Dorian Gray Essays

Beauty in The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay
In Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, beauty is depicted as the driving force in the
lives of the three main characters, Dorian, Basil and Lord Henry. Dorian, the main character,
believes in seizing the day. "Dorian is described as an addict, having mad hungers that grew more
ravenous as he fed them." Basil, the artist, admires all that is beautiful in life. Lord Henry,
accredited one's physical appearance to the ability of achieving accomplishments in life. "Lord
Henry's moral position in Dorian Gray is akin to that of the devil; he is the initial serpent in the
Garden, and continues to coax Dorian to evil throughout the novel." Beauty ordains the fate of
Dorian, Basil, and Lord Henry. The novel embodies the relationship of...show more content...
"Dorian's features retain their youth and purity, while his deepening moral corruption caused by
his narcissistic worship of the beautiful is made visible only in the portrait." Dorian sets his
conscience aside and lives his life according to a single goal of acheiving pleasure. His painted
image, however, asserts itself at his conscience and hounds him with the knowledge of his
crimes. He aspired to have had a good life rather than one filled with artificial meaning. The image
of Dorian reflects his conscience and his true self, and serves as a mirror of his soul. The moral
beauty of Dorian 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 lamented his wish that the
portrait bore the burden of his age and sin. He Buckner 3 finally realized there is no way to undo
the effects of age or of sin on a soul. Dorian tries to destroy the picture, so he will no longer be
reminded of the evil that beauty has caused him. But, as he destroys the picture, he kills himself,
and the picture is cleansed and beautiful again. Dorian gives nothing less than his soul for the
mistakes that he made. The price that one must pay for their discrestions is exceedingly high.
Basil's life is also driven by beauty. He is infatuated with Dorian's beauty in the beginning. He
appreciated Dorian's beauty but did not wish to possess it for himself. Basil
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Dorian Gray Identity Essay
Almost two decades of Dorian Gray's life is laid out in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar
Wilde. The novella focuses on Dorian's identity in relation to a portrait. Dorian's beauty is what
ruined him, beauty and the youth he prayed for. Throughout the novella Dorian struggles with his
identity, displays his beauty, and displays the objects that influence his life. One cannot have an
identity if all aspects are not shown. Half of Dorian's identity was his beauty, his good side. The
other half was shown on the portrait, his evil side. Dorian's beauty represents the way society saw
him. The evil side represents how he saw himself. After Dorian tells Sybil he does not love her he
notices the portrait altered to show a "touch of cruelty in...show more content...
Dorian believes that "to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his
natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. (Wilde 20). Dorian lets the portrait influence
how he views himself. As a result, the portrait takes a part of his identity. Dorian feels a lot of
things would not "have happened if he had not met" Lord Henry (Wilde 52). Lord Henry
influenced Dorian to find pleasures and new sensations, which brought him to Sybil. Dorian would
not have the desires to find pleasure if it were not for Lord Henry. These two have a master–puppet
relationship. Lord Henry controls the strings and Dorian feels like there is nothing he can hide. The
portrait "itself – that was evidence" of Basil's murder. Dorian wants to destroy it" (Wilde 228).
Dorian was under the influence of the portraits image of how ugly he was supposed to look. Dorian
was furious at the portrait for messing up his life. Dorian kills the art, and in doing so kills himself.
One could not destroy the portrait without destroying Dorian.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde goes through almost twenty years of Dorian's life. The
focus is on Dorian's identity and how it connects to the portrait. Dorian finds the good and ugly
side to his identity, he shows his beauty, and explains how people and objects influence his life.
Why did Dorian keep the portrait so long? Why was society so focused on Dorian's appearance and
not his identity? What does the ending of the novella

