Analysis Of The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde

In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde we are introduced to Dorian Gray a pure kind soul whom the reader's sympathy for since he is conflicted by personal aspects, displays love, and recognizes his evil actions. As we begin to read into the novel Dorians nature begins to change by the influence of Lord Henry. Year after year he commits unspeakable acts of sins. Until suddenly he begins to repent himself and wonders if it is possible for him to become the person he use to be.

In today’s world, anti-aging creams range up to hundreds of dollars. The idea of remaining young forever is prevalent in the media. If you could continually look like you did when you were in your early twenties, would you? In Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, a beautiful young man gets to stay young because a portrait receives all the signs of aging and sin. Although the portrait grows truly grotesque with the marks of sin, Dorian gets to continue on his path of immorality, while remaining his youthful appearance. Yet, when he stabs the portrait to free his conscience, he dies because he has killed the essence of who he is. In the novel, Wilde uses the ideals of conscience and beauty to reveal how a fixation with one’s outward appearance will lead will to complete destruction of morality, and therefore one’s self.

The painting is a self-portrait of the fictional character Dorian gray. The painting was used in the film where the character had asked a portrait of him as a handsome man. Dorian gray trades in his soul for him to remain forever young and handsome. Gray lives a life where he does things that are morally corrupt. Gray continues not to age but the painting starts to change showing grays moral corruption. In the center of the piece you are drawn to the figure of Dorian gray. The figure shows aging and marks of damage in his face. The main figure is wearing a wardrobe that shows his class and wealth. The clothes however also have tear and fading colors that show aging effect in contrast to Gray. In the background a mixture of fading colors is seen. The red rug at the bottom is shown ruffled and not perfectly set in the ground. At the bottom of the painting and below the rug there is a hand that is shown reaching out. The hand is placed to say that there are bodies swept under the rug that show his corruption and sins. One of the most interesting background pieces is the statue of the cat. During the Renaissance dogs were used to mean loyalty. The cat in the background is used to mean the opposite of that and speak of grays values. Another contrast compared to the Renaissance is that the cat is a statue and not a

  "I do not think that one person influences another, nor do I think there is any bad influence in the world," Oscar Wilde uttered when under trial (Hyde 353). Although this statement may be true, one of Wilde's most famous works shows a great deal of the effects of people shaping one another, causing one to wonder about Wilde's sincerity in that statement. The Picture of Dorian Gray shows variations on the existence and purposes of influence, displaying two types of personal influence: obvious manipulations such as that of Lord Henry upon Dorian and that of Dorian over Sybil Vane, and those that are more often overlooked such as the more subtle manipulation of Dorian over

Oscar Wilde’s novella, The Picture of Dorian Gray explores how submission to poor influences and a hedonistic attitude can lead to an immoral life. As Dorian learns the impact that pursuing a life of pleasure has on the soul, my cautionary story subverts this main theme of the novella, to explore the consequences of Mr. Smith pursuing the pleasure of having an influence on others.

Oscar Wilde wanted to show that people have two sides to them whether you think you know them well enough or not. He demonstrates this by using imagery through Dorian's painting and Dorian Gray. As the story progresses the Picture becomes more and more disfigured as Dorian commits a simple sin from the very beginning. Dorian represents the face that he presents the world, the personality that he shows to other people. The portrait is what Dorian doesn’t show, his true self that is hidden away, a whole other side of Dorian.

In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the main character, Dorian Gray, transforms from a delightful and handsome young man to an insane and evil human being. In the beginning of the novel, Dorian’s best friend, Basil Hallward, describes Dorian to Lord Henry Wotton as having a “simple and beautiful nature” (Wilde 24). Hallward does not want Lord Henry to set a negative influence in Dorian’s life because it would ruin his “beautiful nature” that is portrayed in Hallward’s portrait. As the novel continues, Lord Henry’s influence turns Dorian’s personality completely around. While Basil Hallward and Dorian Gray visit together, Hallward realizes that something has changed Dorian. Hallward tells Dorian, “You were the most unspoiled creature

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde makes an effort to point out the dangers of narcissism, as well as having the complete extremes of the spectrum of good and evil, and optimistic and pessimistic. Dorian Gray is a very beautiful young man who employs a painter to capture his beauty so that he will remember it. However, when faced with the option to look like that for eternity while the painting ages and reflects his decisions instead, he gladly accepts. However, Dorian’s downfall is quickly met due to the influence of Lord Henry Wotton. His constant changing ruins his life and the lives of others, leading to his death at the end of the novel.

In chapter 20 of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian reflects on his past crimes and wonders whether he will ever change and retrieve his innocence again. Throughout the final chapter of the novel, the elements of Gothic novel that Wilde explores conveys the idea of the pursuit of individualism. Dorian’s wild, racing emotions clearly show how much he is driven by his readiness to fulfill his desires under any circumstance. Through this, the use of specific words and punctuation markings highlight Dorian’s personal yearning of removing himself from his past.

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde is able to show how possessions can change a man so drastically. Over the course of the book the readers examine how many items such as the painting, the yellow book and much more, shape and alter Dorian from being outgoing, likable, and overall good to secluded, manipulative and most of all deceitful. Dorian gray has many motives for being deceitful that help develop the characters, and change the way they interact with each other.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Sibyl Vane’s indirect influence on Dorian Gray’s character

Art, what is Art? It is an ambiguous matter: without an exact form, an exact meaning. Does it have any rules or restrictions? However, it can be a great influence on the lives of people. In the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, two lovers have fell in and out of love due to Art!

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 16, 1854. He was homeschooled until the age of nine, but then went to an elite private school in Ireland. While in college, Wilde was marked the top student in his department. He Had a lot of success writing novels and even came to america

Throughout his life Oscar Wilde had many strong influences exerted upon him. During his early childhood his mother influenced him and into college some of his professors and certain philosophers left a substantial impression upon him. Into adulthood these influences leaked out in his writing. These influences gave him ample ideas for writing The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde's study of the Hellenistic ideals of Epicurus, his coddled lifestyle as a child and his devotion to the movement of Aesthetics and Moral Ambiguity have produced one of the most astounding works of horror fiction.

One of Oscar Wilde’s most challenging themes, not only in his writing, but also in his professional life, is that of formulating an authentic identity in the realism of a hedonistic, pleasure-seeking lifestyle without boundaries. By first looking at this challenge in all its facets, it will be easier to comprehend the fundamental theme in his book The Picture of Dorian Gray.