The Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis
Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray shows us the triumph of a corrupting influence over a virtuous one. In the novel, Lord Henry's
influence over Dorian overpowers Basil's and leads to Dorian's eventual demise. In analyzing Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the theme of
good versus evil reflects off of Lord Henry's and Basil's interactions with Dorian and Dorian's internal struggles, thus exemplifying that a person with
weak virtues will falter in the face of hedonistic temptation.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian's internal struggle between temptation and virtue proves to be destructive to his character. In the beginning of
the novel, Basil displays his adoration for Dorian as the subject for his art. When Lord ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In the assertion, the authors state that "the portrait ultimately becomes the material trace of his inner and outer degradation". Using the portrait as the
material trace of Dorian's degradation we have a tangible way of measuring Dorian's fall to hedonism due to his internal struggle between good and
evil. As Dorian was not a virtuous person before Lord Henry became influential to him he is quick to succumb to evil. These changes become even
more apparent when Basil visits Dorian and confronts him about his portrait:
Dorian Gray turned slowly around, and looked at him with tear–dimmed eyes. 'It is too late, Basil,' he murmured.
'It is never too late, Dorian. Let us kneel down and try if we can remember a prayer. Isn't there a verse somewhere, 'Though your sins be as scarlet, yet I
will make them as white as snow'?' [Basil replied]
'Those words mean nothing to me now.'
'Hush! don't say that. You have done enough evil in your life. My God! don't you see that accursed thing leering at us?' (Wilde 206).
While it is true that Dorian was never a truly virtuous person we can see glimpses of his regret. Dorian's eyes are "tear–dimmed" meaning that he must
hold regret over of his choices while accepting that it is too late for him to repent like Basil desires. Dorian's internal struggle illuminates most clearly
in this conversation when it is too late and evil won. His defeated and
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The Picture Of Dorian Gray
In Chapter XI of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the eponymous character, Dorian, practices escapist behavior. Upon noticing his portrait
changing to reflect his immoral acts, he hides the picture in his upstairs schoolroom and distracts himself with New Hedonism, the amoral lifestyle
preached by Lord Henry Wotton. Chapter XI chronicles Dorian 's material pleasures over the course of eighteen years. Initially, I believed that the
purpose of this cataloguing chapter was to illustrate Dorian 's escapist behavior and unhealthy coping mechanisms. The unsuspecting song "Gronlandic
Edit" by Of Montreal (stylized as of Montreal), however, suggests that escapism is often accompanied by a search for a more permanent solution to
one 's ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In the first verse, the speaker, presumably lead singer Kevin Barnes (or his stage persona, Georgie Fruit) asserts that he is "satisfied hiding in [a]
friend 's apartment," a sentiment Dorian would likely parrot regarding his New Hedonistic lifestyle. In the same verse, however, Barnes admits facing
anxieties at night, just as Dorian does on page 128. This establishes that the primary characters of each work are practicing escapist behavior and
allows the rest of the song to cast new light on Chapter XI of The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the second verse of "Gronlandic Edit," Barnes sings "I
guess it would be nice to give my heart to a god / But which one, which one do I choose? / All the churches fill with losers, psycho or confused / I
just want to hold the divine in mind / And forget all of the beauty 's wasted," revealing an irreverent search for religion. Barnes is less interested in
institutionalized faith and more invested in personal spirituality and beauty. In my analysis of the song, this echo of Dorian 's obsession with physical
beauty and reluctance to join an organized faith made apparent the unexpected textual connections (Wilde 128). "Gronlandic Edit" illustrates the link
between escapism and a search for a permanent solution to one 's problems – in Barnes ' case, religion. With this in mind, my analysis turned to what
Dorian may be seeking while practicing avoidant

Vanity In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
In my opinion, in Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1890, an interesting character is the central character, Dorian Gray. At
the beginning of the novel, Dorian appears to be a beautiful, naive and youthful character to readers, until he is corrupted by vanity and appearences.
Dorian makes a fraustian deal. He will remain youthful and beautiful physically while a potrait painted of him will reflect his age and his continuous
guilty conscience. Dorian thinks that as long as he remains physically attractive, then his personality will not matter. Throughout the novel, readers see
him bringing suffering, duplicity and death to all members in the social circles that he switches to. For example, Dorian falls in love with... Show more
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Dorian views his apperance as his most adored quality. Once Dorian realizes his own physically beauty, from Lord Henry, his activity is influenced
by appearances and consequently, by vanity, from his desire for abiding youth at the start of the novel to his despairing strive to demolish the potrait
at the end of the novel. Even Dorian's efforts at altriuism are compelled are inspired by a wish to ameliorate the appearance of his soul. Vanity and
appearance torment Dorian throughout the novel, he appears to condemn his actions before he actually perpetrate's them. This is interesting to readers
because it shows that vanity is Dorian's true sin. From this, we see that consequently, Dorian's plummet from finesse is because of his choice to accept
vanity and new experiences, whether moral or immoral as a merit at the desire of Lord Henry. his manipulator. In the preface of "The Picture of Dorian
Gray", Oscar Wilde states "it is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors." This particular feature was interesting and effective because Oscar
Wilde provokes readers to explore the unavoidable aspect of vanity and appearance in our own relation to art. If people view ourselves in art and
perceive art to be beautiful then we accompany in admiring our own

Theme: In a society that mistakenly values beauty and influences over individuality, one chooses to be in the known without any life consequences,
thus causing one to sacrifice their true self and abandon their morals, and as a result it alters one as a person to be someone who they truly aren't.
Motif: In Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde uses motifs in the novel to hint to readers what he finds important to look for. One
of the many repetitive motifs used in the novel is the color white and the various forms that white takes. The color white is also synonymous to
"faint," "pale," "subtle," "dim," "shallow," "blank," "flaccid," "faded" and "dusty" in the novel. The color white in many novels represents
innocence and purity in one's early life. For example, Basil remembers his first time when he meets Mr. Gray and recalls his face "growing pale"
(8). This signifies the translucency of Dorian Gray's innocence almost as if he has an influence on everyone he meets and vice versa. We see that
here when Lord Henry reveals Dorian Gray's soul as he "turned to his white girl and bowed in worship before her" (59). Here we see that not only
does Dorian Gray have an affect on other characters, but other characters like Sibyl Vane have an affect on him in which her innocence of youth
showed Dorian the innocence of true love. However, as the various shades of white are brought up in the novel, we see the shades of white represent
the transition of Dorian Gray as

