How Sublimating Leads to a Superficial Self

By: Ray Zhang and Leah Ostrowski

Sexuality is a fluid concept that has altering definitions depending on who you ask. Therefore, authors have to find the right balance of showing and telling while integrating their own experiences into the piece. This subject was even more difficult for Oscar Wilde to tackle, given that he lived in an era where talking about any type of sexuality that was deviant from the social norm was considered sinful. In his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde incorporated countless sexual innuendos, euphemisms, and aphorisms to spotlight the fact that Dorian Gray was gay. Although it is widely accepted that Dorian Gray is homosexual, some scholars argue that Sibyl Vane’s sudden appearance and immediate disappearance may allude to a different view of Gray’s sexuality. We’re here to finally settle that age-old debate, and definitively prove why we believe Dorian Gray is in fact gay, and how his inability to express himself created a superficial reality that eventually led to his demise. 

Before we dive into our analysis, there are several important questions to consider regarding the relationship between Sibyl and Dorian. First and foremost, did Sibyl and Dorian Gray truly love each other, or was their relationship merely superficial? Did Oscar Wilde incorporate Sibyl as a way to avoid being persecuted for being gay? Lastly, did Dorian Gray pretend to love Sibyl Vane in order to sublimate his love for men?

The most evident flaw with Sibyl and Dorian’s relationship is simply how dysfunctional it is. The two share very few similarities besides having a “wonderfully beautiful face” (Wilde 16). Dorian is enamored with the idea of Sibyl and only visions Sibyl in a fictional sense: 

 

“To [Dorian] at least she was always a dream, a phantom that flitted through Shakespeare’s plays and left them lovelier for its presence, a reed through which Shakespeare’s music sounded richer and more full of joy” (Wilde 75).

For the duration of their relationship, Dorian was a mere audience member that fell in love again and again with the different characters that Sibyl portrayed. When Sibyl denounced her acting career and confessed her undying love for Dorian, Dorian bitterly responded with,

 

“I loved you because you were marvelous because you had genius and intellect because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid” (Wilde 63). 

Dorian had fallen in love solely with the aesthetic part of Sibyl’s existence, proving that Dorian was only obsessed with Sibyl’s superficial talent, not the fact that he was attracted to her (or women in general). This emotional limbo creates even more turmoil when Dorian refuses to take the blame for Sibyl's death.

A similar observation can be made about Sibyl’s reason for loving Dorian. Sibyl was part of the lower class of England society--an inescapable hole of poverty. To the Vanes, Dorian proved a way out of this lifestyle: Dorian was both wealthy and possessed a high social status. In fact, Sibyl's mother continuously pressures Sibyl into taking Dorian’s hand in marriage by saying, “This young man might be rich. If so, marriage should be thought of” (Wilde 45). Opponents of this view would argue that Sibyl’s suicide proves that she had true feelings for Dorian. However, the counterclaim fails to address the fact that Dorian abruptly ended Sibyl’s hope for a better life--making her believe that death was the only way out. 

Another important aspect of Dorian and Sibyl’s relationship to consider is why Wilde even included this part in the first place. In the original 1890 novel, Wilde did not include any reference to James Vane (Sibyl’s bother); this lack of context failed to address the socio-economic situation of the Vanes, making the relationship between Sibyl and Dorian seem even more superficial since the two lacked a reason to love each other. However, in the 1891 edition of the novel, a version that was heavily edited due to the homoerotic nature of the original version, Wilde added James Vane and deleted several quotes that seemed homoerotic. This begs the question: did Wilde add Sibyl Vane as a way to escape being prosecuted for being gay? This is very likely since the Victorian Era was extremely sensitive to homosexual writing. In fact, Carson, the plaintiff of Wildes, “used Wilde’s writings to show that a reasonable person might conclude that Wilde tried to make others believe that he was the kind of man who had sex with other men” (Elfenbein). Thus, the addition of a heterosexual partner for Dorian Gray could’ve decreased the validity of the prosecutor's claims toward Wilde. 

