The Model Millionaire – Summary & Analysis
Plot Summary
"The Model Millionaire" by Oscar Wilde tells the story of Hughie Erskine, a charming and handsome young man who, despite his appealing personality and good looks, struggles financially. He lives on a modest allowance of two hundred pounds a year from an elderly aunt and has failed at various professions, including the Stock Exchange, tea merchant work, and selling dry sherry. Hughie is deeply in love with Laura Merton, the daughter of a retired Colonel who served in India. However, the Colonel refuses to allow their marriage unless Hughie can secure £10,000 of his own.
One day, while visiting his artist friend Alan Trevor at his studio, Hughie encounters what appears to be a pitiful beggar dressed in rags, serving as a model for Trevor's painting. Moved by compassion for the beggar's apparent poverty, Hughie impulsively gives him a sovereign (a gold coin worth one pound), even though it was the largest denomination he possessed and needed for his own transportation. This act of spontaneous generosity stems from Hughie's kind heart, as he believes the beggar needs the money far more than he does.
Later that evening, Trevor reveals a shocking truth to Hughie: the "beggar" was actually Baron Hausberg, one of the wealthiest men in Europe. The Baron had commissioned Trevor to paint him disguised as a beggar for artistic purposes. Hughie is mortified, embarrassed, and ashamed, believing he has humiliated himself by offering charity to a millionaire.
The story reaches its climax the following morning when a messenger from Baron Hausberg arrives at Hughie's residence with an envelope. Inside is a cheque for £10,000—a wedding gift from the Baron to Hughie and Laura. The Baron, deeply impressed by Hughie's selfless generosity and compassionate nature, rewards his kindness abundantly. With this gift, Hughie can now meet the Colonel's condition and marry Laura.
The story concludes with Hughie and Laura's wedding, where Alan Trevor serves as the best man and Baron Hausberg delivers a speech at the wedding breakfast. Trevor makes a witty final observation: "Millionaire models are rare enough, but by Jove, model millionaires are rarer still", cleverly playing on the double meaning of "model"—referring both to the Baron's role as an artist's model and to his exemplary character as a generous millionaire.
Publication
"The Model Millionaire" was first published in the newspaper The World in June 1887. This was during Oscar Wilde's period of diverse literary experimentation throughout the 1880s, before he achieved his greatest fame as a playwright in the early 1890s. The story was later republished in 1891 as part of the anthology Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories, which collected several of Wilde's short fiction works.
Context
Victorian Era Background
The story is set in late Victorian England, specifically in the 1880s London society. This was a period marked by rigid social hierarchies, where class distinctions were deeply entrenched and profoundly influenced every aspect of life, from marriage prospects to social acceptance.
Victorian society was organized primarily around class and gender. The class system consisted of three main tiers: the working class (70-80% of the population, earning under £100 annually), the rapidly growing middle class (earning £100-£1,000 per annum), and the wealthy upper class (earning £1,000 or more annually from property, rent, and interest). Marriage during this era was often driven by economic considerations rather than romantic love. Securing a financially advantageous match was considered socially appropriate and even expected, particularly among the middle and upper classes.
The Colonel's demand that Hughie possess £10,000 before marrying Laura reflects typical Victorian marriage practices, where financial security and social status were paramount concerns. This monetary requirement highlights the materialistic values that dominated Victorian society, where a person's worth was frequently measured by their wealth rather than their character.
Oscar Wilde's Position
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright who became a central figure in the Aestheticism movement of the late 19th century. He is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian era, known for his wit, epigrams, and sharp social criticism. Wilde was famous for challenging Victorian puritanism and conservative social mores through his writing.
By the time "The Model Millionaire" was written in 1887, Wilde was working as a reviewer for the Pall Mall Gazette and would soon become editor of Woman's World (1887-89). His work consistently employed irony, satire, and wit to critique Victorian society's obsession with wealth, appearance, and social status.
Narrative and Language
Narrative Style
Oscar Wilde employs a third-person omniscient narrative perspective in "The Model Millionaire". This narrative approach allows the narrator to access and reveal the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of multiple characters while maintaining a certain observational distance that invites readers to judge the characters and situations.