Aestheticism in The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay
Aestheticism was a popular dogma in the late 1800s that centered on the belief that art should exist
for beauty alone. This doctrine is defined as an "exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with
indifference to practical matters" and "the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental
standard, ethical and other standards being secondary" ("Aestheticism," def. 1 and 2). In Oscar Wilde
's sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism is a fashionable belief accepted by society at
the time. Oscar Wilde uses the moral deterioration and ultimate destruction of Dorian Gray in The
Picture of Dorian Gray to emphasize the negative effects of society's preoccupation with aesthetics
and offer a moral for the reader.
In...show more content...
His devotion is based solely upon her skilled acting, but Wilde makes it clear that Dorian truly
adores her:
She is all the great heroines of the world in one. She is more than an individual. You laugh, but I
tell you she has genius. I love her, and I must make her love me....I want to make Romeo jealous.
I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our
passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain. My God, Harry, how I
worship her! (Wilde 54)
However, Dorian's love soon turns to hatred when he sees Sibyl perform again. Sibyl, having
never experienced love, is struck by her new feelings and loses her passion and talent for acting
because the play, Romeo and Juliet, no longer appears to her like true love, the love she feels for
Dorian. Her performance is stiff and unfeeling and Dorian looks like a fool in front of his friends,
to whom he boasted about her talent. Dorian is embarrassed and angry and reacts by disavowing
his love for Sibyl. His sudden loss of affection offsets his previous vows of devotion and shocks the
reader. Insulting and bitter, Dorian rebukes his former sweetheart:
I loved you...because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the
shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid. My God! how mad I

The Picture of Dorian Grey as a novel in the Victorian Era was shocking to readers of the time due
to the open nature of topics like: sexuality, greed and corruption. A Freudian perspective of the
characters: Basil, Lord Henry and Dorian can be seen as the Id, Ego and Super Ego. Basil is the
Super Ego, he conforms to a certain extent and tries to make Dorian lead a moral life when it
comes to desperate times of the loss of the 'real Dorian'; Lord Henry can be seen as the Id, the
immoral character who tries to convince Dorian to submit to his natural urges and passions; Dorian
is the Ego, one who in the beginning is in between the two and has a power struggle within as to
how he should act as a character in the novel. In answering this question and exploring the conflicts
shown in the novel one must look at the gender, identity and sexuality.
One conflict shown in Dorian Grey is the conflict of identity portrayed in the novel by Oscar Wilde.
The character Basil describes Lord Henry to be a very influential character to another's identity, for
example, 'Don't spoil him. Don't try influence him. Your influence would be bad.' Spoiling Dorian
shows that he is pure, and should not be tainted by Lord Henry's character; this shows that Lord
Henry is impure in thought and in his actions and this impacts his approach towards others. As Basil
says this, it shows that he understands the flaws in Lord Henry's character, but also his power in
manipulation, especially towards someone like

Dorian Gray Chapter 2 Essay
Discuss Wilde's presentation of Dorian Gray here and in one other part of the novel –Use of
dialogue and description –Aspects that are important to the plot. At the beginning of the novel
Dorian Gray is the epitome of perfection, he is the symbol of make youth and beauty; chapter 2 is
the pivotal moment in the book for Dorian's character. Towards the end of chapter 2, Dorian grows
resentful towards the portrait Basil has painted, "why did you paint it!", but this resent soon turns to
total adoration, "I am in love with it!" The change in his nature occurs only after he realizes the
importance of his own beauty. However this sudden love of his own face comes after he pledges his
soul for eternal youth. Although Dorian never contracts with...show more content...
The violence and madness of the attack is conveyed through vivid descriptions and visual
imagery, "Dug the knife into the great vein that is behind the ear... stabbing him again and again".
Stabbing in the face means the attack was personal and multiple times means the attacker has a
personal vendetta against the victim. Dorian's erratic behaviour is represented in the oddly
structured, long and short sentences; the fragility of his emotional/mental state is also shown.
After the senseless attack, Dorian appears to have no remorse for his actions, "he did not even
glance at the murdered man". His disregard for his actions possibly shows how hypnotised by his
own portrait he is; the picture of himself has made him forget all senses of morality. The way in
which Dorian is presented in chapter 2 and chapter 13 couldn't be anymore different. On one hand
Dorian is the sweet innocent, pure young boy but on the other hand he is the tainted cruel old man.
Dorian's vulnerability and insecurity in the end of chapter 2 made him the perfect model for Lord
Henry's hands. The aspects of the plot, morality and influence, play a big part in Dorian's fall from

