How do people criticize people who sin openly versus in secret? Does our society ignore hidden sins more readily than those performed openly, without apology? Why is this? Do you know people who lead two lives - public and private? How is Dorian's fear of the painting getting exposed the same as people fearing that their secret sin will be exposed?
High school pops into my head when I think about people criticizing others for their sins. One instance, a female being sexually active, seems to cause a lot of commotion. There are the girls that wear the short skirts, the low cut t-shirts and the form fitting outfits...And, in contrast, there are the shy girls that don't wear make-up, that wear clothes too big for themselves and blend into the backgroud. Both types of girls are able to commit the same acts of sexual activity, but it is expected from the bimbo in the short skirt. When gossip about the short skirt sporting she-devil's sexual sessions slipped out (try THAT for a tongue twister) it wouldn't cause a big splash. However, if the shy girl in the over-sized sweater was found out of being a nymphomanic, then the high school world would be rocked. Girl A made it a public affair, while Girl B kept it hidden away. The sin seems bigger for Girl B because it was not viewed as part of her nature.
I do not think that society ignores hidden sin...No, I think that the world seeks hidden sin out. Jack the Ripper killed five women before disappearing. No one knew the reason for his murders and no one knows who he really was. However, there is a huge following of Ol' Jack simply because they want to know the /secret/ identity of the murderer (thank you Maureen Johnson author of YA novel The Name of the Star). In addition, I think that Mr. Clinton might have avoided his whole scandal had he not tried sneaking around, but had come out and said, "I do not like my wife, I had sexual relations with this woman." When people confess or do things in the open, it gets overlooked more easily. Yes, it might get splashed in the head lines, but it blows over more quickly because bigger news is buried in the closet of secrecy. I think this all has to do with human curiosity and ego. People want to know the truth about others. The people that are honest about things are not interesting and are not threatening. All they have is on the table. It's the ones with secrets that you have to watch out for. They could have the secrets that you could use to bail yourself out of deep water. Someone finds out you read Twilight? You toss your friend to the sharks by telling everyone that s/he sewed together a "Team Edward" shirt and a "Team Jacob" shirt because they couldn't decide which one Bella should date. I mean... They were both perfectly horrid choices.
I think that everyone has some sort of a double life. You can't reveal your entire self to every single person you meet. I think that the most common double life is that of the depressed person. They try, and mostly succeed, in putting on a good front while they are dying from the inside out. Being secretive is part of our society. A mysterious man in a book causes more intrigue then bombarding the reader with useless information (a very sarcastic thanks to Zusak and The Book Thief). We expect everyone to hide something.
I don't know if Dorian's fear of the painting being exposed is the same as a person fearing the revelation of their sins. It seems to me that people realize how disgusting Dorian is even without seeing his painting. I think the painting is just a confirmation for Dorian himself. He is beautiful on the outside, but he is a sick puppy. The painting is his true reflection...the image of the man that people see crushing the heart of a poor girl. People know he is foul, but overlook it because of his innocent look. I think a secret sin being found out is more shocking.
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