The late nineteenth century in Europe gave rise to a gap between social classes in society. Similar to the Gilded Age in America, European countries experienced the disappearance of a middle class, while a large wealthy and poor class emerged. Although the wealthy class was revered and respected in society, one author, Oscar Wilde, chose to capture and satirize its life and ideals through his literary works, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Through his pieces, Wilde stresses that the only way to escape society's superficiality is to remain true to one's inner self and righteous morality.
In both The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, British high society, representing superficiality, seduces common men. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, society, manifested in Lord Henry Wotton, seeks opportunity to transform a common man, Dorian Gray, to that of "superior social stature," through its powerful influence. Gray, once praised for his charm, succumbs to society through the embodiment of British culture, Lord Henry Wotton. Initially representing the "harmony of soul and body," Dorian Gray possesses a pure and unadulterated heart and upholds virtuous morals (The Picture 24). However, once Lord Henry spots him, he corrupts Gray's innocent psyche. Lord Henry approaches Dorian, while Dorian is posing for a portrait, and enlightens him on the transience of human beauty. Lord Henry infuses the concept that beauty is the "one thing worth having" and when it goes, one has "no triumphs left" in his life (37-38). Furthermore, he stresses that one "only has a few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully" (38). These notions startle Dorian, a "rose-red youth," and force him to create an external shield (33). Dorian's "sense of his own beauty [comes] on him like a revelation" and compels him to accept the truths that one day "his face would be wrinkled, the scarlet would pass away from his lip, and he would become dreadful, hideous, and uncouth" (42).