The Picture Of Dorian Gray, And The Phantom Of The Beholder

There is an old saying that declares: â€Å"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder†. This suggests that beauty is subjective, and lacks a concrete contextualized definition; what is perceived by one individual as attractive, may be, by another, considered unattractive. Regardless of the subjective nature of beauty, society still conforms to beauty ideals, which are propagated and fueled by the media. The beauty ideals that are self imposed by society are problematic because they are unattainable, and galvanize society to reject or promote people based on their outward appearance and hold people’s inner beauty in less regard. The imbalance between physical (outward) appearance and inward is a key theme in both The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Phantom of the Opera. In both novels, the main characters are subject to judgment that is overwhelmingly directed at their outward appearance, and we see an over-emphasis of the superficial, which ultimately leads to their downfall . Another important thematic element present in both novels is that the main characters have conflicting dual personalities that have changing roles as the story progresses. A contrasting thematic element in both books is the excessive praise that the main character in The Picture of Dorian Gray received, and the excessive criticism that the main character in The Phantom of the Opera received, both leading to negative outcomes, and the characters’ ultimate demise. Both the characters of Erik and Dorian in The