Many individuals are taught from a very young age about ethics and morals, and begin to develop them to their own standards throughout their time
growing up. Many people tend to have their code of ethics and morals set and in practice by the time they reach adulthood. However, sometimes
outside factors have the ability to influence an individual to adjust and revise their personal code. This is the case with Mr. Dorian Gray, in the novel by
Oscar Wilde titled, The Picture of Dorian Gray. This title character is influenced by outside persons and experiences that cause him to modify the
outlook he has on the world and the effects of his actions. Whereas, other characters, such as Basil Hallward, are exposed to the same influences as
Mr. Gray, like Lord Henry, but remain stable in their set codes. This occurs because of Dorian's ability to be influenced and corrupted by new and
unethical ideas that he has never thought of before. Many characters in this novel, though of the same age range and surrounding temptations, seem to
have different senses of what morality and ethics means. However, each of the main characters live very different lifestyles from one another. For
example, Basil Hallward is a painter who spends the majority of his time working in his studio. Lord Henry is a man of the upper class who spends
the majority of his time partaking in high class social functions where the only factor contributing to your character is your wealth, or with Basil in his
studio,

In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray we experience the themes of loss, greed, and immortality. These theme's are the surface level aspects
that one can easily attain to, but what is the true visual that Wilde is portraying is the corruption of egotism which correlates to the greed of
immortality. Influence can skew an individuals mind, and make them believe things that aren't true, in the story Lord Henry is this influence, and
throughout we see how Dorian changes from his presence. Greed of beauty is a common aspect that needs no introduction, for Basil, the painter
who finds Dorian to be his muse is locked in the mindset of Dorian being his true perfection. Through Basil Dorian meets Lord Henry who slows
embodies Dorian's mind, for Dorian finds the light of his heart with Sybil, yet he becomes a changed man after his greed of true beauty and
performance is lost. Everyone see's Dorian for not what he is, a youthful and pure face, when in fact his faГ§ade is only a cover of something sinister,
his face soon symbolizes his morality. For as the common adage that is spoke, one's face is the window to their soul, Dorian's is ever still and
unchanging yet his heart cripples him going against his presence. His face is what draws people to him, then they find out the true Dorian is ill
because how corrupt his mind gets from Lord Henry's influence. One's face can tell a lot about someone, one cannot control its reactions all the time.
When stimulus is given, a twitch or smile

The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay
In the extract from The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde presents the character Dorian Gray as knowing nothing about love, shown to the reader
from the way he is self–centred, ignorant and assumptious about his relationship with Sibyl Vane.
At the start of the extract Gray blames the ending of his relationship entirely on Vane where his narrative says "It was the girl's fault, not his... She had
disappointed him. She had been shallow and unworthy", showing how Gray is blaming everything on her and suggesting he has done absolutely
nothing wrong. This illustrates how he knows nothing about love because in a relationship both people have equal responsibility to try and make it
work however as Gray is a very self–centred character he expects her to put in all the effort to make it work. The line "She had disappointed him."
reinforces this idea as it suggests how her sole purpose in the relationship is to please him and impress him rather than love him or be loved by him.
The fact Gray's narrative also says she was "unworthy" highlights how he is self–centred as he feels his partner must be 'worthy' enough for him, rather
than just someone he loves. This helps the reader to see how Dorian Gray knows nothing about love because in a typical loving relationship both
people are equal and one does not have to be 'worthy' enough for the other. The short sentences used in this quote could however suggest that Gray's
thought process is distracted here

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde warns against immorality, vanity and selfishness using his protagonist's downfall to show the dangers of
overindulgence and depravity. The preface is contradictory and reveals that Wilde's beliefs on art and its ties to morality were inconsistent. He
appears to be trying to show that we shouldn't subscribe to just one clear ideal without questioning it or considering other opinions. However, it's
clear throughout the book that there is a strong moral ideology behind the story. Wilde claims that 'an ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable
mannerism of style,'1 but then breaks his own rules by showing Dorian Gray's downfall to be inextricably linked to his exposure to and infatuation
with hedonism and immorality. In this essay, I will demonstrate how the gradual moral decline of Dorian Gray and his eventual demise are used to
send a very clear message about morality, corruption and overindulgence.
When the book begins, Dorian is a blank slate – naГЇve, 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

Character Analysis Of Dorian Gray And The Picture Of...
Dorian Gray from The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the player from Doki Doki Literature Club are both the protagonist of their stories and share a
similar personality trait– The Two–Face. The Two–Face is a character that expresses two different sides to their personality– one that they keep hidden
and the one that they show to others. Dorian's Two–Face personality is the split of his physical body, which does not age and allows Dorian to do what
he wants in his society, and his painting, which changes form to reflect Dorian's sinful acts; meanwhile the Player's Two–Face personality share the
same body, that of the character who is written to forget the strange or unnerving events that happens within the game, and the person playing the game,
who will most likely remember the events for a long time. Both Dorian and the player get what they want without much refusal from the other
character. For instance, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Basil, when wanting to paint Dorian's picture without Lord Henry staying in the room,
Dorian begs Basil to let Lord Henry stay, to which Basil agrees, adding "Dorian's whims are laws to everybody, except himself" (Wilde, 19). This
hints at the early whims of Basil giving in to and seeing the good side of Dorian, but it is more of Dorian wanting Lord Henry to stay with him to
influence him of his ideology of only liking things for the beauty, not the substance, since Lord Henry gave him a bit of advice earlier in the
confrontation of the three men;

The Picture Of Dorian Gray: Jealousy
In addition to setting impossible standards to require approval, inauspicious friends can make one feel inferior about oneself and in turn, create
feelings of resentment towards the self and a desire to never change one's identity. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray becomes quickly
dissatisfied after talking to Lord Henry about his fleeting youth and beauty. Afterwards, Basil announces he has finished Dorian's portrait and Dorian
reacts by asserting that the painting makes him jealous and mocks him:"I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the
portrait you have painted of me" (Wilde 28). Wilde insinuates that Dorian feels jealousy towards the painting, because Lord Henry makes him feel
guilty about the inevitability

