Hedonism and Homosexual tendency in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

ABSTRACT

Hedonism is the claim that only pleasure or pain motivates us, pleasure here be understood broadly, to include all pleasant feeling or experience, such as elation, ectasy, delight, joy, and enjoyment. Hedonist have further problem, but they insist that all such motivation is ultimately only for the sake of the individuals own pleasure. The homosexual pattern of living confronts men with the need to use love and power relationships as tools of their own personal growth. The fact that the homosexual is no batter prepared to understand human nature for moral responsibity than any other individual puts him in a trulye adolescent position. Hedonism and homosexual can joined with psychological theory because hedonism a purely descriptive which states that agents naturally seek pleasure. The immanent homosexuality at the root of their own personalities, dishonesty about anything as sexuality invariably impairs the ability to love. This case will influence the homosexual and hedonism attitude.

The research is aimed to describe the hedonism and homosexual tendency faced by Dorian in the novel. In addition, this research aimed to find out the hedonism and homosexual tendency seen through social psychology faced by Dorian in the novel.

In this study, the researcher applies psychological literary criticism approach to analyze the novel. Psychological approach and theory social psychology are used to find out the psychological problems of main character The Picture Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Social psychology is a scientific study of the experience and behavior of individuals in relation to social stimulus, in terms of the cause and effects of Dorian Gray along with its characterization.

Based on the analysis, the researcher finds that the Dorian’s imitation Dorian wants is just to remain young and beautiful, Lord Henry told him to combine it with hedonism, which is an extremely poisonous idea, Dorian’s suggestion he has beauty is all that matters to him, Dorian’s identification he to emulated Lord Henry that give him suggest that the only thing worth pursuing in life is beauty, Dorian’s sympathy with Lord Henry’s world view, espousing hedonism. Dorian has no homosexual relationship with Basil, but he have had relationship with other young men. Dorian believes that he is in love with Sibyl. Actually he never loves her. Dorian hints a bisexual lifestyle, first by his profound admiration for Lord Henry and later by blackmailing his friend Allan Campbell. Other the hand, Dorian’s attitude in social condition is very no good in society because Dorian prefer to have relation with the same sex.