Why Oscar Wilde Is My Hero
By Andy Heath
I believe those who suffer a great deal have much to teach us. Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite historical characters, and in many ways I try to emulate him. He was a famous gay playwright in Britain in the 19th Century, and was eventually convicted on charges of sodomy and sentenced to hard labor and prison. After that time, he moved to France and then died, as the prison experience broke him. Regardless, there are many things about Oscar Wilde that I admire.
First, I admire his courage. If you have ever read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, you will see that both Lord Henry and Basil are obviously gay characters in that book. Oscar Wilde was about 100 years ahead of his time when it comes to courage because he wrote about obviously gay characters in England when it was not just a sin but a crime to be gay. He put himself in great danger for this reason. I admire Wilde for risking – and eventually losing – everything in order to be the man that he knew he must be.
Second, he was a creative spirit. I admire him for being a great student – I certainly was not – and for being willing to show his creativity in his studies as well as with his peers while he was in school. Apparently he decorated his room with peacock feathers, something that was clearly more flamboyant than a man would have been permitted to be at that time. And the fact that he did so well in school studying the classics shows me that he has brilliance that I so greatly admire; he was certainly smarter than I am – which may not be saying much, but I admire him all the same.
Third, I just think he is interesting. I admire interesting people. He was witty and always making wonderful jokes. If you read The Picture of Dorian Gray you will find that biting wit in nearly everything Lord Henry says. It is simply wonderful. There was one particular scene toward the beginning of the book where Dorian Gray said that he had missed playing a duet with Lord Henry's aunt. Lord Henry replied with something like, "No matter. I'm sure everyone will have thought it was a duet considering how loudly my aunt plays." There was another scene where Lord Henry was speaking about a woman, saying, "She has everything in common with a peacock except for beauty." When I read that I thought I would fall out of my chair laughing. What a delightful insult!
I have to admit I have never read any of Wilde's plays, and I lament the fact that he only ever wrote one novel. I'm not one to sit and read plays, to be honest. Though I might do that at some point just to get a greater feel for Wilde.
I don't know what it is, but I feel a spiritual connection to him. He seems to call me from the spirit world, almost like he guides me in my life. I feel I have so much to learn from him about courage, about the willingness to be oneself, about creativity, and yes, about love. When I conjure images of those that I most admire, Oscar Wilde comes to mind nowadays. I hope that at some point when I die, I will have the chance to meet him. I know that just sounds silly, but regardless, it is true.