Oscar Wilde explores the theme of outsiders in his 1890 novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. He infuses what it means to be an outsider in almost
every character in the story. The most important of these characters are Dorian Gray, Henry, and Basil. Each show what it means to be an outsider
in his own individual way; whether it is an outsider among society, among a group of friends, or from a person's own self. The main character,
Dorian Gray, possesses most attributes of being an outsider. The most obvious way is being an outsider from himself. The picture of Dorian ages,
while he doesn 't, thus he is outside of himself or his soul. Dorian is torn between doing what is right and giving into his desires, making him has
conflicting emotions and causing him to be an outsider from his own self. He can also be considered an outsider among his peers. Whereas they
thrive in being mean and uncaring, he tries to be good. For instance, Henry pressures Dorian to not let on that he knows Sibyl, although Dorian feels
badly about this at first. Another prime example of this is in chapter 19, when Dorian announces to Henry that he will change his ways and be good,
claiming he has already changed a little. Throughout the novel, Dorian behaves like an insider by constantly conforming to Henry, but in reality he
doesn't want to. He tries very hard to resist giving in and believes by completing a few good deeds, such as leaving Hetty alone and not corrupting her,
will set him back on the path

(HOOK) In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the theme of transformation is constant throughout the novel. Through the protagonist's
transformation, Oscar Wilde 's novel is suggesting that the hedonistic life style, a life style where gaining pleasure is the main goal, may seem
like it is a fun and wonderful way to live, however a person will slowly be corrupted if they live in that way . One has to take life into one's own
hands and choose the people to be around and what one will do with one's time to stay pure and good. Throughout Wilde 's novel, the protagonist,
Dorian Gray, is influenced by his companion, Lord Henry, to lead a hedonistic way of life, and he slowly becomes more and more immoral and
impure. His transformation is negative and it is caused by the large amounts of time he spends around Lord Henry and his corruptive ideas and
philosophies.
This negative transformation is easily seen by the other characters in the novel; however Dorian Gray does not see it himself until it is presented in
front of his face. His negative transformation could have been turned into a positive transformation many times throughout the novel; however he does
not choose to take his life into his own hands. Furthermore, Dorian Gray 's transformation wasn 't the only transformation in the novel; Painter Basil
Hallward and actress Sybil Vane transform in different ways, while still conveyingOscar Wilde 's idea that in order to stay pure and keep one's life in
control one must

Every single book is essentially the same. However, every book is written in a different and unique way. When writing their books, each author
borrows from other authors to make their book a masterpiece. Thomas Foster, author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, explains in great
detail the differences between books, but also their connections. Foster writes "There is only one story . . . Whenever anyone puts pen to paper or
hands to keyboard . . . They all take from and in return give to the same story" (Foster 185–186). One book that is a part of Foster's story is Oscar Wilde
's The Picture of Dorian Gray. In this essay, Thomas Foster's methods regarding both symbolism and В¬В¬В¬В¬heart disease from his book, How
to Read Literature Like a Professor will be discussed and applied to one of Oscar Wilde's novels. Throughout his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray,
Oscar Wilde uses the portrait of the young protagonist as a symbol of many things, one of them being a mirror. Wilde also uses Gray's death to not
only signify suicide, but his true unhappiness through the stabbing and thus killing of his own soul.
Throughout the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde tells a tale about a young man named Dorian whose entire life changes after he meets
Basil Hallward, who paints a portrait of Gray that ultimately leads to Gray's demise. At the same time, Dorian also meets Lord Henry, who eventually
plays a bad influence over Dorian. The portrait shows the man Dorian has become

The importance of symbols in The Picture of Dorian Gray is that everyone seems to experience life in a different way based on influences that are set
upon them. Most movements that one partakes in each day, allows one to gather information and assess how it influences them. Not everyone assesses
how all things affect them, and that is when there become a common sight for predominant patterns to take effect in one's life. The great array of
symbols in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, can quite easily allow one to believe that anything is possible of influencing your judgment
whether you want it or not. Just like Dorian exhibits beauty, Max Beerbohm mentions that Oscar Wilde himself who was the first one to truly present
his beauty ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
With his great looks and wealth, Dorian has nothing to worry about in terms of trying to impress anyone as everything is already as good as it will
possibly get. It is the fact that Dorian can resist gratification, but he cannot resist the temptation to do it. This is clearly evident when Lord Henry
speaks to Dorian about what exactly his influence is on others; "The mutilation of the savage has its tragic survival in the self–denial that mars our
lives. We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind, and poisons us. The body sins once, and has
done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollections of a pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only
way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for
what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful. It has been said that the great events of the world take place in the brain. It is in the
brain, and the brain only, that the great sins of the world take place also" (Wilde 21). The fact that even when Basil warns Dorian about the negative
influence that Lord Henry has on others, Dorian is rather more curious about what Lord Henry is all about, rather than staying safe and keeping
himself away from Lord Henry. He truly did not live a fulfilling childhood as it is evident with

The greatest heartbreak is caused by people who we look up to and appear to be the most harmless. Ever since we were young, our parents always
taught us to stay away from strangers and avoid people who appear to us as scary or unusual. Within these aspects of danger, it is implied that true
terror is caused by individuals whose appearance are different and out of the ordinary. The opposite of this theory occurs in "The Picture of Dorian Gray
", written by Oscar Wilde. The protagonist goes by the name of Dorian Gray, and is portrayed as being the most charming man who represents youth.
An important feature of Dorian is the fact that he never ages throughout the novel. Dorian uses this feature to his advantage in many instances by
tricking ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
With the foundation of new inventions, appearance and wealth are merely only distractions from the reality of the corruption that it can be associated
with.
With the modernization of the world that led to these new occurrences, Neslihan Gunaydin from Turkish Studies describes how this behavior in the
Victorian era was becoming a very normal instance, between appearance and corrupted society:
The hypocrisy of Victorian aristocracy and the middle–class depicted in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a good example of the close
connection between a corrupted society with the depraved nature of its individuals. On the surface, they exhibit a respectable appearance in smart
society, yet lead their lives according to the hedonist principle "not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end" However, this elusive and
deceitful manner in the background suggest the beauty of evil and charm of corruption. (Gunaydin 548)
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

