Oscar Wilde Essay

Oscar Wilde was well-known for his use of paradoxes throughout his writing. One of his best pieces, The Picture of Dorian Gray, had numerous paradoxes throughout it. He loved using paradoxes and that is why Lord Henry, the character most similar to Wilde, is quoted as being called "Prince Paradox." Characters in the novel had to decide between conscience and instinct when facing dilemmas. Although conscience and instinct seem paradoxical, a compromise between them would be the best solution.

Conscience is knowing from right and wrong while instinct is the gut feeling one gets in a situation; however, both aspects can contradict one another unless they are used properly. It is not impossible to merge both aspects; furthermore, it is very important to merge them. If not, one aspect would be stronger than the to a downfall. A proper balance between the two will avoid situations such as that as Dorian Gray had. Since Dorian listened to Lord Henry--Prince Paradox-- he let somebody else mold his personality, which turned out to be for the worst. In the scene where Dorian and Basil were alone upstairs, Dorians gut instinct said to kill Basil. Instead of thinking about it and listening to his conscience, he murdered Basil. He then had a guilty conscience for the rest of his life. If he would have listened to his conscience rather than instinct, he may not have ruined his life.

The little angel and devil on the shoulder are the best examples of conscience. The devil always wants to do what may be tempting and pleasurable while the angel thinks ahead and looks at the consequences. The angel and devil represent a good conscience and bad conscience. Everyone has a choice to make, that is whether to pick between good and evil. Unfortunately, Dorian decided to choose evil and went with his instincts to kill Basil. Without merging both conscience and instinct together, one will be torn between the two. Decisions will be made too quickly and may not be the best.