The actions of individuals often influence what happens and exists in the world; some influences
are direct, and some are indirect. In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, influential
factors play an important role. The main character, Dorian Gray, is influenced by many forces, one
of the strongest being his mentor, Lord Henry; but while constant influences like his friend's are
obvious, there is a subtle, more discreet influence in his life: Dorian's first love, Sibyl Vane.
Despite her short appearance, it is her presence that allows the fundamental change in Dorian Gray's
character, and drives the plot. She reveals all the possibilities his life can have, aids in the
development of his corrupt nature, and determines his fate. From...show more content...
Their relationship creates patterns in Dorian's life that eventually determine his fate. An example
of this is Dorian's inner discord between doing what is right and or doing what is wrong. This
example is seen in their affair soon after Dorian cruelly drops Sibyl. Following his immoral actions,
Dorian has an internal conflict between taking responsibility for his actions and ignoring the
situation. His thoughts change between "Had he been cruel? It was the girl's fault, not his" (88)
and "a feeling of infinite regret came over him" (88). Questioning this happens to Dorian multiple
times throughout the years of his debauched life. The existence of this pattern establishes that this
lifestyle will not last. The struggle, first seen their relationship, between good and evil does prevail,
and eventually the conflict rises to a point where Dorian decides to drop his self–indulgent
behaviour. Unfortunately, the simple decision to drop his corrupt ways is not enough to compensate
for all his wrong–doings. What Dorian needs, is sincere goodness. The second instance of situations
echoing aspects of their relationship, is Dorian's morality triumphing despite his corruption.
Although he ruthlessly breaks Sibyl's heart, he later does decide to do what is right: return to her,
apologize, and marry her like he promised. This decision may not have lasted, but it existed
nevertheless. The

How should individuals satisfy their ambitions? In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott
Fitzgerald, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde, the theme of desires is
addressed. The Great Gatsby is a novel about Jay Gatsby, a man who wants to reunion with his past
lover, Daisy. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, Gatsby's neighbour and friend who witnesses
Gatsby's romantic desires. Similarly, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel about the development
of Dorian, from initial innocence to ultimate brutality, after he acquires the ability to stay eternally
young while letting his portrait suffer the consequences of his sins. Overall, the two books are
similar in nature in terms of the themes presented. Initially, the two...show more content...
When Nick is describing Gatsby's elaborate parties, he says, "People were not invited – they went
there... Once there they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby" (Fitzgerald 41).
Gatsby does not care who attends his parties, rather his sole purpose is to attract people and to
make himself known in the community. In contrast, when Dorian hosts dinners, he carefully
selects people to attend and handpicks the decorations. Through attending, people feel that Dorian
has "all the grace and distinction and perfect manner of a citizen of the world" (Wilde 130).
Dorian's hosts dinners not to gain popularity, but to strengthen the admiration that people have for
him. In general, Gatsby and Dorian differ in their aspirations for personal motives and images in
society. However, despite the differences in ambition, both characters act sinfully. To begin with,
both characters act heartlessly. After Daisy hits Myrtle Wilson when driving Gatsby home, she
escapes from the scene. Later, when Gatsby hears about Myrtle's tragic death, he says, "I thought
so; I told Daisy I thought so. It's better that the shock should all come at once. She stood it pretty
well" (Fitzgerald 143). Gatsby is completely unconcerned about the tragedy that has occurred to
Myrtle, all he cares about is Daisy's wellbeing. Also, after Dorian shows Basil the portrait that
reflects all his sins, he "rushed at [Basil], and dug the knife into the great vein that is behind the ear,

