A Caged World: A critical analysis of Queer oppression in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Statovci’s Crossing and Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room

Abstract

Whether it was acknowledged or not, homosexuality and same-sex interactions existed in every society. In the past, homosexual individuals faced discrimination due to their gender identification in Christian-based societies. In writing about homosexuality, early LGBT writers like Oscar Wilde and James Baldwin experienced great suffering. Laws have been developed to secure society against LGBT individuals. They are perceived as a hazard that has the potential to undermine traditional society's moral standards. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde made a groundbreaking statement since it depicted gay characteristics in Victorian culture, where homosexuals were referred to be demons. Wilde always tried to challenge the established social structure and the bourgeois throughout his works. He became a victim for pursuing his personal choices which were considered a sin in Victorian society. However, his sufferings made him a pioneer figure in Gay liberation later on. Subsequently, the novel Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin was published during the mid of 19th century when homosexuality was considered a mental illness in American society. Statovci’s Crossing comes at a time when many of us have become sceptical of binary classifications, such as gay, heterosexual, woman, and man, and have started to see how insufficient they are to capture the reality of human lives. This paper aims to analyze Queer oppression in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Statovci’s Crossing and Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room by exploring Queer theory which challenges the established norms. Also, the paper aims to analyze the domination of class differences towards queer people by exploring Marxist theory. Lastly, the paper aims to acknowledge the battle of queer people to understand their true selves by exploring the psychoanalytical approach.