The Picture of Dorian Gray
Aestheticism is a philosophy in which its followers practice complete self–indulgence. Aesthetic principles teach that the arts, beauty, and youth are
absolute over anything else. People who follow this philosophy are very egotistical, and are extremely concerned with appearances. It is often
associated with jewelry, painting, music, and perfumes. (insert quote to prove) All followers of Aestheticism put activities pertaining to beauty above
anything else. Their priorities hold beauty above attributes such as kindness, morality, and intelligence. Hedonism is a practice that is very similar.
Followers of the philosophy of Hedonism conclude that pleasure is the most important aspect of life. In the picture of Dorian Gray, Aestheticism and ...
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A critic points this out, "Dorian's portrait confers visibility upon an internal corruption that otherwise escapes sensory apprehension" (Craft 114). The
only way Dorian can see the decimation of his morality is through the portrait, so that is why he continually goes to gaze upon it. Although the
upper–class in London have noticed an evil change in Dorian, "I think it right that you should know that the most dreadful things are being said
against you in London" (Wilde 153), he is still a prominent member in society because of his beauty and youth. and in the opinion of most people his
frank, debonair manner, his charming, boyish smile, and the infinite grace of that wonderful youth seemed to never leave him, were in themselves a
sufficient answer to those calumnies (for so they termed them) that were circulated about him (Wilde 145) They did not believe that someone so
attractive could commit such atrocities. This again shows the priorities of the English people of this time, valuing beauty over morality.
Before Dorian was introduced to Lord Henry, both his soul and his sense of morality were innocent. Before Lord Henry's influences Dorian was
carefree, young, and moral. He was regarded as a helpful member of society before his corruption. Before Lord Henry met Dorian, he stated that he
had heard his name before. He realizes that his aunt Lady Agatha that had talked of Dorian, "She told me she had discovered a wonderful young man,
who was

Transformation in Literature
Greek Philosopher Heraclitus once said "There is nothing permanent except change". In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the theme of
transformation is constant throughout the novel; however it is not portrayed as something that is permanent. Through the protagonist's transformation,
Oscar Wilde 's novel is suggesting that the hedonistic lifestyle, a lifestyle where gaining pleasure is the main goal of a person's life, may seem like it
is an exciting and wonderful way to live, however a person will slowly be corrupted if they are not careful in the way they carry out their lifestyle.
Their life must be taken into their own hands and they must choose the people to be around and what they will do with ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Furthermore, Dorian Gray 's transformation wasn 't the only transformation in the novel; Painter Basil Hallward and actress Sybil Vane transform in
different ways, while still conveying Oscar Wilde 's idea that in order to stay pure and keep one's life in control one must choose carefully where and
with whom one spends their time.
In the beginning of the novel Dorian Gray 's transformation is slow and he is not aware of what is happening to him. Only when his
transformation is presented in front of his face does he even consider the fact that he is changing. After Dorian comes back from the theater, where
he rudely "breaks up" with an actress he had been in love with, he looks at a portrait of himself that his good friend Basil Hallward had painted for
him a few years back. He sees a change in what had been a flawless face; he thinks he sees what might be cruelty. He questions what he sees and
asks "Had [I] been cruel?" (Wilde 81) He then realizes that he had been cruel to his "girlfriend," the actress Sybil Vane. He finally sees that he is
changing and he needs to stop being friends with the Hedonist, Lord Henry, the man who is corrupting him.
While Dorian Gray needs to have the proof in front of his face to be able to understand that he is slowly changing, it is clear to other characters that
the innocent young man that was presented at the very beginning of the novel is no longer the same. Basil Hallward realizes Dorian's change before
anyone else.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel laced with sin, treachery, and raging battles of inner conflict, is Oscar Wilde's sole novel. Considered immoral
and scandalous upon publication, the book centers around a young man named Dorian Gray, who does not age or reflect the darkness of his heart
outwardly, and instead a portrait of him bears the damage his destructive life wreaks on his soul. However, the meaning of the story extends past the
simple fact that Dorian lives a life of immorality–he walks the path that takes him there with his two friends, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotten.
The two attempt to guide and influence Dorian throughout the novel in their own ways, and are a vital piece of Dorian's tale. Basil and Henry act as
character foils as well as a symbolic angel and devil for Dorian Gray's character, and also contribute themes of choosing one's own fate. Basil
Hallward and Henry Wotten are quite the opposite of each other–Basil is unwaveringly conventional in his values while Henry instead enjoys
entertaining the idea of radical and inappropriate ways of thinking (on page 4, he claims that "the one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of
deception absolutely necessary," to which Basil responds that he "hate[s] the way [Henry] talks about his married life). Because of their profoundly
contrasting ideas, they are not so much foils for each other as they are for Dorian Gray. It is by these two men that one measures Dorian's place on the
scale of morality.

Aphorisms In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
The English language consists of a wide variety of figurative speech, and authors often make use of this in order to embellish and enhance their works.
Oscar Wilde, one of the most daring writers of the nineteenth century, exemplifies this writing approach. His most notable technique is the use of
aphorisms–a concise judgement that contains a general truth– throughout his pieces, particularly in The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of
Dorian Gray. The phrases are often thoughts or dialogue from the characters, the majority of whom live in the English upper class society during the
Victorian era, and comment on a range of subjects concerning this culture. Wilde's aphorisms can often be overlooked as shallow or simplistic, but in
reality, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The aphorism not only opens the discussion, but it also identifies the problem with the society being addressed in the subsequent text. In this case,
Wilde points out that instead of mending the bothersome rules of the English, upper class society, individuals choose instead to find ways to break
these rules and escape the consequences. Such ideas continue in the plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray, which relies on Lord Henry's aphorism and
Dorian Gray's response to it, "'Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!' Dorian Gray listened, open–eyed and wondering... 'If it were I
who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!...I would give my soul for that!'" (The Picture of Dorian Gray 24, 28) to initiate
the central plot. Lord Henry's aphorism, along with his subsequent dialogue, affects Dorian so greatly that he sells his soul to stay young and beautiful
forever. The rest of the plot, instigated by this one simple phrase, exemplifies Wilde's cynical views on the worship of youth with Dorian's demise at the
conclusion of the novel. Dorian's death and Jack and Algernon's Bunburying, although seemingly disparate, both represent issues in the English upper
class that Wilde begins to address through an

