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An Analysis Of Wilde's The Soul Of Man Under Socialism

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THE IMPLICATIONS OF “DEATH”
In the sight of Wilde, the predominant morality eulogized by most traditional fairy tales became a sort of burden or social repression in Victorian society since such hypocritical morality exacerbated the plight of the poor in reality. Through the unconventional application of “death”, for instance, the detailed suffering of characters and unfortunate endings, Wilde’s tales indict the burden such utilitarian moral instruction places on individuals through art works.

The Hypocrisy of Victorian Morality. Some scholars believed that Morality was established and often hypocritically applied by the upper class for the purpose of continuing their family line in Victorian society. For example, Bayley has suggested the hypocrisy of the upper class and the moral standards upheld by them: “the upper class intended to stay on top and wealthy… [They attempt to] …show more content…

In his essay “The Soul of Man under Socialism”, Wilde affirmed that the misguided humanitarian, promulgated by those on the upper rungs of the social ladder, exacerbated the plight of the poor: “the majority of people spoil their lives by an unhealthy and exaggerated altruism are forced, indeed, so to spoil them” (The Complete Works 1079). For the sake of a better society, Wilde strove for the freedom of every individual, especially the artists, from the rigid set of the “unhealthy and exaggerated altruism”. He stressed the necessity of breaking from the institutionalized moralism that was imposed on individuals by the society, or more accurately, by the hypocritical upper class “who would extol the virtues of charity and compassion for the less fortunate while establishing and supporting the class system responsible for their condition” (Jones

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