In the book Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, there are many themes and symbolic representations of what Victorian culture was like, and it shows the connection between Dorian Gray’s prestige and  rich lifestyle and how the west end of London connects to the theme of aestheticism and elegant attributes of English life. these connections thus reveal how Victorian society will influence people among its culture and that is evident through Dorian Gray’s novel.

One street in particular that is evident is Pall Mall street (although only mentioned once) is a street in London that is thought to be a street where many tourist attractions and mall settings reside. The rich mainly shop there as different types of elegant jewelry, herbs, expensive clothes, and other wealthy materialistic things are. In the novel, Dorian is at this point reading the yellow book that he gets from Lord Henry and the book negatively influences him as it warps his image of reality and the essence of beauty and ugliness; thus showing the contrast and connection between Dorian’s outer beauty and inner ugliness. The novel reads ” His mode of dressing, and the particular styles that from time to time he affected, had their marked influence on the young exquisites of the Mayfair balls and Pall Mall club windows, who copied him in everything that he did, and tried to reproduce the accidental charm of his graceful, though to him only half-serious fopperies” (chapter XI). This shows the importance that fashion was to Dorian and how the yellow book and Lord Henry’s influence has destroyed the innocence that Dorian Gray holds and is slowly losing touch with reality. This is clear by the end of the novel when Dorian kills himself by slashing the old rendition of his painting, but his body revealed his heart, which was his own image, as young and beautiful as Dorian wanted, and ironically, the reality that is Dorian Gray ended up being old and decrepit.

In the Old Bailey online Archive and the Charles Booth Poverty Map, there are many accounts of murder and petty larceny along this street; predominantly because it is a commercial district, there are bound to be people who steal things from different businesses. However, many of the people on this street are rich or of middle class, while there are accounts of poor people on the margin of the street. Therefore, many of the poor people would be liable for such assumptions in case a wealthier person happens to accuse them of a crime.

These archives show the relationship between the societal class distinctions and the hierarchy to which many citizens  are subjugated.  Dorian Gray is a rich and beautiful man who is influenced by his peers and by society itself into being what Victorian society feels is “valuable”. This connection can be seen on Pall Mall as the elegant lifestyle has corrupted Dorian thus turning him, ironically, ugly. This then shows the connection between the superficial aesthetic properties of the west rich lifestyle and how they are less “glamorous” as they seem.

 

Works cited:

“Booth Poverty Map & Modern Map (Charles Booth Online Archive).” Booth Poverty Map & Modern Map (Charles Booth Online Archive). N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)/Chapter 11.” – Wikisource, the Free Online Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Browse. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.