Dorian Gray versus the Creature
The two monsters, the Creature and Dorian Gray, start off as experiments by their creators, Victor Frankenstein and Lord Henry Wotton, one being a scientific experiment, and the other a social and philosophical experiment. The two stories contrast in that one is of a monster who is "staggeringly visually unattractive and disturbing" (Rosenberger) on the outside but tries to be good inwardly (the Creature), and the other is of a monster who is not ugly, but has "eerily, permanent beauty" (Rosenberger) that made him the monster he is, and is immoral and evil on the inside (Dorian Gray). Thinking of Basil as one of the other creators of the monster Dorian Gray in that he created the painting of Dorian that partially led to his wanting of eternal youth, Basil is comparable to Victor Frankenstein in that both of them were killed by their own creations. Basil also only sees the good in his creation. Victor only sees the bad in his creation. Both have a detrimental affect on the monsters that they created. Victor's monster, the Creature, is left abandoned and lonely and outcasted so much so that the Creature lashes out on Victor and his family. Basil's (and Lord Henry's) creation blinds him with his beauty so that Basil only sees the good in Dorian and is not able to help him stop from committing acts of sin.
The Creature in Frankenstein is the literary description of what a monster is, "an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening", but who doesn't want to be a monster. Dorian Gray would not, at first glance, be considered a literary monster of any kind, but a beautiful being. But the acts that he commits make him into even worse of a monster than the Creature, and he puts all of his actions on a painting, instead of taking the responsibility of his actions. It is almost as if the Creature in Frankenstein was born into the life of a monster but does not initially wish to be a monster, even though he does eventually fall suit into the entirety of being a monster, where Dorian Gray is born into a life where he could be a good person if he chose to, but is influenced into choosing the life of sin and immorality and therefore chooses to become a monster. It is quite unfair, if you think about the way the lives of these two monsters turned out to be. Although Dorian Gray was obsessed with youth and beauty, he could have done all of the monstrous things he had done in the body of the Creature and the Creature could have lived in a world with humans where he would be accepted and able to be good if he lived in the body of Dorian Gray. Dorian was not lonely like the creature, he was surrounded by people. He ruined and abused the relationships he had by soiling the reputations of others, breaking innocent hearts, and leading others down the path of sin that he chose. The creature only wants those relationships, but instead is heartbroken, outcasted, and pushed into a life of sin.
Both works provide a unique look to what monsters actually consist of. The Picture of Dorian Gray offers a much "prettier" outlook on the monster spectrum. Whereas, Frankenstein embodies the typical, gruesome monster that so many of us are used to seeing. However, both texts offer an insight to the emotional side of the monsters. The Creature makes us sympathize with him because he only wants to be loved by one of his own. Dorian Gray captures our sympathy throughout the whole book because he is just an ordinary young kid who gets corrupted by Lord Henry and, ultimately, has his life ruined.
The Creature in Frankenstein is the literary description of what a monster is, "an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening", but who doesn't want to be a monster. Dorian Gray would not, at first glance, be considered a literary monster of any kind, but a beautiful being. But the acts that he commits make him into even worse of a monster than the Creature, and he puts all of his actions on a painting, instead of taking the responsibility of his actions. It is almost as if the Creature in Frankenstein was born into the life of a monster but does not initially wish to be a monster, even though he does eventually fall suit into the entirety of being a monster, where Dorian Gray is born into a life where he could be a good person if he chose to, but is influenced into choosing the life of sin and immorality and therefore chooses to become a monster. It is quite unfair, if you think about the way the lives of these two monsters turned out to be. Although Dorian Gray was obsessed with youth and beauty, he could have done all of the monstrous things he had done in the body of the Creature and the Creature could have lived in a world with humans where he would be accepted and able to be good if he lived in the body of Dorian Gray. Dorian was not lonely like the creature, he was surrounded by people. He ruined and abused the relationships he had by soiling the reputations of others, breaking innocent hearts, and leading others down the path of sin that he chose. The creature only wants those relationships, but instead is heartbroken, outcasted, and pushed into a life of sin.
Both works provide a unique look to what monsters actually consist of. The Picture of Dorian Gray offers a much "prettier" outlook on the monster spectrum. Whereas, Frankenstein embodies the typical, gruesome monster that so many of us are used to seeing. However, both texts offer an insight to the emotional side of the monsters. The Creature makes us sympathize with him because he only wants to be loved by one of his own. Dorian Gray captures our sympathy throughout the whole book because he is just an ordinary young kid who gets corrupted by Lord Henry and, ultimately, has his life ruined.