Oscar Wilde’s portrayal of his own sexuality through his art is parallel with another artist: Hannah Gadsby’s comedy performance, Nannette, on Netflix. The struggle for a “socially acceptable” identity is one that is still prevalent today. In Gadsby’s special, the concept of social codes arises when she discusses her coming out stories and day-to-day experiences as a lesbian. She recalls the day her grandma questioned her about her lack of a boyfriend, to which Gadsby responds with her thoughts about finding a “Mr. Right,'' (or an ideal male partner)

 

“But you’re also Mr. Very Very Too Late. ‘Cause I’ve done quite a lot of work on this lesbian situation here and I don’t imagine I’ve got a tight turning circle on identity” (Nannette).

This situation is similar to Dorian Gray’s; Gadsby faced difficulties living as a queer person. Unlike Dorian, however, she faces scrutiny from those around her because she no longer sublimates her true feelings. Gadsby’s own mother responds to the news of her “coming out” by saying:

“Oh, Hannah. Why did you have to tell me that? That’s not something I need to know. I mean, what if I told you I was a murderer?’… Murderer. Murderer. You would hope that’s a phase” (Nannette).

 

Gadsby presents herself as both a witty comedian and a passionate advocate for social change. She mentions more than once that humor relieves tension in difficult situations, and she creates agitation during the show to make the audience uncomfortable. The discomfort allows her to share the trauma that came alongside being a queer person. 

In fact, a lot of queer artists struggle with this same concept of sublimating for acceptance. For instance, in The importance of being bored: the dividends of ennui in “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Nunokawa explains, 

“The metaphysical achievement of the "love that dare not speak its name" is the end of a story that we all know, a tale of sublimation that begins with a shameful or illegal "impulse" that "broods in the mind," because it is denied the franchise of physical expression” (Nunokawa). 

Homophobia is ingrained in the minds of many people from their first introductions to “couples,” the relationships they are shamed for pursuing later in life. There are people who work to deny a vital part of other people’s identity, escalating the inability of queer people to exist comfortably in society.

The biggest takeaway we had after reviewing these sources was that the issue of sexuality and acceptance is far more prevalent than we thought. Some queer people attempt to blend in or sublimate in order to avoid ruining their reputation creates much of their internal conflict.

Dorian Gray’s double life is representative of both Wilde’s personal conflicts and societal disputes. The consequences of his decision to portray an acceptable illusion of himself were severe and eventually fatal--as we see with the allegorical presentation of his soul as a deteriorating painting. Sublimation created this superficial reality where neither external relationships nor internal truths can prosper. Seeing a variety of artists undergo the process of masking their identities makes the conversation about sexuality and queer people difficult to elucidate in just a few sentences. However, understanding the flawed aspects of our heteronormative society is important to the progression of queer education, art, and influence for overall acceptance. 

Sources: 

1. Alley, Henry M. "The gay artist as tragic hero in The Picture of Dorian Gray." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, vol. 11, no. 2, June 2009. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A204861634/AONE?u=lom_troyhs&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=1d4297ef. Accessed 3 June 2022.

2. Elfenbein, Andrew. “On the Trials of Oscar Wilde: Myths and Realities.” BRANCH: Britain, Representation and Nineteenth-Century History. Ed. Dino Franco Felluga. Extension of Romanticism and Victorianism on the Net.Web. Accessed 3 June 2022.

3. Hannah Gadsby's Nanette (Netflix)

4. Lawler, Donald L. “An Inquiry into Oscar Wilde's Revisions of' 'The Picture of Dorian Gray” (New York: Garland, 1988). Accessed 3 June 2022.

5. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dover Publications, 1993. 

Images: 

1. Lesnick, Silas. “The Picture of Dorian Gray Is Getting a Remake, with One Key Change.” CINEMABLEND, Cinemablend, 17 Aug. 2017, https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1693270/the-picture-of-dorian-gray-is-getting-a-remake-with-one-key-change.

2. Wilde, Oscar. “The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde - Free Ebook Download.” By Oscar Wilde - Free Ebook Download - Standard Ebooks: Free and Liberated Ebooks, Carefully Produced for the True Book Lover., 20 Apr. 2022, https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/oscar-wilde/the-picture-of-dorian-gray.