Social Struggle Mrs. Dalloway And The Picture Of Dorian...

Social Struggle in Turn of the Century and Modern Narratives Throughout history there have been struggles in social relationships relating to class, race and sex. These struggles have been recorded in narratives such as Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, Gene Luen Lang’s The Shadow Hero and Tate Taylor’s The Help throug ¬h the characters lifestyles, wealth/ lack thereof and behavior. Each of these authors, playwrights and artists give insightful portrayals of their characters through an emphasis on their social roles. The portrayals made by them show a critical view of the social hierarchy and bigotry. Members of the upper-class, like those in Mrs. Dalloway and The Picture of Dorian Gray are characterized by their lifestyles. In Mrs. Dalloway, we can see that the upper-class have a comfortable lifestyle; however, there can be drawbacks if you are a part of the ‘lesser sex’. In Mrs. Dalloway we get an in -depth look at the life and history of Clarissa Dalloway which allows us to see the disparities between wealth and sex. Unlike the men of high status, the women are seen to be inconsequential, frivolous and lazy. The women of the upper-class in Mrs. Dalloway pamper themselves with expensive items and they are characterized by their love of shopping, outer appearances and frivolous parties. Clarissa, especially, is described by her appearance and tastes when she claims that â€Å"Bond Street fascinated her† (Woolf 9) and that she wearsShow MoreRelated The Social/Economic Upper-Class in England in Mrs. Dalloway, Sense and Sensibility, and The Picture of Dorian Gray1383 Words   |  6 Pages The social/economic upper-class in England in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray are depicted through the characters’ lifestyles, wealth, and behaviors. Woolf, Austen, and Wilde give insightful portrayals of the characters by emphasizing their social roles in the England society. Their portrayals of the characters suggest that they are critical of the upper-class’ factitious lifestyles. Members of England’sRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pageswork from the list below or choose another novel or play of comparable literary merit. All the King’s Men King Lear Anna Karenina Madame Bovary As I Lay Dying The Mill on the Floss The Awakening Moby-Dick Billy Budd Mrs. Dalloway Bleak House Native Son Bless Me,Ultima One Hundred Years of Solitude Catch-22 Othello Crime and Punishment The Scarlet Letter The Crucible Slaughterhouse-Five A Farewell to Arms Song of Solomon Ghosts The