Twice used by the renowned author, Oscar Wilde, in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray as well as in his drama Lady Windermere's Fan, the cynical
notion that "nowadays, people know the price of everything and the value of nothing" has pervaded our undeniably quantitatively–driven society.
Certainly, the monetary view of things cannot replace aesthetic, moral or rational conscience. However, attempting to separate the pursuit of absolute
truth from economic endeavors altogether is equally as detrimental as judging significance based on a price tag. Evidently, this discrepancy beckons
drastic revisions of conventional economic notions resolving the major questions concerning the nature and origin of value. Marilynne Robinson in her
piece, "Night Thoughts of Baffled Humanist," supports the popular idea that value in the universe is created through sentient "mind to mind" human
relations. Conversely, Mary Midgley in her article, "Duties Concerning Islands: Of Rights & Obligations," finds fault with this convention suggesting
that non–human entities have intrinsic value in themselves. Although these two seemingly differ in their respective conclusions, Midgley and
Robinson can be harmonized by the fact that both their theories suggest that value genesis is designated by individuals in accordance to their personal
moral context.
Placing emphasis on human minds as the agents of constructing value, Robinson's argument makes the most logical sense with our own human
perspective. The

"The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open
door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink–flowering thorn." (Page 3) The Picture of Dorian Gray's opening paragraph
is a seductive statement of the themes and trajectory of the novel, and introduces the character. The words 'The studio' assert art as one of the novel's
preoccupations. Then 'the rich odour of roses' makes the most suggestive of all the senses – smell and hints at the nature of the incumbent artist. The
rose has a lot of symbolism. Its symbolic identity is so powerful that it has permeated the market. Significant in all major religions, it is the archetypical
flower. It represents the soul's condition in a journey, the deepest human passion and the supreme achievement of the spiritual quest– a pure heart and
a perfected soul. Its essential oil heals the heart and imparts bliss. And... it has thorns. But here, at the highest and purest note of Wilde's symphony, is
not the place for their pricks. "From the corner of the divan of Persian saddle–bags on which he was lying, smoking, as was his custom, innumerable
cigarettes, Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey–sweet and honey–coloured blossoms of a laburnum, whose tremulous branches
seemed hardly able to bear the burden of a beauty so flamelike as theirs; and now and then the fantastic shadows of birds in

In Oscar Wilde 's The Picture of Dorian Gray human nature is heavily discussed and explored, more specifically the idea that one can not deny who
they truly are and that it will eventually affect them, or in the presented case bring their judgment. Throughout the text this concept is conveyed to
the reader through various symbols. The book 's namesake, the painting of Dorian Gray, is the most prominent example of this symbolism due to
its very peculiar quality. As any reader can tell, the cornerstone of this novel 's plot is the fact that Dorian has been given the very rare fortune of
being able to suffer no detrimental effects to his beautiful appearance in real life due to his horrible actions while his painting bears these crosses
instead. "But here was a visible symbol of the degradation of sin"(Wilde 93). As Dorian continues to become worse and loses any iota of morality,
he maintains the appearance of an angel while the painting becomes a twisted, grotesque, and aged monstrosity that stands as a monument to all of
his sins. In the beginning of the story Dorian meets the character Lord Henry, who removes Dorian from his state of naivetГ©. Essentially, Lord
Henry makes Dorian much more aware of the world around him and teaches him a great deal about cynical philosophy and the indulgences of the
physical world. This, combined with the great deal of praise the artist Basil Hallward gives to Dorian over his great physical beauty, leads Dorian into
having a relatively vain

In Oscar Wilde's Popular nineteenth century novel, the Picture of Dorian Gray demonstrates the importance of the aesthetic movement in Victorian
England. This suggests youth and physical attractiveness is emphasized and are valuable additions to society. Therefore, what matters to Dorian, is not
the internal goodness an individual possesses but the appearance they present. Consequently, Dorian is able to forget the violent acts he commits as
long as he appears beautiful on the outside. Since external beauty is valued, Wilde argues that people tend to lose their individualism and conform to
society's expectations. With this in mind, Dorian gray grows more corrupt, self–centered as he focuses more on the pleasure for himself as he becomes
more vulnerable to his own misgivings. He loses his individualism, because he is conforming to society's form of asethics. I agree with Wilde's
arguement about Dorian Gray, that individuals lose their sense of idenity when conforming to society's influence, such as in today's beauty standards
portrayed on social media, racism described through facism, and LGBTQ rights violated by intolerant individuals. (too wordy) Media demonstrates
certain beauty standards that women are expected to meet, similar to Dorian Gray's obsession with youth and beauty to conform to society's ideals.
Dorian Gray idealizes Lord Henry, therefore he is influenced by Lord Henry's view on his passion for youth. Henry exemplifies that, " for youth [he]
would do anything

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Essay
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.
Oscar Wilde's inspirations for writing The Picture of Dorian Gray comes from his own life. Oscar Wilde himself practiced aestheticism, or pleasing
the self. A literary critic of Wilde's work, Richard Ellmann, observes Wilde's life as "bent on a subversion of propriety and sobriety" (1). He even used
Mr. Basil Ward's name for the character Basil Hallward (Wilde; Jullian; Lawler 406). He frequently looked to satisfy his own desires, whether they
were morally or socially acceptable. He once was arrested for homosexuality, which was a crime in England at the time. Even Wilde's encounters with
his fellow writers prompted an

Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, chronicles the transformation of Dorian Gray from an naive youth to a corrupted monster. The
simplicity of the storyline contrasts the complexity of Dorian Gray; specifically, the cause of his corruption. The cursed portrait, and characters such as
Lord Henry and Basil, play a significant role in the Dorian's journey to pernicity, but neither of three can be held entirely responsible. Dorian Gray's
initial innocence conceals an inner evil within him; the amalgamation of the three outside influences in Dorian's life reveals his inner monstrosity.
Wilde structures the story to symbolize Dorian's transformation into a duplicate of Lord Henry Wotton–– a selfish, manipulative and inquisitive
character. The story stays third person throughout, yet centers around Lord Henry for the first few chapters as he attends various events. After a brief
interruption for the depiction of Sibyl Vane and her family, while Dorian spends more time with Lord Henry, the transition in structure occurs when
Dorian fights with Sibyl after her terrible performance. After Dorian's first true act of cruelty, evident by the newfound smirk upon the portrait, the
novel solely revolves around Dorian's life. The transition in narration reflects Dorian's newfound egocentrism as outer influences bring forth his true
self. The narration never fixates on Basil's life which mirrors both Henry's and shortly Dorian's ignorance and indifference towards him. The

Ambiguity In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
In Oscar Wilde's thrilling and aesthetic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, a character viewed as morally ambiguous is Dorian Gray due to his dual
lifestyle which conveys how the power of appearance influences man's behavior for the work as a whole.
During the novel, Dorian Gray is viewed as a morally ambiguous character because of his dual personalities of crime and prosperity. Dorian is
known to be a beautiful man, full of wealth, and living a prosperous life. However, the "prince charming" is influenced by Lord Henry about ideas
on life and how people never really change. Wanting to become a better person, Dorian's actions can't be clearly defined as good or bad. His
ambiguity of redemption or murder is what makes him such a complex character. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Whenever Dorian's painting started to get older as he rejected Sybil's love, he becomes insane at the fact that his beauty is degrading. Dorian's
obsession with beauty and youth is what serves as the main theme of the novel. The power of appearance can cause someone to go insane as they
can't preserve the image that used to be beautiful. His ambiguity signifies this because even though he's trying to redeem himself for the better, he's
still influenced by his own degrading image. All of his actions, such as murder and manipulation, is the effect of him wanting to change the old
and hideous portrait that Basil painted. The soul attached to his painting is what makes the portrait degrade due to his selfishness and desires.
Moreover, the power of appearance connects to the real world as people in this age are obsessed with the aesthetics of physical traits. People are
influenced to look a certain way by their society in order to fit in. Relating to Dorian Gray, he's wanting to preserve the social standards of what
everyone thinks of him, such as his beauty and his wealth. His actions being seen as both good and bad show that it's significant to the theme since
he's affected by how society views him. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray's ambiguous character is significant to the work since his

Theories and Ideas in The Picture of Dorian Gray 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... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The novel continues to follow Dorian around as his soul begins to worsen. The story also points out the harm that Dorian's change in behavior is
doing to others. "Reputations ruined, hearts broken, suicides endured, murders committed (Boilard, 991)." The fatalistic view of sin is further
indicated when Dorian is unable to change his fate at the end of the book. He begins to feel his past catch up to him as people he has wronged
begin to identify him and his actions. To make up for his actions, Dorian decides to do a good deed; he cancels his plans to go out with a young
female that he was going to take advantage of. However, he does not see evidence of his good deed within the portrait. Dorian becomes hopeless,
and decides to drive a knife into the painting. The servants downstairs hear a scream, and when they enter the room they see the portrait hanging
on the wall. Dorian is on lying on the floor with a knife in his heart, looking like the figure in the portrait had just moments earlier (Boilard 992).
Sibyl Vane, the actress that falls in love with Dorian, is brought up again when discussing Dorian's hardness of heart. Dorian only focuses on the
roles she plays on stage or in his life; he never focuses on her essential self (Profit 16). For example, Dorian refuses Lord Henry's invitation for dinner
and reminds Henry that Sibyl will be assuming the role of Imogen that evening and Juliet tomorrow. Lord Henry proceeds to ask

In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, we see how the different characters show their love of beauty and pleasure and the affects they have
on the main character: Dorian Gray. Each of the three main characters, Basil Hallward, Lord Henry Wotton, and Dorian Gray portray a part of how
the author felt about himself and the world around him. "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks of me: Dorian what I
would like to be– in other ages, perhaps" (qtd. in Bloom pg. 117). Through these characters, Wilde shows the ramifications of a worldview based
entirely on the pursuit of happiness, beauty and sensuality demonstrated by their integration with the world around them. This is most strongly seen
through the life... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
"He has a very bad influence over all his friends, with the single exception of myself" (Wilde, pg. 19). When Dorian falls prey to Lord Henry's
manipulative ways, Basil attempts to bring him back to purity even when nobody else will associate with him. "The prayer of repentance will be
answered also. I worshiped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshiped yourself too much. We are both punished" (Wilde, pg. 162).
He is afraid of life yet in love with finding what he wishes to be in others.
Basil was to Dorian what Wilde was to Lord Alfred Douglas.
"He is all my art to me now..." (Wilde, pg. 11).
Lord Henry Wotton poses differing view in his love of beauty. To him, love and happiness should be sought after above all else. "Oscar's antidote to
asceticism, we recall, is New Hedonism. This is most fully developed in The Picture of Dorian Gray, where Lord Henry proposes New Hedonism as a
kind of ethical admonition..." (O'Sullivan, pg. 308–309). Hedonism is "The doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good" (The Random
House Dictionary of the English Language pg. 657). We see his sensuality most strongly when he makes comments such as "The only way to get rid
of a temptation is to yield to it" (Wilde, pg. 21). Lord Henry's infatuation with love can also be seen through how he talks about the death of Sybil
Vane and can only say how much he wishes someone loved him so much they would commit suicide for fear of losing him. With his eloquent

and Mr. Hyde
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, inRobert 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.
Even though both Jekyll and Dorian have the same purpose of fulfilling their desires by creating the double, they gain it in different backgrounds. At

