Corruption of Influence

1054 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Lord Henry personality

Dorian Gray, the protagonist in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, is led to his downfall due to his naiveté and innocence, which allowed him to be easily influenced by Lord Henry’s suave wit and intellect. From his first encounter with Dorian, Lord Henry recognizes the potential for experimentation of his own ability to influence others. Dorian’s purity allows him to be instantly captivated by every word that Lord Henry says, so much so that he begins to view Lord Henry not only as a role model, but also as an ideal that he wishes to achieve for himself. As a result of this overwhelming desire to be like Lord Henry, Dorian allows him to guide his choices and decisions through Lord Henry’s philosophy on life and the yellow book. Lord Henry’s approach to life is both hedonistic and cynical, with his sole dedication being to the search of pleasure, which can only be satisfied by giving into temptations. The vital part of Lord Henry’s hedonist philosophy includes the search and adoration of the highest forms of beauty. It is for this reason that Lord Henry takes such a keen interest in Dorian, who is described by all, as the essence of physical beauty. He realizes that he has already captivated the young Dorian, and if he gains complete control, he can mould the perfect man. “With a subtle smile, Lord Henry watched him…He felt intensely interested. He was amazed at the sudden impression that his words had produced…” (Wilde, 20) However, the control that Lord Henry possesses over Dorian turns Dorian into a monster rather than the perfect man. Lord Henry’s corruption of Dorian begins when he prophetically states to Dorian that “there is no such thing as a good influence…all influence is immoral” (Wilde, 18). From this poi... ... middle of paper ... ...es the desire to act… The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame. That is all” (Wilde, 192). Dorian Gray is a prime example of a literary character brought down by the corruption of influence. Dorian’s innocence and purity make him an easy victim for those who have already been corrupted by influence. Lord Henry’s own corruption was brought about by the yellow book, which led him to seek out all that is pleasurable and beautiful in life. Dorian, the essence of physical beauty, was seen in Lord Henry’s eyes as just another object of pleasure. As a result, he felt no remorse over influencing Dorian’s life to the point of complete destruction. Had Lord Henry not seen the beauty in Dorian, Dorian would never have been influenced into living a hedonistic life, which ultimately led to the destruction of his body, mind and soul.

Show More
Related

  • Homosexuality in Wilde's Picture of Dorian Grey

    358 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although Wilde halts short of stating that Basil and Lord Henry have sexual feelings for Dorian , the language he uses to describe their devotion for Dorian is unmistakably the language of deep, romantic intimacy. “Tell me more about Mr. Dorian Gray. How often do you see him?”. “Every day. I couldn’t be happy if I didn’t see him everyday. He is absolutely necessary to me”. This common motif of homoerotic bonds between men plays a large role in structuring the novel. Basils painting is born from his adoration of Dorians beauty , comparatively Lord Henry is overcome with desire to seduce Dorian. This sense of camaraderie between men fits into Wildes aesthetic values, for it returns him to his past where the philosophy of beauty was not only the basis of society but fundamental to culture. As a homosexual living in an intolerant society, Wilde asserted this philosophy in order to justify his own lifestyle.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Dorian Gray's Dichotomy

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lord Henry cements his archetype as the Devil as his influence is “bad,” (14) foreboding Henry controlling Dorian with the influences that “give him [Dorian’s] one’s own soul,” (17).

    Read More

  • Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 'Who's the Most Narcissistic Byronic Hero of All?'

    1877 Words  | 4 Pages

    Heroes embody every good nature and moral characteristics in society when looking at them in a traditional sense. However, George Gordon Byron created a hero that diverges from the typical hero we see today, one that differs so significantly with the hero society is used to seeing that we do not even notice them as such. In Manfred (1816), Byron shows how Manfred’s arduous journey of living with guilt and the limitations of human condition drives him to what he seeks, his own death. In contrast, in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) a young man who “looks as if he was made out of ivory and rose-leaves” (10) continues to look as so as the years go on. As a result, his portrait marks all of his sins, showing all of his suffering and pains while he remains untarnished. While these two authors are from different eras of literature, both explore how the possession of evil can govern their lives. However, whereas Byron illustrates the harmful effects when one is conscious of his evil, Wilde displays how Gray’s naivety and oblivion is what eventually lead to his downfall.

    Read More

  • The Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wilde illustrated a need for a controlled approach to aestheticism, without which would lead to a severe loss of morality. The concept of unrestrained aestheticism, as displayed by Dorian, results in egotism, a lack of guilt, and decay of the logical mind. As the novel asks, “Is it better to pursue Aesthetics or Morality?” it depicts an uncontrollably aesthetic lifestyle, the life of Dorian Gray, and answers the question by revealing the slow decay and eventual demise of Mr. Gray’s life. It is better to maintain a moral life with a conscience filled with guilt than to have a life of beauty and self-indulgence, filled with nothing but the temporary “pleasures” of the world around us.

    Read More

  • Corruption and Consequences in The Picture of Dorian Gray

    1639 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wilde emphasizes Dorian’s beauty and youth in order to signify his innocent nature. Dorian is described as handsome, good looking, and beautiful throughout the novel. Lord Henry even calls Dorian an Adonis (in Greek mythology a youth who fell in love with his own image reflected in water), when he first views his portrait. Along with these youthful good looks comes the assumption that he is incapable of wronging others, also known as the halo-effect. This is revealed by Wilde, who sates that Dorian possesses “something in his face that made one trust him at once. All the candor of youth was there, as well as youth’s passionate purity. One felt that he had kept himself unspotted form the world.”(11-12; ch. 2).

