Character Analysis Of 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'

The Picture Of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel telling the story of Dorian, a young, innocent, wealthy, handsome young man whose portrait is painted by the artist Basil Hallward. Although in the beginning of the story he is quite innocent, under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian becomes extremely concerned with beauty and diligently pursues his own pleasure above all else. As he ages, he devotes his time and resources to fulfilling his personal pleasures and having as many experiences as possible without concern for morals. In chapter 7, Dorian takes Basil and Lord Henry to the theatre to watch Sibyl Vane - the woman he is engaged to. When she comes on stage, although she looks stunningly beautiful and she “moved like a creature from a finer world,” (ch. 7) she acts terribly. Dorian is disgusted. After the horrendous performance, Sibyl is overjoyed, but Dorian’s response is quite the opposite. He says to her

13) wells up within him. He takes up a knife which he uses to stab Basil to death. Instead of feeling sorry for murdering Basil, Dorian instead feels that he has done a good thing. He creates an alibi for himself and calls a former friend to dispose of the body for him. The influence of selfishness throughout his life is very clear when he feels that the body of Basil is simply an inconvenience. He blames Basil for being so difficult and for causing Dorian to want to kill him.
Throughout this novel, changes in the personality, disposition, and lifestyle of Dorian Gray are depicted vividly. The influence of Lord Henry and of the dark reality of the world tarnish the once innocent young man. With each chapter, it can be seen with increasing clarity that Dorian blames others for his actions, and regards people as undeserving and lesser than. His indulgence in all thing immoral and selfish also show his growing loss of concern for