A person’s life can be changed for the better or the worst. On that statement, the decisions that are made and the way people think not only of themselves but of others as well plays a very significant role on the way life is lived. A man by the name of Oscar Wilde, the author renowned for his two novels “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “The Importance of Being Earnest” knew of this greatly. Although both stories are quite different, Wilde binds them with the themes of insecurity, love and morality and not only shows how similar the lives of the main characters are but how these themes are significantly play throughout their whole life.
Most of the time, the feeling of being insecure give people a reason to change their way of thinking
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But this picture will remain always young.’ " (The Picture of Dorian Gray, 28). Here Dorian explains how unhappy he feels about the fact that throughout his life he will age and will not be as youthful as the picture of himself before him. This represents a main part in Dorian’s life because his feeling towards his youthful appearance cause him to devote his life thinking that his appearance is more important than his virtuous soul. Along with that, Oscar Wilde makes Dorian give the readers a sense of dramatic irony when he says, “I know, now, that when one loses one's good looks, whatever they may be, one loses everything. Your picture has taught me that. Lord Henry Wotton is perfectly right. Youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing old, I shall kill myself." (P.g 29). Dorian chose to confess how Lord Henry’s conniving words poisoned his way of thinking and the mentality Henry showed Dorian is carried all the way through the novel as he eventually commits suicide. thus proving how notable Henry's words are to Dorian because he carries that mind state until the end. Lastly, near the end of the book, Dorian is finally give time to think for himself and realize all the sinful
Dorian Gray shows how much he gave up to pursue his obsession when he said that his fiancé’s suicide was melodramatic and unnecessary (Wide 88-89). Obsession causes Dorian to indulge all forms of self-pleasure, whether moral or immoral, and to disregard the value of his own soul to preserve his transient beauty. The portrait that Basil Hallward painted acted as a mirror to his soul’s state and grows revolting each time he indulges in immoral acts, which inhibit him from focusing on what is truly important. It was only until the end when he kills himself does his soul reverts back to his inner beauty as shown in his portrait (Wilde 197). Wilde shows us how conformity can push us to obsess something that we don’t truly believe and ignore all other aspects that actually lead to our good lives. Through Dorian Gray, we are taught that we need to stand by our beliefs and not lose ourselves in other people’s beliefs. Wilde teaches the audience that we need to hold onto some core beliefs and elements that we hold near and dear to
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde introduces Dorian Gray as a mysterious and beautiful young man. He has no opinion and is very similar to a ball of clay, in the sense that he has no opinion and is free to be molded by whoever takes interest in him. Basil and Lord Henry both take interest in the young man. While both praise his physical beauty, Lord Henry wants to turn him into a hedonist minion. He convinces Dorian that he is a perfect candidate to live life according to his pleasure and that Basil is a poor influence upon him. Dorian takes this to heart and lives his life this way. He exchanges the purity of his soul for the beauty of his youth in certain painting. This breaks him down. He becomes less and less welcome by those who once admired him. He gets blackballed from clubs, has promiscuous sex and spends seventy-two hour periods in London’s opium dens. His life of seeking pleasure makes him more and more unhappy. When Basil shows up, he wants some one to sympathize with him and tell him that what he has done is not his fault. During the scene of Basil’s murder, Dorian’s want to be seen as good is apparent, but his unwillingness to accept fault and his corrupt ideology drive him to kill Basil, unveiling a new, malicious side to Dorian Gray.
In society, there has constantly been the question as to whether people can change or not. Author Oscar Wilde proves in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, that one can. The question he poses to his readers is “What kind of transformation is shown by the protagonist Dorian Gray: good or bad?” It is possible to think that Dorian Gray has become a better person, not for others, but for himself since he lives in the pursuit of pleasure and always achieves it. However, as it is demonstrated by the portrait, the damnation of the lives of others can provoke damage to one’s conscience and soul. Dorian’s soul is ruined gradually by his hedonistic adventures, eventually failing to redeem his actions, but not before he leaves a devastating path of destruction and experiences self-inflicted destruction.
When you indulge in everything, you indulge in nothing. Oscar Wilde paints a picture for the reader much like Basil Hallward, the painter in The Picture of Dorian Gray, the story of a young man’s soul that he trades for the eternal youth and beauty of a portrait. Dorian’s sins are painted onto the canvas while his own face is left unmarred by the horrible acts he commits. Dorian is a young, naïve, innocent boy; with an impressionable nature that allows him to become seduced by Lord Henry’s fantastical views on life, love, and beauty. Dorian soon realizes the power his own beauty possesses, and hastily declares his wish to trade places with the portrait so he can be young and beautiful forever. In Dorian Gray and the Moral Imagination, Kristian Williams claims that in Dorian’s quest for beauty he “loses site of a larger aim—a beautiful life.” (29). Williams is claiming that as Dorian concedes to every indulgence and pursues new experiences and excesses his sensations become deadened and taken for granted. If you fill a room with roses, eventually you will no longer smell their perfume. Dorian, indulging in his every whim, and his wishing to live a beautiful life, kept himself from experiencing life at all, he becomes paranoid, he destroys his relationships, reputations, and himself.
