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Throughout the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” the self titled main protagonist comes into contact with many unusual characters. All of these characters work together to shape the protagonist as well as the theme and plot of the story. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” tells many different secrets about mankind and how easily influenced humans are. Dorian was an extremely vain individual, who was mostly influenced by three people throughout the novel, who believed physical beauty was the key to life and happiness. Dorian was mostly influenced by two of his great comrades who in contrast influenced him from opposite viewpoints. The third influence was his immature lover. These three characters all worked together to change Dorians viewpoint …show more content…
Basil fails to acknowledge that not everyone in society is as compassionate or as kind as he is. In most ways he seems to believe in the complete and infinite goodness deep within mankind. He believes that man is born good and throughout life is still good no matter their actions or history. And throughout the novel he believes in the sole power of change and possible redemption. Throughout “The Picture of Dorian Gray” Basil acts somewhat like Gods advocate in the constant battle with Dorians vain nature. The picture that Basil draws influences Dorian so much that he wishes “the portrait would age and not himself”. He believes the the world revolves around three key aspects and they are faith (that all people are good), love (love for his fellow man/the arts), and beauty (the ideal image of all people being beautiful inside and out). Basil tends to relate life to art and believes that in life all three of those aspects run hand in hand. Thus when Dorian remained stunningly charming and handsome, Basil believed that his actions would reflect his outer appearance. This plays into …show more content…
Much like Basil was Dorians angel on his shoulder, Lord Henry Wotton was the devil on the other and ultimately gained control over Dorians mind. Lord Henry was a powerful aristocrat who controlled much of society in the novel. If Lord HEnry said it was good then to everyone else it was amazing. Lord H grew the same complete admiration for Dorian that Basil had developed. Thus the competition for control of the stunning gentleman’s mind began between the past college mates. The absolute power in society made Lord Henrys mind corrupt and, instead doing things to positively affect society, he handled all of his affairs in a selfish and malevolent manner. Lord Henry proves with his constant remarks and actions that nothing has value to him besides his own personal indulgence and pleasure. Lord Henry discards any and everyone once he has used them and has become ultimately tired of them. His friends hold no value once they begin to commit to traveling down the correct path of life. The one possible exception to this is Dorian himself. After years of "developing" or “molding” Dorian's personality, Lord Henry feels as though he's manipulated him into being the perfect human being. He admires Dorian profoundly, but more importantly he admires himself for influencing Dorian thus, turning him into a egomaniac because of his astounding negative influence. Of all the
In the beginning of the book, Dorian seems to be an innocent, charming, beautiful young man, and even referred to as “a wonderful creation” (ch 2). Dorian is described as this amazing person, with looks comparable to a God, charm that could swoon any woman, and a mesmerizing persona about him with the ability to draw anyone near, yet he seems to be so imperceptive to himself. His attitude of simplicity causes readers to be fond of him, passing their first judgments that he could not possibly be evil. As the story moves along readers see the first inkling that Dorian may not be so perfect. Dorian comments on “how sad it is…[that he] shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But the picture will remain always young” (ch 2). This statement lets readers inside Dorian’s thoughts, showing how shallow and frivolous Dorian views life to be. He places so much value and esteem on looks alone, forgetting that being painted should be an honor, or at the very least...
Obsession is the most compelling theme of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian’s obsession with his beauty and youth, and Basil’s worship of Dorian, are a driving force. Dorian’s tale is similar to every celebrity that has been adored only to fall in public approval when their true natures are revealed. There is no doubt that Dorian is a celebrity in his time, he is adored by many in London like a celebrity would be admired today. The idolatry, quest for beauty, and downfall of obsession are seen in fiction as well as reality, through Dorian’s obsessions and modern day obsessions like plastic surgery or following a favorite celebrity on every form of social media. Obsession is a toxic force that has a hold on humans regardless if it is in fiction or reality.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a novel written by Oscar Wilde. The story takes place in England, where the artist Basil Hallward paints a portrait of the young and beautiful Dorian Gray. During his stay at the artist’s studio, he gets introduced to Lord Henry who later becomes one of the most influential people in his life. Dorian Gray becomes aware of his amazing beauty and youthfulness due to the portrait and wishes that the portrait ages instead of him. His wish comes true, Dorian remains beautiful and youthful while the portrait changes. Lord Henry becomes his best friend and motivates him to live in abundance, to sin and always strive for beauty. After a while, Dorian discovers that his portrait doesn’t only age, but also changes face expression as a result of all his sins and evil deeds. Dorian gets anxious by the fact that the portrait shows his evil soul and is scared that somebody will see it, therefore he hides it. The portrait haunts Dorian although it’s hidden. As Dorian’s sins gets worse, he feels that he can’t handle the pressure anymore and decides to destroy the portrait that shows his true self.
He states “’When I am with her, I regret all that you have taught me. I become different from what you have known me to be. I am changed, and the mere touch of Sibyl Vane’s hand makes me forget you and all your wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories’” (75). If Dorian had held on to her, she probably could have reversed what Henry had done. Instead, after seeing her poor acting, he breaks her heart ruthlessly. He tells her “’You have killed my love’” (84), and “’What are you now? A third-rate actress with a pretty face’” (85). This is arguably one of the biggest mistakes he makes in the book. This is what causes the first change in the painting. Her suicide pushed him further down his path to insanity. Before he learns of her death and after the change in the painting, there is some hope for him when says he “would resist temptation. He would not see Lord Henry and more…He would go back to Sibyl Vane, make her amends, marry her, try to love her again. Yes, it was his duty to do so” (89). This is a promising outlook for him, but it does not matter because her suicide reverses this. Although it is possible that he would not have been saved had she not died. He asks himself “’why is it that I cannot feel this tragedy as much as I want to?’” (97). This shows he has lost some of his empathy. He also starts to think positively of the painting after this, thinking that it is great that
During this time an artist was seen as an important figure to society because he was able to visually create and give meaning to beautiful things, which was considered art. Art and beauty became correlated this way. Sometime it is thought that artwork has to be significantly beautiful to be considered art. Basil believes that he has created his one and only master piece, which is the picture of Dorian Gray. He sees so much of himself in the art that becomes insecure about his masterpiece. In Victorian times the artist was always more important than the artwork because of what he could possibly represent in the eyes of society as an artist. This allowed Basil to become insecure about his artwork, he did not want to be judged based off of his artworks that he put some much of himself into; artistically and intelligently. This is the reason he becomes too reluctant to exhibit his artwork, “I know you will laugh at me,” he replied, “but I really can’t exhibit it. I have out too much of myself into it.” (6). This statement by Basil shows his insecurities and afraid of judgement as an artist. it also depicts that he is very concerned with the reaction and judgements of others because he tells Lord Henry his reason for not wanting to exhibit his painting Dorian, which he becomes very drawn and attracted to. Basil pushes Victorian gender roles by showing
In his search for hedonistic pleasure, Dorian Gray ruins many reputations and is the cause of a few deaths. Even Basil points out that Dorian is linked to destroyed lives, realizing that “One has a right to judge of a man by the effect he has over his friends. Yours [Dorian’s] seem to lose all sense of honor, of goodness, of purity. You have filled them with a madness for pleasure. They have gone down into the depths. You led them there” (143). This is why Sibyl kills herself because after being introduced to pleasure, she cannot act anymore and Dorian unreasonably rejects her. Consequently, after hearing of Sibyl’s death, Dorian is grief-stricken, but quickly recovers and becomes an insensitive Lord Henry clone again: “You [Dorian] were the most unspoiled creature in the whole word. Now, I [Basil] don’t know what has come over you. You talk as if you had no heart, no pity in you. It is all Harry’s influence” (104). Instead of truly acce...
Wilde says that Dorian’s journey begins with Ordinary World. He is a young and good looking male. He has a normal life till he met Basil and Lord Henry. He now receives the Call of Adventure. When he met Basil at a party, they become friends and everything is still good until he met Lord Henry. He captured the imagination of Basil and for Lord Henry is how he knows that Dorian can do anything with his looks and perfection. Basil made a portrait of Dorian. Lord Henry made Dorian realize that he is not doing anything wrong and he is perfect no matter what. This is how
So far as the gothic villain is considered, it can be both Lord Henry, who plays the Mephistophelean role, and also Dorian Gray who has degraded to a despicable position of a murderer. The frail heroine in the novel is Sybil Vane who commits suicide when she is abandoned by Dorian. There are many instances that clearly confirms Dorian’s love towards Sybil was solely out of pure sensations and pleasure.
