and as soulless as he has become. However, even his guilt about the things he has done is nothing more than self pitying hypocrisy. In fact, the character of Dorian Grey can be considered the main critique given by Wilde towards Victorian attitudes since society was repressed to a point that it was willing to have a passionate outburst at any time. Suppression of baser emotions and not having any healthy outlet for them leads Dorian Gray to commit terrible acts much as the society of the time had committed against women such as Sibyl Vane. Between the black and white of Hallward and Wanton, Dorian Gray presents a middle ground but being in the middle was of no benefit to Dorian or to those he held dear. However, while the murky greyness of a character is presented by Wilde, James’ The Turn of the Screw presents a novel which is grey and murky in its entirety while presenting a scathing criticism concerning Victorian attitudes towards sexuality (Bell, 1991). The Turn of the Screw Henry James is one of the few writers that have been claimed by both America and Great Britain as native sons of the land. He travelled extensively across the Atlantic and seemed to be equally at home in Europe and in America. Like the slow journeys he took over the Atlantic, his novels also progress rather slowly and The Turn of the Screw is no exception. Beyond the slow moving plot, the words used in the novel and the acts described are cryptic to the extent that nearly any meaning can be taken from the novel and the actions of the characters within it (Bell, 1991). The story itself is filled with instances where characters are said or implied to have behaved inappropriately but the actual acts which were considered improper are never declared by word. Just as Victorian society refused to openly and frankly discuss the issues surrounding sex and sexuality, James refuses to discuss them on even directly mention them to the point that the novel seems more like a parody of Victorian norms (Beidler, 1989). Sex? What Sex? This becomes particularly obvious when we examine the female characters of the play since the Victorian mentality refused to accept the idea that a woman could also desire sex and she too could have sexual feelings. While men may have had some measure of sexual freedom even in Victorian times, such freedoms could not be imagined by women who were considered to be a part of the moral fabric of society (Cranfill and Clark, 1965). It is quite clear that in Victorian society, Morality and sexuality were directly connected and no one could be considered a moral person as well as a sexual person. Thus the female characters experience intense frustration just as the women of the Victorian age might have felt in their situation. In this context, James has created a complex novel which can give many different interpretations to the reader depending on what the reader is looking for. Understandably, sex was a taboo topic for the Victorians but it must be noted that everything which went unmentioned or was brushed aside was automatically given a scandalous or sexual context by them (Bell, 1991). For example, within the story, as the characters are described in the manuscript assumptions are made about their romantic connections to each other. Suspicions of sexual overtones become clear when we note that the novel is being told from the perspective of the governess and vague accusations of sexual misconduct are made about individuals (James, 1898). Further, the characters within the story simple refuse to acknowledge or even recognise sexual tension where it does exist which shows that the denial of society was deep rooted when it came to sexual activities and sexual misconduct. The events, the dialogue and even the positions the characters are placed in lend themselves to a sexual interpretation even though such an interpretation may be farfetched to say the least. Victorian values were certainly prudish and it is precisely this value which James uses as a part of the story telling structure in his novel. Just as Victorian society denied everything which had anything to do with sex; the novel skirts the issue and never directly commits to what sexual activities were going on at Bly. The Hunt for Meaning Of course a simplistic reading of the novel could easily suggest that it was the lack of control displayed by the master which caused things at Bly to go south. If the master had more control, there is no way that class structures and the social orders established could have been violated. Without control, women get pregnant, children feel sexual tension, governesses turn into objects of desire for workers and even young males feel homosexual urges. Perhaps the strangest of the events in the Victorian eye, even more than the wandering ghosts is the idea that the valet could go about wearing his master’s clothes (James, 1898). In essence, without the control of a ruling figure, the world goes upside down. However, on a deeper level, it can be understood that what actually destroys the system are the repressed attitudes towards sex with the individual characters have. Henry James alludes to several things that had happened or that might have happened to lead to the difficult and impossible situations presented in the novel and this is reflected in the frustrations felt by the governess since her sexual desires and her needs remain unfulfilled (James, 1898). In a way this can also represent the mindset of the reader since the search for meaning and direct answers will come up with little in The Turn of the Screw. However, it does become clear that certain characters in the story do understand the full meaning of the story and have had their desires fulfilled even if they had to become ghosts to do that. The governess on the other hand, has to be satisfied by projecting her desires and pushing her own denial of her feelings towards Miles and Flora to the point of obsession. In fact, Flora considers that the behaviour of the governess will haunt her forever in whatever she does and wherever she goes. The affect on Miles is perhaps more direct since the governess actually suffocates him with attention and love in both figurative and literal terms (James, 1898). Beyond the sexual clues involved in the story itself, it must be kept in mind that James was socially thought to be a homosexual much more than Wilde was and this also creeps into the story as something which should not be mentioned and should not be told. Victorian society was already uncomfortable with sex and the problem as well as their discomfort only multiplied when it came to homosexual conduct which was simply unacceptable. While gothic fiction and even romantic novels provided some strange outlet for sexual fantasies, the same could not be applied to homosexual leanings since there was simply no room for accepting that as a part of mainstream sexuality. Conclusion Victorian attitudes and values were quite conservative to say the least but beyond the simple ideals of being prim and proper, the idea of Victorian propriety seems to take everything to a whole new level as anything sexual becomes unmentionable and anything left unmentioned becomes sexual. While Oscar Wilde shows us the tremendous hypocrisy which existed in Victorian society so much so that society could not even face itself or see its own picture, James shows us that society had come to a point where repression of emotion and sexual desire was leading to self destruction. However, there are still those who suggest that those were better days when society had a more positive influence but considering the works of these two writers as well as their thinly veiled disgust for the social order, it is perhaps better to say that the era did very little for the positive development of society. The attitudes defined by the Victorian age were certainly complex, hypocritical and often confusing but it must be said that the literature of the time and the manner in which writers have presented the Victorian society to us remains quite interesting and admirable. Word Count: 3,188 Works Cited Beckson, K. 1979, Oscar Wilde: The Critical Heritage, Routledge. Beidler, P. 1989, Ghosts, Demons, and Henry James, University of Missouri Press. Bell, M. 1991, Meaning in Henry James, Harvard University Press Cranfill, T. and Clark, R. 1965, An Anatomy of The Turn of the Screw, University of Texas Press. James, H. 1898, ‘The Turn of the Screw’, [Online] Available at: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Turn_of_the_Screw McKenna, N. 2006, The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde, Basic. Wilde, O. 1891, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, [Online] Available at: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray Willoughby, G. 1993, Art and Christhood: The Aesthetics of Oscar Wilde, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. Read More