Like many stories, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray has a moral, a greater message. Wilde’s lesson about the relationship between the body, mind, and soul is simple, but important: the body is the vehicle for the mind, which is the vehicle for the soul. This is the “natural order” of things, and Wilde shows that it should not be contested. The soul should remain inside a piece of the mind: invisible to the world, mysterious and sacred to its bearer. If this order is changed or contested, Wilde warns of sin, manipulation, and grief to come, making The Picture of Dorian Gray an essentially philosophical and moral novel.
In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray goes through the Hero’s Journey because of the challenges he had been through, the way he transformed, and his crisis.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a rich story which can be viewed through many literary and cultural lenses. Oscar Wilde himself purposefully filled his novel with a great many direct and indirect allusions to the literary culture of his times, so it seems appropriate to look back at his story - both the novel and the 1945 film version - in this way.
In "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, we see a beautiful young man who makes tremendous efforts to transform the actual world into the idealistic world of art, dreams and sensations. Dorian's quest, however, culminates in his ultimate tragic destruction. Given that Dorian lives a corrupt life, one is likely to focus on the negative aspects of his character. In spite of his significant character flaws, Dorian Gray may still be considered a hero. This essay will examine Dorian's degradation from the innocent world to the vicious, sensation-oriented world. The elements contributing to Dorian’s status of tragic hero will then be discussed.
Innocence may be easily corrupted by a malignant outside influence. The novel The Picture of Dorian Gray shows that corruption and bad influence may be easy to pursue. Author Oscar Wilde attempts to highlight that corruption may not come in the form of materials, but also in the forms of friends, society, etc. Dorian’s youth is easily corrupted by the influence of not only Lord Henry but also by the society and the substances which he chooses to use and abuse now and then. The corruption takes a toll on Dorian’s behavior significantly, and the readers notice that it ultimately leads to his demise. In this novel, we see the corruption of Dorian’s unscathed innocence and his beauty by various outside sources.
The significance of choices and what their consequences reveal for the protagonist Dorian in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
One of the cornerstones of German-American philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich’s ideas is the concept of an ultimate concern. Tillich believes that everybody has an ultimate concern or something that they desire so strongly that they would sacrifice anything and anyone to obtain it. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde suggests that true desire, like Tillich’s ultimate concern, is capable of pushing mankind to abandon everything else in one’s life because Dorian’s desire for youth and beauty is so strong that he changes greatly to remain young and beautiful. Dorian is quick to make it known that he is willing to give anything that he has in order to stay young, including his own soul. Once Dorian achieves this, he continues to deteriorate
In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde readers are presented with a vast depiction of the art of immorality in the face of ignorant innocence portrayed by the character Dorian Gray. In the beginning it seems to be a quaint novel on artistry and the paradoxical relationship between two lifelong friends by the name of Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. The plot takes a surprising twist when introduced to the real center of attention, the character of the seemingly innocent Dorian Gray. Upon this introduction Wilde then begins to tell the tale of what a life of secrecy and deception will lead to without the consciousness of a moral threshold and the inescapable burden of Dorians horrid accumulation of sins. The deception begins with a simple shout out to the heavens for the impossible to be granted. This then flourishes into unspeakable acts caused by an Egyptian statue, bringing misfortune to Dorian Gray by giving him exactly what he so desperately desires, thus teaching the world a lesson. Not everything we so strongly desire the world to provide is good for the soul.
Dorian Gray's life is dictated by his physical appeal. His beauty lies within his youth. Dorian's perception of beauty allows him to love. He is convinced that his beauty allows him to accomplish anything he desires regardless of the consequences and still be loved by his friends. He uses his beauty to mitigate his evil actions. Dorian says, “I don't wish to know anything about them. I love scandals about other people, but scandals about myself don't interest me. They have not got the charm of novelty.” Youth and beauty are the most precious things to Dorian. In his life, beauty is of utmost importance. Then he sees the picture of himself, painted by Basil, absorb his sins and this changed his view. “I hope it is not about myself. I am tired of myself tonight. I should like to be somebody else,” Dorian said. He aspired to have had a good life rather than one filled with artificial meaning and beauty. The moral beauty of Doran lies within the portrait of himself. The portrait imitated his life. He finally realized that beauty cannot help him escape his evil actions. He deeply lamemted his wish that the portrait bore the burden of his age an...
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.
Certainly you have heard the expression, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” In Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde discredits this proverb and shows that words can indeed take over one’s life and damage it forever. In this novel, the reader witnesses Dorian Gray’s fatal bargain, his temptation to explore lust, and his futile attempt to escape his narcissistic behavior. We see this corruption in Dorian as he encounters life’s struggles, particularly from constantly being under the influence of Lord Henry’s influential words.