Oscar Wilde’s tale offers a depiction of otherness that challenges us to scrutinize how we view and treat individuals that are different than ourselves. Wilde shows the cruelty and ignorance of mainstream society and how it affects allies of the community through the Dwarf’s ridiculed performance and the events that follow.
The story starts and the nobles find the Dwarf and buy him for the Infanta’s birthday. It is disgusting, though not surprising, that the audience reacts to the Dwarf’s performance by laughing at him and insulting his physical appearance. Describing the Dwarf, Wilde writes, “when he stumbled into the arena, waddling on his crooked legs and wagging his huge misshapen head from side to side, the children went off into a loud shout of delight…” . In this section, he is defined by his appearance without knowing what he looks like. This can be connected to individuals with disabilities who don’t know that they have one and aren’t able to pick up on the ways in which they are treated. When the Infanta throws a white rose to the Dwarf as a joke, the Dwarf, “took the whole matter quite seriously, and pressing the flower to his rough coarse lips he put his hand upon his heart and sank on one knee before her, grinning from ear to ear, and with his little bright eyes sparkling with pleasure”. It is easy for people to hide their cruelty with subtle gestures. The fact that the Dwarf was not aware of his appearance made it easier for the Infanta to get away with her taunts and for the Dwarf to remain oblivious to it all.
What’s interesting is how nature interacts with the Dwarf. The flowers mocked him by saying, “he should drink poppy-juice” and “if he comes near me I will sting him with my thorns”. These are violent threats and it is plausible that individuals with disabilities have heard variations of these phrases directed at them. Contrary to the flowers, the birds and lizards accepted the Dwarf. The birds said that, “they did not mind his being ugly, a bit” and “he had been kind to them[…] but had always given them crumbs out of his little hunch of black bread”. This shows that they saw the Dwarf as more than his appearance and saw him as a caring individual. What’s interesting to look at is how the flowers have a negative opinion of the birds and lizards simply because they don’t mind the Dwarf. The flowers say that, “they are mere vagrants like the gipsies, and should be treated in exactly the same manner”. They demonize them and loop them in with their hatred of the Dwarf because the birds and lizards are not ridiculing him. This shows a bit of the mob mentality and how being an ally to individuals with disabilities can be frightening.
What’s so disheartening about this tale is the moment the Dwarf sees what he looks like. While trying to find the Infanta, he accidentally sees himself in a mirror and says, “it was he who was misshapen and hunchbacked, foul to look at and grotesque”. He is physically pained to see himself and realizes that the Infanta was mocking him with the white rose. What’s even more gruesome is the fact that the Infanta was only thinking of her own wants because at the end, when the Dwarf dies she says, “for the future, let those who come to play with me have no hearts”.
While I don’t have personal experience with this, I feel like there is still a stigma surrounding people with disabilities. Even though this is a fictional tale, it reminded me that people are still capable of treating others like this.
Word Count: 623
Bibliography
Wilde, Oscar. “The Birthday of the Infanta.” 1891. Wikisource. 28 January 2019.
I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work. – Sammie