Dorian Gray Research Paper
B.F. Skinner once said, "Give me a child and I will shape him into anything". In The Picture of
Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, influence is a common occurrence, and many things shape Dorian
from a child into a terrible man. Young Dorian Gray is the subject of Basil's best painting. The
painting also sparks the interest of Lord Henry, a friend of Basil's and later Dorian's, as well. The
painting starts to cause problems when it changes as Dorian commits sins. The painting changes to
reflect his aging and his soul, becoming disgusting. Dorian was not always evil, but with the
influence of many different things, he develops this trait. Influence is used in a negative way in The
Picture of Dorian Gray. First, Dorian is influenced negatively...show more content...
Dorian explains why he is late to meet with Lord Henry by saying, "Really it is entirely your
fault. That book you sent me so fascinated me that I forgot how the time was going" (Wilde 157).
Dorian also "could not free himself from the influence of this book" (Wilde 158). Dorian changed
his entire life when he received the book from Lord Henry. Normally a very social person, the book
changed how he went about life. Dorian no longer was so interested in making himself well–known
or liked, but wanted to work on improving himself more. Dorian was intrigued by the book in part
because of similarities between himself and the main character. The character was self–centered,as
well, making him more interesting to Dorian. The character lost his good looks, causing Dorian
to fear that he would experience the same thing. Dorian even went so far as to put the blame on
Lord Henry for what the book had changed in him, because Lord Henry offered Dorian the book
in the first place. Dorian was now simply more selfish and focused on himself as a person. The
hold the book had on Dorian stemmed from not only his interest in the book, but that he decided
to stay attached to it. The book stopped Dorian from doing normal things and caused him to do
the things the book discussed. Suggestions in the book encouraged him to only do what he was
passionate about and not let other things get in his way. Dorian now put aside all people or
thoughts that did not strike his passion. That change influenced the way he interacted with people.
Influence is used in a strictly negative way in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The portrait of Dorian,
Lord Henry, and the book all influence Dorian in a negative way. Influence can have a drastic
effect on people, whether it be good or bad. The result can be a person becoming better, or a person
being murdered. As for Dorian Gray, the influence on him resulted in his

The Victorian Society in The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Works Cited Missing The Victorian age was the time when the British Empire was at its strongest
and greatest. People of Britain felt better and more special then other people from different countries.
The nature of England had begun to change, the farming industry began to deteriorate and England
started to become a manufacturing industry. It was the time of contrast especially where the rich
were extremely rich and the poor were extremely poor. Aristocracy was everything and it was what
everyone wanted to be even though the...show more content...
In the upper class world the weather is always pleasant but when Wilde is describing the life in the
lower class it is always dark and cold and foggy.
"The slimy pavement looked like a wet mackintosh"
The opium den is described with unpleasant seedy adjectives and it makes you feel like it is a
horrible place to live.
"Greasy reflectors" "Гўв‚¬В¦stained with dark rings of spilt liquor." This makes you feel like it is a
ghastly place to live in but is the squalor that the majority of England lived in.
In contrast to this horrible and hideous mage that Wilde portrays to us about the lower classes of
Victorian society, we also see what it is like in the upper class where Dorian Gray lives.
The aristocrats in Victorian society lead very indolent lives where they frown upon any means of
work. As they therefore spend a lot of time doing nothing, they amuse themselves with scandal and
gossip amongst their friends. This is why scandal is very important and not frowned upon in the
upper class, as they love to know anyone involved in crime and they regard it mainly as "exciting".
"I should like to know someone who had committed a real murder." (Lord Henry.)
The aristocrats of the Victorian age have a very relaxed and sedentary life style. They do not do
much except for going out to dinner and socialising.
"As I lounged in the Park, or strolled down Piccadilly."

