SOCIAL CRITICISM TOWARDS LATE VICTORIAN SOCIETY AND THE THEME OF SACRIFICE IN OSCAR WILDES THE HAPPY PRINCE

The social context in the period of Victorian era is a valuable point to study. Those who belonged to the upper class lived wealthily and irresponsibly. One reverse side was that although they were in the high social status, they seemed to be poor in knowledge and tried to act as if they had had profound understanding of everything. In addition, the statue of the Happy Prince was considered a punishment for the leader who had been irresponsible for the life of his local citizens during his lifetime. When he died, he had to witness everything and endured what the local citizens had experienced such as the utter misery and the harshness of the weather. This research is aimed at giving critiques on the social context of the late Victorian era and analyzing deeply the theme of sacrifice through Oscar Wildes The Happy Prince. The Victorian era was known as the era of materialism and individualism in which the luxurious life of the rich was depicted clearly and self-importance was on top of everything and that resulted in the ignorance of the poors lives.