Wilde frequently uses free indirect speech, a technique where characters' thoughts are narrated in language consistent with how they would think, but in the third person. This creates an extra distance that allows readers not simply to observe but to form their own judgments about the characters.
The story's structure follows a traditional narrative arc with a clear beginning, middle, and end, but it is infused with Wilde's signature wit and a surprise twist ending. The narrative opens with philosophical observations about modern life before introducing the protagonist and his predicament.
Language and Style
Wilde's writing style is characterized by several distinctive features that make his work instantly recognizable:
1. Wit and Epigrams: Wilde is renowned for his use of epigrams—short, witty statements that reveal contradictions or express paradoxical truths. These cleverly worded observations serve as vehicles for social criticism while entertaining readers. The story's closing line, "Millionaire models are rare enough, but by Jove, model millionaires are rarer still", exemplifies Wilde's epigrammatic style, using wordplay to convey deeper meaning about true wealth and character.
2. Irony and Paradox: Irony is perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Wilde's style. He employs irony to critique Victorian society and expose the hypocrisy of its values. The central irony of "The Model Millionaire" lies in Hughie giving charity to someone far wealthier than himself, and subsequently receiving an even greater act of charity in return. This situational irony drives both the humor and the moral message of the story.
3. Elegant and Rhythmic Prose: Wilde's sentences often carry a rhythmic, almost poetic quality. His sentence structure is typically complex but clear, with carefully placed punctuation that creates musicality in the prose. His deliberate word choices evoke specific atmospheres and provide character insights.
4. Dialogue-Driven Narrative: Like his plays, Wilde's short stories often prioritize dialogue over lengthy descriptive passages. Characters engage in witty conversational exchanges that reveal their personalities and advance the plot. This dramatic quality makes his prose feel theatrical and immediate.
5. Social Commentary Through Satire: Wilde uses satire to mock Victorian society's superficial values, particularly its obsession with wealth and social status. His critique, however, is delivered with such charm and humor that it entertains even as it challenges readers to examine societal norms.
Themes
1. Appearance vs. Reality
The central theme of "The Model Millionaire" revolves around the deceptive nature of appearances. Baron Hausberg appears to be a destitute beggar, but he is actually one of Europe's wealthiest men. This dramatic contrast challenges the characters' and readers' assumptions about wealth and poverty.
Hughie Erskine himself embodies this theme: he possesses admirable personal qualities—good looks, charm, kindness—yet lacks financial success. Meanwhile, his friend Alan Trevor is described as a "strange rough fellow" who is physically unattractive, yet he achieves financial success through his artistic brilliance. The story suggests that outward appearances—whether of wealth, poverty, or personal attractiveness—rarely reveal the complete truth about a person.
The theme extends to societal values as well. Victorian society judged people primarily by their wealth and social standing rather than their character. Wilde critiques this superficiality by showing how Hughie's genuine kindness ultimately proves more valuable than his financial status.
2. Generosity and Compassion
Wilde presents generosity and compassion as the most consequential virtues a person can possess. Despite his own financial struggles, Hughie selflessly gives his last sovereign to someone he believes is in desperate need. His act is purely compassionate, motivated by empathy rather than any expectation of reward.
The story suggests that true generosity transcends one's financial circumstances. Hughie has very little money, yet he gives freely, while Baron Hausberg possesses immense wealth and similarly demonstrates generosity by rewarding Hughie with £10,000. Both characters exemplify genuine kindness, though their economic positions differ dramatically.
Wilde contrasts Hughie's compassionate nature with Alan Trevor's more cynical artistic perspective. When Hughie criticizes the inequity of the beggar receiving only shillings while Trevor earns thousands of guineas for the painting, Trevor dismisses such concerns, arguing that artists should depict the world as they see it, not reform it. This exchange highlights different attitudes toward social responsibility and human suffering.
