Irresistible Seductiveness of Dorian and Beloved

irresistible seductiveness of Dorian and Beloved.

Beloved and The Picture of Dorian Grey are two novels that are marked by the supernatural occurrences that happen within them. As part of the supernatural theme in these books both main characters (Beloved and Dorian Grey) have a gift which make them very seductive to all human beings. This gift brings with it negative and positive consequences that mark both novels all throughout.

The first time we see Beloved reincarnated into the body of a young woman, one of the first things that Morrison describes of her is her skin. “Her skin was flawless” is the first thing that Morrison mentions about the physical aspect of Beloved due to the fact that it's shocking that such an ‘old’ woman has perfect skin. Our skin is something that can be very sensual as it is always in contact with our partner and it's an organ that can be simulated with just one stroke of the hand. Apart from being one of the most sensual organs, our “skin” is also something that protects the inside of our body. A way in which this is done is by producing sweat to keep our body temperature cool, and this process is linked to the one of having sexual relationships. Beloved is also described as having shiny, “smooth” skin, which is the appearance of our skin when we sweat. On the other hand, the first physical description that we get of Dorian Grey is of everything but his skin. “His finely-curved scarlet lips” is the first aspect that Lord Henry points out about Dorian. It can be argued that our “lips” form part of our skin and these would be the most sensual part of this as we use our “lips” to kiss people we love, and kissing someone on the “lips” shows a sensual act. The fact that a male character describes Dorian with “scarlet lips” was something very shocking during the Victorian era because it can be interpreted as a homosexual description. The word “scarlet” also has sexual connotations and we tend to see prostitutes wearing this lip colour, yet again, this description is very sexual and was revolting during the time.

Another occasion in which we see Beloved’s irresistible seductiveness is at the end of chapter 9. “Other one (turtle) moving quickly, quickly to mount her.”, this quotation shows when the two tortures start to have sex which was triggered by Beloved looking at them. The fact that Beloved just has to stare at two animals for them to start a sexual act shows the power that she has over other individuals and makes the audience question what else she is capable of doing. By this point in the novel we are aware that Beloved wants Sethe all for herself, and we can interpret this scene as Beloved practicing her supernatural powers as she wants to practice them on Paul D and herself to break the couple. Here we are able to appreciate the bad intentions that Beloved has and it is foreshadowing the fact that she wants Paul D to cheat on Sethe. In this situation we can see that the irresistible seductiveness of Beloved has a lot of power as it is capable of breaking a strong couple that goes way back in time. In The Picture of Dorian Grey, Dorian does not have the same power as Beloved however he does have the effect on people where they find him extremely attractive. We can see this all through the novel when people meet him, an example would be when Lord Henry first meets him, “he was certainly wonderfully handsome”. The fact that a male character describes Dorian as someone “handsome” shows how attractive and sensual he is.

The most obvious time when Morrison shows Beloved’s irresistible seductiveness is when Paul D has sex with Beloved against his own will. One night Beloved goes into the “storeroom” where Paul D is sleeping (because he is “being moved out of 124” by a supernatural force), and she wants to have sex with Paul D but he can’t make her go away. Beloved wants him to “touch her inside part”, but Paul D is determined to ignore her. However, this determination does not last long as he ends up having sex with her once he said the word “Beloved” out loud. This occurrence is a key part in the novel as it is the first time that Morrison tells the reader clearly Beloved’s dark intentions. The fact that Paul D makes it clear that he does not want anything to do with this girl, “Go on back in the house”, and he still has sex with her shows the strong power of her irresistible seductiveness, she is capable of breaking a man who has learned to control his emotions like no other. The fact that Paul D has to say Beloved’s name out loud makes it seem as if Beloved casted a spell on him in order to break his strong free will. It can also be argued that Dorian Grey has a similar effect on people, it's like if he casts a spell on them. We can see this in his relationship with Sybil Vane and how quickly she fell in love with him, “you had made me understand what love really is”. When reading the book the audience might believe that she is under a supernatural spell due to her strange behaviour that she shows and the fact that she does not mention Dorian’s name to her family as if she was protecting him, she calls him “Prince Charming”.

Another character that Beloved seduces with her supernatural powers is Denver. We can see this when Denver is aware that that the “fully dressed” woman that appeared at 124 is her sister and she does not say anything to her mother, “The questions Beloved asked: … How did she know?”. Denver is the first character in the novel to realise that Beloved is the ghost, but she does not say anything because of fear that she might lose her sister and her playmate. This highlights the obsession that Denver has

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