The Model Millionaire Themes

“The Model Millionaire” is full of deceptive appearances. Physical attractiveness goes a long way in late-19th-century London society: Hughie Erskine’s good looks make him widely admired, but he lacks brilliance and ambition. His friend Alan Trevor, meanwhile, is an unattractive “strange rough fellow” but a brilliant artist who reaps financial success from his work. Although the characters seem to invest themselves in the idea that appearances bring themselves to bear on wealth and…

In “The Model Millionaire,” Wilde examines the social function of artists, posing questions about their responsibility when it comes to depicting the world around them. Alan Trevor, for his part, confidently declares that artists should simply depict the world “as [they] see it, not […] reform it as [they] know it.” In other words, he suggests that art is purely representational—an impartial reflection of its subject matter.

At first, Alan’s perspective seemingly aligns with…