Dorian Gray Loss Of Innocence Essay
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, a young and once innocent character, named Dorian
Gray, struggles to find who is he. Self– Discovery is one of the main themes in the novel. Dorian
Gray, throughout chapters 1–12, gradually loses his innocence through discovering who he is.
Dorian Gray sees the painting and though everyone finds it beautiful, Dorian says it is not and
wishes he would never grow old. Dorian after losing his innocence, never wants to grow old, he
wants to be young forever. Young Dorian Gray takes other people's views, especially Lord Henry's,
and makes a little more extreme, but in the process, he lost his innocence and will never be able to
get it back.

Dorian Gray Allegory
Oscar Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, revolves around a young man who has his
wish of eternal youth granted. His age and sins are absorbed by his portrait, while he remains
youthful and physically untouched. Ultimately throwing immortality away by not living as a proper
human with morals, but by sullying his soul, demonstrated by the growing hideousness of his
portrait throughout his his life. Wilde by using foil characters, choice of diction to employ emotional
response, and an allegory within his novel, showcases human nature's susceptibility to corruption.
Surrounding the protagonist, Dorian Gray, are two juxtaposing characters: Basil Hallward and
Henry Wotton. These two men represent human forms to Sigmund Freud's...show more content...
Specifically referring to the "lapses of interest in the novel reflect[ing] lapses of interest [with]in
the novel: the ennui it induces mirror[ing] the ennui it describes" (Nunokawa). In other words, the
book itself has uninteresting segments as to make the desire for a scandal of some sort to appear,
demonstrating that humans also find corruption quite entertaining. Dorian Gray becomes easily
bored in his daily routine, as do most people, which, is why he chooses to attain a sort of
adrenaline or pleasure by going to opium dens and sleeping with countless women. The audience
must also endure this boredom until the protagonist decides to do something worth his fancy and
scandalous to arouse some excitement from the reader as well. In the novel, Wilde dedicates chapter
eleven to this point, where he describes in far too much detail, to elongate the process of getting to
the end results, all of the newly found interests Dorian would undertake and quickly lose interest in.
In these new interests he would choose to "abandon himself to their subtle influences, and then,
having, as it were, caught their colour and satisfied his intellectual curiosity, leave them with that
curious indifference," (137). Meaning, they were just to pass the time, while attempting to discover
something that would thrill hims to his very core. Also, allowing for the descriptive diction to settle
into the readers' heads that they also wish for Dorian Gray to feel that thrill so they may also feel that

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was first published in the Lippincott's Monthly
Magazine, in 1890, and after, in 1891, in book form. This story had a big repercussion in the
society, mainly, caused by the moralism of the timeВ№, that was worried with people's image,
manners and behavior.
In the book, Oscar Wilde presents a story that contains a lot of questions that we can see still
nowadays in people's acts and behavior. To me, the most important of these questions presented in
Wilde's story is the Narcissism, the love of a person by his/her own image, what happens with
Dorian Gray and his picture made by his friend Basil Hallward. When Gray sees his picture he falls
in love with it, and then he changes his character and begins his...show more content...
Sybil is an actress and her roles show different feelings, but the characters' feelings not of her. Also,
to do her roles he uses many artifices, which allow the representation of the characters' personality,
not her. For that, it is possible to understand why Dorian Gray loves more the Sibyl's roles than her,
the roles and the plays happen during a short time and represent many personalities not really what
she is, but, many other faces that she can use, which show a superficial