3. Wealth, Class, and Social Status
The story provides sharp social commentary on Victorian society's obsession with wealth and class consciousness. Colonel Merton's insistence that Hughie possess £10,000 before marrying Laura exemplifies how financial status often determined personal relationships and life opportunities.
Wilde satirizes the Victorian belief that romance and charm are privileges reserved for the wealthy. The story's opening lines state pragmatic "great truths of modern life," asserting these very ideas—yet Hughie, who is both charming and romantic, lives in poverty. This contradiction exposes the absurdity of equating wealth with personal merit.
The character of Baron Hausberg complicates simplistic views of wealth. Despite his enormous riches, he demonstrates humility by posing as a beggar and generosity by rewarding kindness. He represents what a wealthy person should be—someone who uses their resources to help others rather than merely displaying their status.
Symbols
1. The Sovereign
The sovereign (gold coin) that Hughie gives to the "beggar" symbolizes selfless generosity and sacrifice. This coin represents Hughie's last significant money for transportation, yet he willingly parts with it because he believes someone else needs it more. The sovereign thus becomes a symbol of true compassion that transcends personal convenience or financial calculation.
2. The Beggar's Costume
The ragged clothing worn by Baron Hausberg serves as a powerful symbol of deceptive appearances. The costume literally disguises the Baron's true identity and wealth, creating the central irony of the story. It represents how external appearances can completely misrepresent reality, challenging viewers and readers to look beyond surface impressions.
The fact that the Baron chooses to be painted in beggar's garments also suggests something about art's relationship to reality. Art can transform and reimagine identity; Trevor's painting will immortalize a wealthy man as a beggar, forever confusing appearance and reality.
3. The £10,000 Cheque
The cheque for £10,000 symbolizes the rewards of genuine kindness and the transformative power of compassion. It represents not merely financial assistance but recognition and validation of Hughie's character. The amount exactly matches the Colonel's requirement for marriage, suggesting that genuine virtue will be rewarded in ways that align perfectly with one's needs.
The cheque also symbolizes the Baron's wisdom and generosity. Unlike Victorian society's typical emphasis on wealth accumulation, Baron Hausberg uses his riches to help others, demonstrating that true wealth includes generosity of spirit.
Conclusion
"The Model Millionaire" is a masterful short story that exemplifies Oscar Wilde's extraordinary talent for combining entertainment with incisive social criticism. Through its clever plot, witty dialogue, and surprise ending, the story delivers profound commentary on Victorian values, particularly society's obsession with wealth, social status, and appearances.
Wilde challenges Victorian materialism by demonstrating that true worth lies in character rather than financial status. Hughie Erskine, despite his poverty, possesses genuine wealth in the form of kindness, compassion, and generosity. Baron Hausberg, despite his immense riches, proves his true value through humility and generosity rather than through ostentatious display. The story's title itself becomes ironic: the "model millionaire" is not simply someone who is wealthy, but someone who models—exemplifies—what a millionaire should be.
The narrative technique employs situational and dramatic irony to maximum effect. The central twist—that the beggar is actually a millionaire—creates humor while simultaneously delivering a moral message about not judging by appearances. This ironic reversal, where the giver of charity becomes the recipient of even greater charity, reinforces the story's theme that genuine kindness generates unexpected rewards.
"The Model Millionaire" offers valuable lessons about compassion, social awareness, and critical thinking about societal values. The story encourages readers to question superficial judgments, recognize the importance of character over wealth, and understand how literature can critique social norms while entertaining its audience.
Wilde's writing style—characterized by elegant prose, witty epigrams, clever wordplay, and biting satire—makes this story both enjoyable to read and thought-provoking to analyze. His ability to embed serious social commentary within an apparently light, humorous narrative demonstrates his brilliance as a writer and his enduring relevance.
Ultimately, "The Model Millionaire" reminds us that "millionaire models are rare enough, but model millionaires are rarer still"—true wealth and nobility come not from one's bank account, but from one's heart and actions. This timeless message continues to resonate with readers more than a century after the story's publication, proving that Wilde's insights into human nature and society remain as relevant today as they were in Victorian England.