The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay example - 2310 Words

â€Å"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, â€Å"When is she Sibyl Vane?† Dorian replies, â€Å"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. â€Å"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. â€Å" 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 toShow MoreRelatedThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1482 Words   |  6 Pagesreturn 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  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬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. WildeRead MoreThe Picture Of Dori an Gray Essay1460 Words   |  6 PagesAs 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, â€Å" 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.Read MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1432 Words   |  6 PagesIn 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. â€Å"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)Read MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1576 Words   |  7 PagesTransformation in Literature Greek Philosopher Heraclitus once said â€Å"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 wonderfulRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray965 Words   |  4 Pages 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 limitedRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray957 Words   |  4 PagesWilde 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 obviousRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray971 Words   |  4 PagesIn 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 externalRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1680 Words   |  7 PagesAt the height of his success, Oscar Wilde wrote his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which follows the life of a young man living in late nineteenth-century London. The novel shares a similar storyline with that of Wilde’s life, as Wilde wrote it in attempt to justify his homosexuality. The protagonist of the novel, Dorian Gray, enters the story an innocent man, but eventually becomes corrupt due to his need for instant pleasure. Wilde recognizes that the topic of his homosexuality brings up theRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1211 Words   |  5 PagesIn 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 ideologyRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1283 Words   |  6 PagesWhat 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