Essay Outline

Names: Nicolás Beas & Alexandra Dewulf

Topic: 4. Do you agree with the following statement: The double nature of human

beings is often portrayed as a problem in Victorian literature, and usually the rational side

succeeds in dominating instinct. Discuss in relation to a specific primary text.

Thesis Statement: We don’t agree with the topic because in The Picture of Dorian Gray, the

double nature of human beings coexists between the morality and immorality of the main character in

equal terms.

Argument 1: The double nature coexists because the picture reveals the immorality of Dorian’s

acts, while Dorian’s face reveals only morality.

Argument 2: This double nature coexists also within the main character since he performs both

moral and immoral acts.

Primary Material:

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. ed. Robert Mighalm. London: Penguin Books, 2000. Print.

Secondary Material:

Liebman, Sheldon W. ¨The Character Design in The Picture of Dorian Gray¨ Studies in the Novel 31.3

(1999): 296-316. JSTOR. Web. 07 May 2018.

Shin-chuan, LIU. “On Dorian Gray’s Two Factors in The Picture of Dorian Gray” US-China Foreign

Language 14.4 (2016): 306-311. David Publishing Company. Web. 07 May 2018.

Style Guide: MLA