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis
In the Victorian prose, The Portrait of Dorian Gray explores the idea of duality. The divided self within the character of Dorian Gray begins with his
misunderstanding of his self–image, because of the influence of a portrait. Dorian's fate and transformation connect to the painting, which leads to his
downfall. The painting contains Dorian's moral decline as changes to the picture affects his life. Through the portrait, he gains an image of himself as
an independent individual compared to his previous characteristics where he followed traditional Victorian standards. The sinful actions of Dorian Gray
demonstrate duality, because of the self–image he gains from a portrait allowing him to live morally free until he redeems himself by... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Motivation for Divided Self The motivation for the duality of self in The Portrait of Dorian Gray is the image of Dorian. The said image in the
painting becomes influential to his transformation. The portrait molds Dorian as each character influences his self–identification and destruction. The
role of Lord Henry, for instance, is to establish negative connections to the self–image Dorian gains from the portrait. Inspired by Lord Henry's theories
of hedonism and sensual pleasure Dorian begins to misrecognize his identity and alienates himself from society through sin. The idea of self is a
false illusion, however, and Dorian starts to live a life inspired by sensual pleasure. It is not until the deaths of the siblings James and Sybil Vane that
Dorian realizes the falsity of his beliefs and attempts to destroy the illusion he created. Control over Duality The portrait changes Dorian's views of his
self–image, as he seeks control over his duality depicted through James Vane's death. James' death shatters his self–absorbed beliefs as Dorian decides
to reform himself by becoming a respectable person, only to end in failure, as the portrait containing his sinful deeds remains unchanged. The brother
to Sybil, James Vane is a protector of his sibling and in revenge for hurting her, he goes after Dorian, only to result in deception. Later, James Vane
comes back to kill Dorian but is accidently shot by a hunter during a hunting game. The death of James

While God in America: A New Adam illustrates the positive effects influence has on an individual, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
exhibits the negative consequences influence has on an individual who conforms to society's beliefs. Compared to the Spanish, the Puritans
succeeded in the teachings of their religion because they endorsed individual thought rather than collective thoughts. Upon their arrival to New
Mexico, the Spaniard missionaries believed it was their mission from God to "save heathen souls" or simply convert Native Americans to
Catholicism in order to save Native American souls as well as their own. The Native Americans went to mass and took a few ideas from Catholicism
and applied it to their own religion. The Spanish priests were outraged when they found out that the Native Americans were still practicing their own
religion rather than fully convert to Catholicism. Filled with rage and fear of their damnation, the priests told colony soldiers to enforce Catholicism
and to stop the Pueblos from practicing their traditional religion. The colony soldiers banned native ceremonies, religious icons burned, and sacred
places of worship destroyed. It wasn't until the Pueblos religious leaders were imprisoned for sorcery, flogged, and hanged that the natives had
enough. One of the imprisoned religious leaders, Pope, was the one who declared war on the Spanish. Spanish priests were targeted by 2,000 Pueblos.
More than half their number where murdered. Ten

When looking at Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray, it is clear that Frankenstein is a novel that can be placed into both the gothic and
horror genre, although it is a gothic novel secondary to it being a horror novel; The picture of Dorian Gray isn't so clear in this regard. On a first
reading, one may assume the story to be gothic literature and only gothic literature because of the sheer amount of gothic characteristics and elements
that the text presents that include, but are not limited to; byronic heroism, a dark and gloomy setting, screams or exclaims in different parts of a
building or area, and death. Whilst some of these characteristics exist in both the horror and gothic genre, some of them exist prominently in the gothic,
such as byronic heroism. That is not to say that byronic heroism is not found at all in the horror genre, but it is not a repeating and prominent element
like it is in the gothic. To fully understand why Frankenstein is a horror novel, one has to go into the definition of the genre itself. The horror genre
exists to scare the reader by presenting the unexpected. It is meant to evoke in the reader a response of fear or uneasiness and Shelly illustrates this
with the sudden appearance of the Frankenstein's monster throughout the story, the first being: "As I said these words, I perceived in the gloom a
figure which stole from behind a clump of trees near me; I stood fixed, gazing intently: I could not be mistaken. A flash of lightning

Collolocations In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
1.1.Introduction Collocations are a fascinating and a difficult linguistic phenomenon in language and in translation. They are repeated combinations of
words whose co–occurrence is higher than chance. Collocations represent a key constituent of the lexicon of natural language. They are a very
interesting and important phenomenon in language, whose importance is perhaps farther–reaching than previously thought. Recent studies on translation
have demonstrated that collocations are very important lexical constituents of texts and thus in translation. Collocation is a lexical relation between
words that are possible to combine usually with certain other words to form a semantic unit. This combination does not depend on rules but to certain
constrains that determine the way they can be combined to convey meaning. The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The first is the picture painted by Basil Hollward and the literary "picture" that Wilde creates here. Both of these indicate the so called "real world"
that we cannot see in the world, the truth of Dorian's soul. The painting is at the center of the novel, while Dorian's physical beauty remains untouched,
then he suddenly changes horribly to reflect the corruption of his soul. The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of Oscar Wilde's masterpieces. In essence
the author had dared to display the decay and all the artificiality of the system by strongly condemning all the immorality that has ruined English
society. The novel tries to represent the inner world of the main character, Dorian Gray, who is under the destructive influence of Lord Henry which
characterize all the interest, envy, corruption and immorality that cares for physical beauty and not happiness. This novel reflects the depravity of
English aristocratic society and the spiritual emptiness of this society. The proficient at which this novel is written is

"To be of good quality, you have to excuse yourself from the presence of shallow and callow minded individuals," said by Michael Bassey Johnson.
Johnson's quotation notes in order to be moral, you must remove yourself from negative surroundings and trifling individuals. This reading of the
quotation relates to Oscar Wilde's book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, since the association of negative influences from individuals seems to be the
downfall of Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray is a character that was misguided throughout his adulthood because of his surroundings and affiliation with
individuals, which is the blame in his, loss of innocence. The presence of a witched portrait of Dorian, takes on his mischievous actions and the
deteriorated appearance while he remains youthful. The portrait allows Dorian to portray his consequences throughout the years, in which he tries to
mirror it. Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, although the protagonist to some extent is responsible for his actions, he is not entirely at
fault for his downfall since the negative guidance had a greater influence. Dorian's morality has been altered through the manipulation of Lord Henry,
and the portrait.
Lord Henry is one of the individuals that impacted Dorian Gray's downfall. Before Lord Henry meets Dorian Gray, he was informed that he was a
naГЇve child and innocent to reality. He took advantage of what Basil told him and wanted to meet the "charming boy." Lord Henry uttered to Basil,
"He is

