Dorian Gray Isn’t Weird Compared to Turkmenistan’s Saparmurat Niyazov: The Problem of Vanity
When one might not go for the very extreme as in selling their soul to the devil to remain handsome, here’s why Dorian Gray of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is much more common than you might think.
In Dorian Gray’s case, his sin particularly rooted in his rendezvous with Lord Henry Wotton. Gray was previously content of his life, his innocence attracted men and women from all different classes. But Wotton introduced him into a world of hedonism, of living in the ‘gray area’, of debauchery.
Psychologist Leon Festinger came up with the social comparison theory back in 1954, sixty-four years after Oscar Wilde published his only novel, but that theory perfectly describes what in the world happened to Dorian Gray (this is something Basil Hallward would say, after watching his muse crumbling into a horrifying man).
Now, social comparison, according to Festinger, can be upward or downward. In Gray’s case, he looked up. Lord Henry Wotton enchanted him, he was a god to him. Wotton’s perspective in life gave Dorian Gray a breath of fresh air. He looked up so much to Wotton, and after an upward comparison came self-improvement motivation. Dorian Gray wanted to change ‘for the better’. He engaged himself with activities Wotton would approve of. He left Basil Hallward, a man who adored his purity and innocence.
Eighteen years after Dorian Gray embarked on the train of immorality and debauchery, he showed no signs of aging. Instead, the grand painting Hallward made for him grew ancient and terrifying. Dorian Gray’s sins are corrupting the magnificent painting that supposedly showcased his beauty and purity.
As much as Dorian Gray is beautiful, he can’t hide his sins perfectly. The crowd listens and observes. Basil Hallward even read a long list of suspicions everybody had about him. But of course, he got away every time (James Vane had a gun against him and he used his beauty to escape, although it gave him very severe anxiety for days), he is beautiful.
In the end, Dorian Gray died a horrendous death. In order to create a redemption arc for himself, Gray realizes that absolution and forgiveness would only come after a confession—but after destroying his painting, the only evidence of his crimes. He stabbed the painting (don’t really get his logic, but let’s move on) and died screaming.
While Dorian Gray’s story would sound baffling and hilarious to most ears, it is not uncommon, even in the present day. For example, let’s talk about Saparmurat Niyazov.
Niyazov was the leader of Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He is probably the most renowned narcissist of the present day. To give you an idea of it, here is a list of his doings.
- Ordered a $12 million gold statue of himself to be placed upon a monument, complete with a robotic axis so that he would always face the sun.
- Days and months were renamed after him, his family, and even his book titles.
- Named a school after him.
- Two airports, too.
- A city.
- 6. A few theatres.
- A vodka brand.
- Some cologne.
- A meteorite.
- Changed the national anthem so that everyone could sing about his greatness.
Let’s be honest, even Dorian Gray wouldn’t go that far.
What is it with Niyazov and his obsession with himself?
Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., emerita psychology and brain science professor from the University of Massachusetts, wrote that vanity is the stem of pride. The vainest of us all won’t even dare considering their own vanity. It is a disease, a deadly sin. It plagues our world, a pandemic we never got rid of.
But, while it is the stem of pride, vain roots in insecurity. Melissa Ricker, a career-motivator-turned-nuclear-engineer wrote on why vanity is dangerous in A Conscious Rethink. It is dangerous and dark, because we can’t admit we are wrong, and we would eventually end up in self-loathing.
We might not be Dorian Gray or Saparmurat Niyazov, but every single one of us holds insecurities in our hearts. Have you ever posted a pretty picture of yourself because you’re feeling ugly? As if to remind everyone that you’re beautiful. That you’re still beautiful. Have you ever bought high-end goods just because you want to look well-off? Although those bags do not look better than cheaper ones? Although those shoes chafe your heels? What about the lip fillers? The botox? Am I ringing a bell?
Dorian Gray isn’t a stranger. He lives within us. Even the Greeks who looked everywhere for the Fountain of Youth lives within us.
The question is: are we going to end up like Dorian Gray?