In Oscar Wilde`s poem The Doer of Good we are subjected to Biblical testimonies from the New Testament. Throughout this poem we learn about the multiple people that Christ has healed and how it has impacted on them. It should come as no surprise that they appear to have reverted back to sin. Subsequently, when Christ questions their behaviour they see no issue with how they live their lives. Imagine if that happened today: what would Jesus say if he walked amongst us and witnessed the ways in which we live. Speaking generally, He would likely be as mystified as he appears in the poem. An interesting idea in this context has been offered by Declan Kiberd.
In his article “The London Exiles: Wilde and Shaw” Kiberd refers to Wilde`s ideology of the Mask and what is symbolises. This concept has been rooted on Wilde`s ideas that one must study to become the opposite of all that one is by nature and inheritance. (72) In consideration of this, I would purport that those healed by Christ should make a conscious effort to deviate away from sin. Of course being human, that isn’t always possible. Our first recognition of this comes from Adam and Eve and their actions in the Garden of Eden. The one law which they were supposed to abide is the one which they broke – which connects all humans, including the ones within the poem. However, the last person that He meets is quite interesting. Throughout the poem, all the people in question had queried the problem with their behaviour when asked by Christ. However, the last person seems to have a different perspective. As Jesus exits the city and finds this man weeping, he asks him why. His response is like all the others, except that he is the only crying. We learn that Jesus resurrected him, so could it be that he has no desire to live and sin as others do? “But I was dead once and you raised me from the dead. What else should I do but weep?” (A Doer of Good”)
Works Cited:
Kilbred, Declan. `The London Exiles: Wilde and Shaw`. The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing. Volume 2. Ed. Seamus Deane. Derry: Field Day, 1990. 372-6. Print.
Kilbred, Declan. `Oscar Wilde – The Artist as an Irishman`. Inventing Ireland. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1996. 32-49. Print.
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