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Essay
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. Interestingly enough, The Picture of Dorian Gray begins with an interaction between Basil and Lord
Henry. In fact, Dorian doesn't even appear in the story until the second chapter. This is important to notice because, during their interaction, Lord Henry
and Basil are discussing

Realism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Wilde combines both the ornamental and the natural elements of the definition of aestheticism here by describing both the "Persian saddle–bags" and
"honey–coloured blossoms." The set description is so enamoring that one could almost miss "Lord Henry Wotton," instead engaging their imagination
in the appreciation of the objects around him. The descriptions are so elegantly articulated by Wilde that they can only be imagined through their
beauty alone; one would not imagine plain tables and chairs while reading this, and the descriptions are certainly not "modest" as George Eliot
describes in her definition of realism. This also eliminates any need for a collective spectacle; the objects simply are what they are. The entertaining
language that Wilde uses in his descriptions work in satisfying his argument for aestheticism. Wilde also spends a lot of his time making the characters
in The Picture of Dorian Gray aesthetic–focused. For Wilde, the only character who gives in to the idea of realism is Basil Hallward by putting far
too much of himself into his own painting. Basil is the physical characterization of Wilde's criticism of artists in his preface; he does not "conceal the
artist" when creating Dorian's portrait. Basil even claims that the "real Dorian" is the painting and not the living Dorian standing before him, saying "I
shall stay with the real Dorian" when prompted to attend the theatre with Dorian and Henry Wotton (Wilde 28). Since the "real Dorian" is not to

The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Sins of Dorian Gray Essay
What good does it do a man to gain the whole world yet forfiet his soul? None, perfection, the goal we all reach for, yet is it really attainable to
become perfect without giving something in return, possibly your soul. This is a theme challenged in the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by
Oscar Wilde. We see the tragedy of a young beautiful Englishman, Dorian Gray, who becomes a vain sinner dedicated to pleasure. Dorian's inner
secrets and weakness of mind becomes his downfall. In this novel Dorian Gray's apparent perfection is destroyed by his weakness of mind and
naiiveness, which becomes the downfall of his soul as his mind is opened to sin and Hedonism by Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian's apparent perfection is
expressed to us... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He is even told by Lord Henry he is far too charming to go into philantropy. This remark may be the beginning of the flattery that opened Dorian's
mind up to his corruption. Dorian is being moved by Harry's speech about cherishing youth and enjoying it. His mind was being challenged by the
thought of his own passions until the point when he proclaimed "stop! You bewilder me. I do not know what to say. There is some answer to you,
but I cannot find it. Do not speak. Let me think. Or rather let me try not to think". Dorian allows himself to be corrupted. He begins to fear aging
and begins to think that everything will be loss with the loss of his youth and beauty. Dorian goes from no worries to this thought as Harry speaks.
He was convinced that this "new Hedonism" was the way. This shows the weakness of his mind in his youth it is also the begginning of his fate.
With this flaw of character, Dorian seemed to write his fate unknowingly. When Basil Hallward, the painter, rewarded Dorian with the portrait he
replied "If I were to be the one always young, and the picture grow old! For that–for that–Iwould give everything!...Iwould give my soul for that!". This
was just a plea at the depth of his sorrow, a remark made totally through whim. As the novel goes on so does Dorian's life. He begins to be under the
control of Lord Henry to some degree. He also begin's to spend more time with Lord Henry, who is

In the "Picture of Dorian Gray", Oscar Wilde prefaces his only novel by examining the value of art and the artist. After a short examination, Wilde
concludes that "All art is quite useless" (Wilde, 2), contradicting the principles of the Aesthetic Movement, a contemporary to Wilde and Dorian Gray,
that became popular during the fin–de–siГЁcle English Victorian society. Aestheticism believes in imitating art and living life experiencing the
pleasures of the world, adopting the hedonistic way of living. A few pages into "The Picture of Dorian Gray", aesthetics becomes a prominent theme as
shown by both the artist Basil Hayward, who uses beauty to inspire his art, and Lord Henry Wotton who praises the aesthetic philosophy murmuring
to Dorian that "youth is the one thing worth having." (Wilde, 24). This seemingly useless sentence holds the crux of the story, as it creates the
atmosphere for the revealing of the painting of Dorian Gray which alter the rest of his life. Lord Henry's aesthetic philosophy critically damage
Dorian as up until this point he has lived an ethical life, but soon becomes influenced by Lord Henry's philosophy that "we never get back our youth"
(Wilde, 25) and thus becomes afraid of aging. This fear of ageing causes Dorian Gray to plead with dark forces to never grow old but instead be given
the opportunity to retain his youth while the painting ages, admitting that for an opportunity like that that "there is nothing in the world [he] would not
give! [He]

What does the fall of man, Oscar Wilde novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray, and Shakespeare's Macbeth all have in common? They all have the same
theme of the fall of man and break in the perfect union they once where in. The novels all start with man in perfect union, then sin enters and chaos
starts and it eventually leading to their death or downfall. The Fall of man, Shakespeare's Macbeth and Wilde's novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray
tightly follow the archetype of the fall of man this is all illustrated when sin enters a situation the perfect union that once was present can no longer be
sustained resulting in chaos and disarray to guarantee that hoping someday that peace and tranquility will someday be reestablished.
Notably everything is perfect and peaceful when man is in perfect union. In the Fall Of Man "the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the
ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (New International Version, Gen. 2.7) man was created in
the perfect image of God he had no knowledge of good and evil. "Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame". (Gen.2.25) Adam and
Eve had no knowledge of evil or sin and were in perfect union with God. In like manor Macbeth is in perfect union with Duncan. The first time we
see Macbeth in the play, he is explained as his honorable and brave in battle. He was a captain in Duncan 's army and at the start of the play, has just
defeated the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis

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The Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis