Oscar Wilde’s book The Portrait of Dorian Gray has constantly been mentioned everywhere in the world. This is understandable because the book presents a hedonistic worldview that was completely new back then. One of the quotes to be analyzed in this essay goes like this, “None of us can stand other people having the same faults as ourselves” (Wilde 7). Indeed, many people do not notice that they do not like those traits that are inherent in themselves in other people.
The meaning of this quote is true; perhaps the reason why people are so harsh about the other people’s shortcomings when they have the same flaws lies in the fact that over-awareness of such people about the weaknesses of their character makes them angry. However, they are not ready to admit to themselves that they are not perfect. People are condescending to their shortcomings, while they want to change other people and force them to behave the way they want.
In situations of social interaction, people notice that others are criticized for specific character traits. They are angry at others but also afraid that they could be the target of attacks, so such people behave as if they did not have the criticized character traits. Then they take the position of the aggressor, fearing being in the victim’s place. Oscar Wilde described the complexly built human relationships associated with the possession of a certain temperament in one phrase.
Thus, Oscar Wilde’s phrase turned out to be accurate; the reasons people perceive the situation as described by the author are related to the human psyche and how people build communication with each other. Therefore, Oscar Wilde’s ability to describe a person’s state of mind in one phrase is the reason why the phrases created in The Portrait of Dorian Gray are becoming iconic quotes around the world.
Reference
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Grey. UK, Dover Publications, 1993.