There are many causes of evil throughout the gothic, such as supernatural events, the undead, and the clinically insane. But one origin of evil that is tremendously prevalent is the characteristic of narcissism. After analyzing both Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, it is quite apparent that Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray's narcissism cause much evil, death, and destruction. Throughout gothic literature, narcissism amongst the evil is a frequent trait. Those who are in power tend to have more narcissistic characteristics, such as Manfred from The Castle of Otranto and Count Dracula from Dracula. The powerful have always had the tendency to be more arrogant; its human nature. But Dorian Gray and Victor Frankenstein didn't truly have any real hierarchal power, rather their arrogance and narcissism came from within which inevitably led to evil. Being a confident individual doesn't make you a narcissist. Oxford Dictionary defines narcissism as "an excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance". Encapsulating the true qualities of a narcissist means you will not focus on others rather you will solely serve your own needs and interests without thinking of the repercussions. A mans singularly blind focus can be so inconspicuously damaging. As one inherently possesses narcissistic qualities, they will cause evil to arise, as we are able to see throughout the gothic and the literary works of Oscar Wilde and Mary Shelley. Not only do the characters in these works represent various narcissistic qualities, but also several parallels can be draw between the characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Frankenstein and how each one of them deals with their narcissism and inherent evil. .
Dorian Gray is an immensely charming young man with a beautiful physical appearance. He is enthralled with his features as well as his youth, but he becomes overly obsessed with these materialistic facets of life soon after he meets Lord Henry Wotton.