Basil Hallward, a painter, knows the corruptive influence that Lord Henry can impose upon his model, Dorian Gray. Basil does not want Lord Henry to even meet Dorian because he is afraid that Dorian will be influenced and ruined. Basil begs Henry by saying, "Don't spoil him. Don't try to influence him. Your influence would be bad. The world is wide, and has many marvelous people in it. Don't take away from me the one person who gives to my art whatever charm it possesses: my life as an artist depends on him" (Wilde 10). Right from the beginning Wilde begins to show what type of person Lord Henry is. Lord Henry's influences pose a threat to Dorian. Basil is well aware of this.
Basil Hallward is a moral force in The Portrait of Dorian Gray. Where Henry speaks and thinks, and Dorian acts contrary to the rules of society, Basil is a pillar of goodness. He is optimistic in the face of reality, and holds true to his character until the actual truth reveals his blindness. Basil's purity is comparatively divine amongst those around him. Where Dorian enacts all forms of Evil he can find, Basil represents the innocent good Dorian has rejected.
By being devalued by men, the woman within Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray emphasize the societal norm and expectation being asked by them. Through the suicide of Sibyl, she manifested into the person which she was portrayed as being in the opinion of Lord Henry, as she killed herself due to the shame that formed out of loving Dorian. Within a society where woman have no independence, the expectation of them having to rely on their husbands is affirmed by the fact that their is no distinction between Lady Henry’s opinion and her husband’s. The role of woman begins to degrade as their only mentioned value which is their beauty begins to be dominated by the frequent mention of Dorian’s own beauty, and as a result limits their position within their respected societies. The female characters are weakened to the positions expected of them and so it is through this where we can see wild’s stance, as he demonstrates what woman were limited, so as a result Wilde suggests that woman were not only powerless, but disregarded as being individuals within the society of the novel.
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...
Harry is the beginning of Dorian’s downfall. He states, “‘Good resolutions are useless attempts to interfere with scientific law. Their origin is pure vanity’” (Wilde 119). Dorian begins adopting Harry’s ideas, leading to his descent. “Dorian advances from merely appreciating Lord Henry’s wit and oddities to employing his own adages, often to soothe or dismiss feelings of guilt and reinforce his indulgence” (Pierlot). By doing this, he becomes worse than Harry in actions. The reason Dorian curses himself is because Lord Henry convinces him that beauty is the only thing worth having. Then, when Dorian vows to be good, Harry persuades him otherwise, showing his deliberate attempt to corrupt Mr. Gray. Also, the constant compliments Dorian receives allow him to believe he is truly worthy of such adoration. “There was something about Dorian that charmed everybody” (Wilde 141). He begins to realize the power he holds because of the effect he has on people. He gets away with many things because of his charm. Society gives him the confidence to begin taking advantage of people. In regards to Sibyl’s death, “Basil attempts to assert his own moral perspective but fails to sway Dorian and ultimately yields to him” (Carroll). When Basil yields to him, it shows how even his closest friends cannot stand strong against his good looks. He gets accustomed to being given everything he wants. Most people “always made an exception in favour of Dorian Gray” (Wilde 141). Dorian employs his good looks when he compels Mr. Hubbard to aid him at his house. However, when he deals with Alan, he is not used to being treated as average so he resorts to unjust ways. He says, “‘You treated me as no man has ever dared to treat me--’” (Wilde 198). This shows how he has become used to getting everything he wants. When his beauty does not work, he resorts to using money for bribery, like when he paid the driver. This
Shortly after meeting Dorian for the first time, Lord Henry calmly declares, “to influence a person is to give him one’s own soul” (20). In these few words, Lord Henry foreshadows the entirety of his relationship with Dorian throughout the novel. By sharing his unique thoughts about the scientific view of influence, Lord Henry captures Dorian’s curiosity and attention, opening the door to the beginning of Dorian’s evolution
...he really is: a faithful, softhearted and blinded by love (we can find him as another Basil in De Frofundis). To avoid getting hurt, he pretended to be Lord Henry: decadent, cynical, eloquent, rebellious, and a bit evil in the eyes of bluenoses. Dorian Gray is what he would like to be: be loved, taste all the beauties and exquisite in life and die for what he wants to defend.