Dorian Gray: Antisocial Personality Disorder
In Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character presents many behaviors
which modern–day society recognizes as characteristics of mental illness. However, in 1890 when
the novel first becomes available to the public, people do not have the extensive medical and
psychological knowledge seen in the world today. Throughout the novel, Dorian Gray's behavior
exhibits many symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder, or ASPD. ASPD is a psychological
disorder "in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights
and feelings of others (Antisocial Personality Disorder, mayoclinic.org)." Today, psychologists
classify people suffering from this mental disorder as either psychopaths or sociopaths,...show more
content...
The young man causes turmoil in the lives of many people, especially Sibyl Vane and Alan
Campbell. Both of these people unwittingly become victims of Dorian's maltreatment and
exploitation. As a direct result of Dorian's heinous behavior, both Sibyl and Alan commit suicide,
unable to bear the feelings of grief, guilt, and regret brought upon them by their interaction with
Dorian. However, although he fully knows of the role he plays in each of their deaths he still
explains to Lord Henry, "this thing that has happened does not affect me as it should... I have not
been wounded (VIII,113)." Although Dorian prompts both suicides, he refuses to accept full
responsibility and refrains from feeling any sort of remorse or sympathy regarding their deaths.
However, Dorian recognizes that he should feel more sadness, but does not have the capability to
do so. People suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder have an inability to experience true
emotions such as sadness, or guilt due to a lack of conscience. This aspect of the disease also
causes Dorian to feel nothing but disgust and hatred after his murder of Basil, demonstrated when
Dorian said, "the secret of the whole thing was not to realize the situation. The friend... to which all
his misery had been due, had gone out of his life. That was enough (XIII, 181)." Dorian's complete
lack of emotion while witnessing others lives

The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay example
"There were passions in him that would find their terrible outlet, dreams that would make the
shadow of the real evil" (Wilde,115). The author reveals pleasure as the driving force of many
characters within Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, but this search for pleasure becomes
fatal once taken into the hands of Dorian Gray. Throughout the novel Dorian Gray changes his
opinion on pleasure based on what he requires in order to escape reality. With each death and
misdeed he is responsible for; Dorian must search harder for a more drastic form of release. His
path declines from his innocent beginnings with Sybil Vane, to the pleasure he finds in corrupt
relations, and finally his need to escape the reality of killing a former...show more content...
He admits to Lord Henry that he goes nightly to her plays but does not truly love Sibyl, he loves
the feeling of pleasure he gets from his obsession. He idolized her and calls her sacred but does
not value her as a person. When asked by Harry, "When is she Sibyl Vane?" Dorian replies,
"Never" (Wilde,54). This is the beginnings of Dorian's ability to place his own pleasure above
others and Dorian has immediately lost himself in this pleasure. "What there was in it of purely
sensuous instinct of boyhood had been transformed by the workings of the imagination, changed
into something that seemed to the lad himself dangerous. It was the passions about whose origin
we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us" (Wilde,58). The danger of Dorian's
blind obsession is shown with Sibyl's suicide. His obsession led to the death of one person as
well as the first signs of his own worsening soul. After this experience pleasure is no longer a form
of love for Dorian, but rather a detachment from reality. While talking with Basil over breakfast
Dorian shows he does not place the same value in emotions as he had done before. "A man who is
the master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at
the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them" (Wilde,105). In
contrast to the emotional obsession with Sibyl, Dorian next becomes obsessed with his portrait and
a book. Both are means to

