The Picture of Dorian Gray

Basil, the painter of Dorian’s portrait, causes the innocent Dorian to realize his beauty when shown his painting. Like Narcissus, Dorian becomes vain and self-absorbed as a result of recognizing his physical magnificence. Under the influence of Lord Henry, "Dorian throws off all moral restraint and lives a life of passionate self-indulgence" (Miller 384). Therefore, the lives of both Narcissus and Dorian are shaped by the actions of their mentors.

Relationships with individuals can often represent the proverbial angel and devil on one’s shoulders. In Oscar Wilde’s novel, the Picture of Dorian Grey, Dorians conscience symbolizes by his relationships by Basil and Lord Henry. While Lord Henry represents the immoral and impure aspect of Dorians Conscience, Basil represents his pull to the light and the moral side. Both Lord Henry and Basil are clearly infatuated with Dorian, however they each have different motives. Because Dorian devotes himself closer to lord Henrys influence than to Basil’s, he therefore allows himself to become susceptible to corruption, manipulation and sin.

This life suited Dorian fine until his later years when he begins to realize his many mistakes and feels regret for his actions. The portrait that haunted him for so many years was a direct reflection as to how horrible he really was. In the beginning of the novel Dorian thought that the picture would mock him by remaining young and beautiful, but ironically, the picture mocked him for all of its days after the change. It drove him crazy, and made him weary and paranoid of everyone. He feared the thought of anyone discovering it and exposing him for the fraud he was. In a

Basil, a painter who has recently created a portrait of the beautiful Dorian Gray, talks with his friend Lord Henry about the painting and its subject. Wanting to protect Dorian from the bitter views of Wotton, he attempts to steer the lord’s attentions away from the young man. However, Dorian meets Lord Henry when visiting Basil and is completely changed by his time with the lord. Once good and moral, Dorian now views the world as a place for his pleasure and sees people as pawns to achieve personal satisfaction. Dorian also becomes extremely vain and wishes to remain young and beautiful forever. He treats Basil’s painting as a thing of worship and pledges to remain as gorgeous as the painting. Dorian remains good looking for many years, but continues to

“Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn” (Nolan, Nolan, The Dark Knight). These men are those which evil protrudes off them like smoke from a fire. In many works evil is manifested with its presence, the villains’ goals, their motive, and their strategy to achieving their goal.

Artists of any art form tend to use real life experiences as their muse. Oscar Wilde was no exception. In creating the story of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde used his experience of sitting in on a painting session, done by a Basil Ward. He then proceeded to comment on how it would be amazing if the painting aged while the subject of the painting did not. Throughout the novel, we notice this kind of lifestyle being lived out by Dorian and Lord Henry, but we also see how Dorian handles his conscience based on his actions. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that, while it has its controversies over what its purpose is, is a novel that “can function as an appropriate text for a wide variety of classes” (Waldrep; Smith II 53). Despite what Wilde believed, practiced, and even the preface of the novel, Wilde wrote this novel as a lesson on morality.

Corruption was very common amongst individuals at the time. This evidence is depicted through the actions of Dorian and explains how his appearance allows him to commit monstrous crimes that are corrupt. His appearance is only used as a distraction and does not represent who he really is as a person. Through his wealth and charm, he has an influence on how others view him. This same instance occurs in our world today as we see many people fall under the influence of those who appear wealthy and glamorous. Many of the individuals who fall

For a period of time, Dorian has only one goal in life, and lives according to it, not paying attention to his conscience, and that goal is only pleasure. On the other hand, Dorian’s portrait represents his conscience and haunts him. The portrait knows his crimes, it reminds Dorian of the cruelty he has shown towards Sybil Vane, and the murder of Basil Hallward.

When the book begins, Dorian is a blank slate – naïve, youthful, and ‘unspotted from the world.’2 The beginning of his corruption is clearly marked by his introduction to Lord Henry, and ultimately, his introduction to indulgence and immorality. Lord Henry tells Dorian ‘…you are unconscious of what you really are…’ and comments on ‘…how tragic it would be…’ if Dorian was wasted.3 He also brings up the idea of indulgence and the taboo surrounding it, claiming that if a man resists temptation, his soul ‘grows sick with longing for the

Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1891. The novel reflects the authors carelessness and hastiness. The plot of the story is simple, however, the issues that come about are very complex. The novel is about three characters: Basil Hallward, Lord Henry, and Dorian Gray. In the beginning of the story, Basil paints a portrait of Dorian and gives it to him as a present. Lord Henry talks about the importance of being young and explains to Dorian how exhilarating it is to be young. As a result, Dorian begins to feel sad because he knows that one day he will grow old, but the picture will always remain young. Wilde uses this to set up a framework to examine some ideas

It is apparent that vanity, sin, and beauty are the key elements found in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. But, where do these elements originate from? What is the reason behind man’s internal need to pursue sin or his ideal sense of beauty that, on occasion, leads to his vanity? In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde explores naturalism through the use of symbolism and the tools of characterization, such as speech, action, interiority, the narrator, and the actions of other characters towards the protagonist, to illustrate how humanity’s perception of vanity, sin, and beauty are an inherent part of man’s nature and a blinding disillusion to the meaning of life.

A youthful, special personality lies in the heart of a man that inspires a painter’s best work. It is intricate, kind, pure, and a wonderful focus for portraits and paintings alike. This youth is tragically robbed by a close friend who changes past thought and leads the man to a life that terminates out of evil. Dorian Gray, the man of interest for corruption in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, has a convoluted personality, giving him many different companions in the story. Fatefully, he meets the artist Basil at a party due to Basil’s interest in Dorian’s striking personality. Lord Henry’s charisma and charm draw Dorian to him when first introduced at Basil’s home. Sibyl Vane, an actress that Dorian fell in love with at first sight

London is a commonly utilized backdrop for novels, plays and films. The monuments make for stunning backgrounds in modern cinematography while the history and character of the city add meaning and symbolism to a number of works and the works, in turn, contribute to the reputation of London. In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian is a beautiful young man with an increasingly corrupted soul as he is seduced by the city. The story of his decay takes place in two famous parts of London - the West End, known for its wealth and opulence and the East End, better known for its poverty and opium. The two sides of the city mirror the two sides of Dorian himself, his split personality giving the two sides of London their reputations.

As seems to be the theme of Oscar Wilde’s book, The picture of Dorian Gray, art an beauty are both the same, yet they are different. But how can this be? Well, beauty and art are intertwined the moment art is used to capture a sliver of pure beauty, in order to make that moment last forever. According to Lord Henry, “ Yes, Mr. Gray, the gods have been good to you. But what the goods give can easily be taken away. You only have a few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully” (Wilde Pg. 22). However, much like Lord Henry’s take on beauty and youth, comparing beauty and art is the same as comparing aestheticism with creativity. One can only capture so much of the other, but they can never, truly, be the same. Oscar Wilde, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, demonstrates the characteristics of aestheticism through Lord Henry Wotton, and the characteristics of creativity through Basil Hallward in order to highlight what happens when both art and beauty collide. Although Oscar Wilde does center his story on Dorian Gray and his painting, Basil and Lord Henry’s relationship to beauty and art is embodied by Dorian’s internal struggle in choosing between art and beauty; choosing between right and wrong.

Double is one of the most frightening themes of Gothic literature as it discloses humans’ darkly hidden desires or natures through their transformations. The characters’ transformation into double can be either literal or figurative. Either way, it demonstrates the decay of ones’ souls when the controls of their desires are lost, which result identity crisis or extreme panic and usually end in death. In Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the picture illustrates Dorian’s figuratively split self, which his prayer has granted him through the immortality of youth and beauty. However, this unreal self shadows his real self and causes his identity crisis as time goes by. On the other hand, in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll creates a chemical drug that turns him into Mr. Hyde- a literal double. This transformation frees him from the despairing Victorian society. However, once he wants to escape his double, but he has lost the control of his transformation, it imprisons him in the unwanted form forever. The temptation of having this literal double and the punishment when lacking control of it give an unbelievably terrible fear about double power. Therefore, Jekyll’s double manifests double theme more effectively than the figurative double of Dorian does.