    Read More

  • The Monster Dorian Gray

    2258 Words  | 5 Pages

    Fellner, Richard L. “Forever Young? The Dorian Gray Syndrome.” Pattaya Mail. Pattaya Mail Media Group, 09 Sept. 2011. Web.

    Read More

  • Manipulation In Dorian Gray

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    He becomes an echo of someone else’s music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him. The aim of life is self-development. ”(Wilde 13). The words of an honored role model can easily persuade even the purest of hearts into the darkness of crime and evil, such as Dorian Gray. At this moment, Gray falls victim to the flourishing words of Lord Henry, who manipulates Gray from a timid and shining boy to nothing but a shallow man who commits capital crimes to conceal his secret.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Wilde’s era he created literature that corrupted the audiences ideas of purity. In the beginning of the novel, Basil Howland, the artist of a controversial painting, is particularly proud of his new muse

    Read More

  • Picture of Dorian Gray: Influence, Corruption and Conscience

    3042 Words  | 7 Pages

    Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, explores the themes of influence, corruption and conscience. “The obvious influence of Lord Henry upon Dorian shows how one may corrupt another to such an extent that one's own conscience withers and dies”(Weintraub 116).

    Read More

  • New Hedonism in The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Lifestyle Doomed to Destruction

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Dorian Gray first meets Lord Henry at the studio of artist Basil Hallward, he is fascinated with Lord Henry’s wit and the radical social doctrines that he advocates. Dorian is easily molded and falls for the argument he hears. According to Lord Henry the goal of new hedonism, “to realize one’s nature perfectly…to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream” (198-199). As far as philosophies go this seems rather innocuous until Lord Henry goes on to clarify that, “every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind, and poisons us…the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing” (199). Lord Henry’s advice entices the malleable Dorian, who does not seem to realize that Lord Henry may advocate giving in to every impulse, even the destructive ones, but he does not follow this advice himself. As Basil Hallward informs Lord Henry, “you never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing. Your cynicism is simply a pose” (188). Dorian, however, takes Lord Henry’s advice concerning new hedonism at face value and the results are disastrous.

    Read More

  • Vanity of a Man

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, shows a man’s vanity, self- indulgence and utter lack of regard for others through art. The portrait of Dorian Gray, created at the height of Dorian’s beauty, youth and charm is a reflection of the evils in basing the worth of someone on appearance rather than character. Since those around him find him beautiful and charming, Dorian believes that that the only thing matters is his appearance, so that he is able to focus on his own needs and wants. Showing how vain people in a society can really be, and its destructive force, is Wilde’s ultimate statement. After Basil Hallward paints a magnificent portrait of Dorian Gray, the painting changes along with Dorian’s soul, but Dorian’s physical presence stays the same. Evolving into this new person, Dorian tends to collapse people’s reputations and also ends up ruining his own reputation, leaving a path of destruction in the pursuit of his own pleasures and those things to which he feels entitled. Oscar Wilde draws attention to society’s vanity by creating an element of supernatural within the painting. When Dorian does things that are horrid, the painting captures what he has done and starts looking cruel and evil while Dorian’s youth and beautiful appearance remains the same. The painting is a metaphor for Dorian’s soul. His soul and the painting are changing for the worse, but Dorian Gray always looks like the nearly twenty year old boy he was when the painting was first composed. Dorian’s vanity is all that matters.

    Read More

  • Beauty And Beauty In The Picture Of Dorian Gray, By Oscar Wilde

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, the idea of BEAUTY being the most important aspect of being human, this idea leads to the corruption of an innocent soul. As a matter of fact, this idea being put into the innocent mind can be blamed on one character, Lord Henry. Dorian’s “friend”, Lord Henry drills this idea, beauty over everything, into Dorian’s mind. Being obsessed with psychology, Lord Henry sees his friends as playthings for his social experiments, exploiting the vulnerability found in human nature. Lord Henry’s forwardness with his views on topics and pushing his opinions onto other people causes the corruption and downward spiral of Dorian Gray’s outlook on his world.

    Read More

  • Essay on The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, it has been reiterated that Lord Henry's influence, the changes in Dorian, and the immorality of the yellow book further enforced The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book.  Oscar Wilde allows for those who could understand the real meaning of the novel by comprehending the importance of these three things to discern that he fully intended on writing this novel as a moral book.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

    2392 Words  | 5 Pages

    In analyzing Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, concepts such as influence and the origin of evil in Dorian Gray play an exceptionally valuable role in understanding the motives of the characters. Although some critics argue characters such as Lord Kelso significantly influence Dorian’s corruption, Lord Henry Wotton’s toxic personality undeniably impacts Dorian the most. Throughout the course of the novel, Lord Henry remains the ultimate source of evil and uses deception and persuasion to poison Dorian from a naïve boy to a destructive monster.

    Read More

  • Art's Influence on Life: Insights from 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Art is seen as a human’s natural form of expression. It has a way of expressing the artist’s beliefs and can be influential to many of its viewers. The passion of revealing art’s meaning and its relevance to an individual is a strong topic that has been expressed by Oscar Wilde. In his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde proposes to his audience that life is influenced by various pieces of art and depicts this through many different techniques and characters in his writing piece. He continues to further dive into the topic as he conveys the influence art plays in society, how art is able to express the artist’s true self and the role of art in determining the morality of one’s life. Through these three arguments, Wilde uses a variety

    Read More

More about Corruption of Influence

Open Document