Theme Of Beauty In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Beauty played a crucial role in every society in time. It was associate with glamor, fancy clothes,
art, music, an extravagant lifestyle. In 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', the beauty of the protagonist
starts to be a problem when Lord Henry reveals to Dorian that his beauty is only evanescent and he
should enjoy it how long it lasts.
'I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted
of me. Why should it keep what I must lose? Every moment that passes takes something from me,
and gives something to it.'(The Picture of Dorian Gray, 25) Dorian confuses art with life on purpose,
hoping at the beginning that art will bear the punishment for his lifestyle and eventually becoming
aware of the price...show more content...
Dorian loves Sybil because he gets to watch her die on stage in all her passion and then,
miraculously, be alive backstage. Her art makes her immortal each and every night. The moment
she starts to live in reality, is the moment when Dorian stops loving her. Sybil's actual death by
suicide is tragic, but it also gives her a kind of eternal beauty because she was never allowed to
age. He had an attraction to her only because she represented art. As long as she stopped standing
for beauty, Dorian begins to hate her. '"You have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination.
Now you don't even stir my curiosity. You simply produce no effect.'(The Picture of Dorian Gray).
Dorian, meanwhile, is similarly saved from aging by the supernatural transformation of his portrait,
but while his appearance is now beyond mortality this freedom seems to drive Dorian to try to
experience every kind of excess, to not care about consequences, to destroy lovers and friends
through his influence and callousness. In this way that novel suggests that while mortality will
always destroy beauty and youth, that beauty and youth in fact need to be destroyed–that immortal
youth beauty, such as is preserved in art, is in fact monstrous in the real world. And, in fact, as
Dorian's soul shrivels and he begins to seek and admire ugliness, his own beautiful face comes to
seem to him just a hateful reminder of the innocence he has

Dorian Gray Theme Essay
Josh Nitz
April 16, 2012
Professor Anders
Response #7
Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde's fictional piece The Picture of Dorian Gray is a wonderful story that
provides insight on the effect that sin has on the soul. In the beginning of the story Dorian is a kind
hearted man, but by the end he becomes a cold blooded murderer who thinks only about himself. The
ending is also very interesting in the sense that although Oscar Wilde escaped suspicion, revenge
from James and those who could put his pursuit of pleasure in jeopardy, Dorian could not escape
himself. This is the theme that really stuck with me. Dorian pursued pleasure with complete
disregard for his soul or his conscience and in the end it led to his lack of pleasure and death....show
more content...
Rather this strategic silence allows the author to move on with the story while still impacting the
reader in the way he wants. In Hop Frog and Dorian Gray, the author's vague description of wrong
doing enables the reader to presume the worst from the antagonists and justify the antagonist's
grisly end. After Dorian murder's Basil, Dorian begins to feel guilty and he swears he will start a
new and wholesome life. Despite his efforts and his fortunate luck (James who was going to kill
him died is a bizarre accident) Dorian cannot escape himself. The portrait of himself will always
remind him of what he truly is inside. No matter what he does Dorian cannot escape the past or his
wrong doings. This situation applies to most readers, as most people have gotten away with a sin.
Although no one else knows about the wrong doing, the individual cannot escape the guilt or
memory of what they have done. This is what happens to Dorian and the only way to escape his guilt
is through suicide (unintentional). The Picture of Dorian Gray provides many good moral lessons
that should be observed by anyone who reads the book. Morals that come to mind are "Beware
your sin will find you out," and selfishness will only bring you pain. Dorian Gray tried to find
individual pleasure, but pleasures are not found in the individual. Rather pleasure is found in love,
God and

Dorian Gray Research Paper
The many technological advances made during the Victorian Era in England drastically altered the
way scientists, artists, and the public viewed art and aesthetics. Aesthetics came to be a branch of
philosophy that contained a set of principles concerning nature and appreciation of beauty and art.
Due to this change, a European art movement, known as the Aesthetic Movement, occurred in the
late nineteenth century. This movement was based on the doctrine that art exists for the sake of its
beauty and appreciation alone. Therefore, art did not need to serve any political, educational, or
other purpose. It emphasized the importance of aesthetic values over moral and social themes in
literature and the arts. The movement started as a reaction to the dominance of scientific thinking
and the hostility of the middle class society to judge whether or not art was useful or teaching
morals. One of the most prevalent values of the movement was suggestion as opposed to statement
because no one could judge or try to reason the creation of any...show more content...
Editors of the magazine initially felt that the novel was too provocative and omitted some of the
words before it was published without telling Wilde. Even though the editors worked to keep the
work as decent as possible, it still managed to offend the morally cautious book reviewers in
Britain. In their eyes, Wilde completely disobeyed their society's rules of public morality. Though
Wilde defended his novel and other works of art, his revision and publication of the novel the
following year included even more controversial material than it previously did. This revised
version of The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1891 which included a preface, which
included the rights that the artist had and the argument of creating art for the sake of art itself, rather
than for the appeasement of Victorian

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...
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

Dorian Gray : Moral Responsibility Essay
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, it tells of a man's gradual downfall from
innocence to corruption. Even the name of the main character in Oscar Wilde's tale, Dorian Gray,
is very symbolic because В‘gray' is the combination of black and white, of good and evil. In many
ways, Dorian Gray is the epitome of mankind. Dorian Gray, an innocent and naГЇve man, becomes
corrupted after having one conversation with Lord Henry Wotton. He shows how easily people
can become swayed and changed merely by the words of others. Society plays such an enormous
role in the lives of people. As said by Thomas Babington, "The measure of a man's character is
what he would do if he knew he never would be found out." How much of how we act is influenced
...show more content...
You will suffer horribly.... Ah! realize your youth while you have it. Don't squander the gold of
your days, listening to the tedious, trying to improve the hopeless failure, or giving away your life
to the ignorant, the common, and the vulgar. These are the sickly aims, the false ideals, of our age.
Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for
new sensations. Be afraid of nothing. . . . A new Hedonism–– that is what our century wants."
Through him, Dorian faces the harsh realization that his physical attributes are ever fading. Upon
this sudden insight, he dreads the physical burden of aging. He envies the perpetual beauty of
Basil's masterpiece. As Dorian says, "If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always
young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that – for that – I would give everything! Yes, there
is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!" The materialization
of this wish and the metamorphosis it will ensue are to bring his demise. Dorian's figure remains
immaculate while the picture bears his abhorrent transformation. This is first confirmed following
his amorous relationship with Sibyl Vane, an actress he meets at an infamous theatre. Like him, she
is characterized by an entrancing beauty and a youthful naivety. Mesmerized by one another, they
promptly exchange vows of fidelity. Dorian invites Henry and Basil to

Dorian Gray Character Analysis
The Morals of Dorian Gray Beauty and youth is a very fickle topic to most. It is highly desired
and some go through somewhat unconventional means to achieve their version of beauty. But
how far would one be willing to go? Even if one were to preserve their beauty for an extended
period, how far would one be willing to go to prevent others from finding out their true selves?
This is what Dorian Gray faces in "The Portrait of Dorian Gray." Before seeing his portrait, Dorian
was a young, pure, and beautiful boy who was very modest and would brush off the many
compliments he received. But after taking in his beauty and realizing the fragility of it, he goes
in a crazy rage, and wishes that the painting would be the one to grow old and ugly instead of
him. His wish is granted and he is horrified as he watches himself decay through the painting. This
causes a drastic change in his character and morals as he develops from an innocent boy into a
sinful and wretched man. The first sign of Dorian's new development is when he first lays eyes
on the portrait after hearing Lord Henry's panegyric of youth. As Dorian gazes upon himself on
the portrait, he comes to a shocking realisation. Wilde writes it as, "The sense of his own beauty
came upon him like a revelation... Basil Hallward's compliments had seemed to him to be merely
the charming exaggerations of friendship... They had not influenced his nature. Then had come
Lord Henry Wotton with his strange panegyric on youth, his terrible warning of its brevity. That
had stirred him at the time, and now, as he stood gazing at the shadow of his own loveliness, the
full reality of the description flashed across him... He would become dreadful, hideous, and
uncouth. As he thought of it, a sharp pang of pain struck through him like a knife, and made each
delicate fibre of his nature quiver" (Wilde 18–19). His beauty would not last forever, and he would
become old and withered just like everyone else will. Dorian, who once didn't care about his
looks, had now become obsessed with the ideals and ideas fed to him from Henry. He makes his
wish for the portrait to take on the burden of time and sin, instead of him. He says, "I know, now,
that when one loses one's good

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