Introduction The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of the most discussed works in English literature, provoking, just shortly after its publishing, a whole storm of indignation. Only six years earlier, J.K. Huysmans Á Rebours had been published in France and marked the apogee of its author. Both works are considered to be the cornerstones of symbolist, decadent and aesthetic writing. However, too often these works were (due to their scandalizing content) overlooked in their hermeneutics and mistaken for purely perverse, flamboyant or simply degenerated works. For the majority of the late-Victorian reader saw the decadent or aesthete as someone who was physically ill and feeble; morally, an arrant scoundrel; intellectually, an unspeakable
Henry’s influence, which Basil had foreshadowed, altered the purities of Dorian into an egotistical monster. Dorian Gray’s story is a “conventionally moralistic one, preaching for the power of conscience and against vanity” (Ruddick). The vanity sparked in Dorian Gray aspires Lord Henry’s personal psychological curiosities, and he encourages Gray to follow Henry’s lead without realizing how infamously his experiment had developed. Initially, when Basil had known Dorian Gray the innocent, Basil knew the effects Lord Henry could potentially have on his artistic idol; the artwork of Gray foreshadowed the monster in Gray after Lord Henry’s speech including “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist is, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful” alongside how beauty surpasses any other value in life-- the combination of these two speeches acts as the seed implanted to create the monstrous Dorian Gray (Wilde 13-14).
They also talk about Dorian's total perfection (besides of being an innocent and a good man, he's the most perfect model they have ever seen). Lord Henry wants to meet this model, but Basil disagrees, he does not want Dorian to be influenced by the hedonistic ideology of Lord Henry. But, unfortunately, young Dorian meets him at that same afternoon, he is swayed by this philosophy and begins to live the life of a libertine in the constant search for pleasure. The conflicts are the most internal than external, because the main character is betraying himself. The setting is in London in the 1800s, better known as the Victorian
Table 13 exhibits the third and the last section of the Monomyth which is the return. This part has six stages that recount the resolution to the hero-myth adventure. This is the Departure in reverse where this time the hero retraces his pathway back home after attaining the objective of his mission in his magical journey from the unknown realm. He comes back to the familiarity of his old world a changed person with a renewed sense of purpose to share the wisdom he gained to the people of his land. The hero often achieves contentment of life knowing he that he had already overcome the worst adversities and he is ready to face the battle once again should fate call him to do so.
The beautiful portrait painted by Basil becomes increasingly ugly as Dorian commits his crimes. The portrait’s “gold would wither into grey. Its red and white roses would die. For every sin that he committed, a stain would fleck and wreck its fairness.” (Wilde).
In conversation with Lord Henry, Dorian says, “I was terribly cruel to her. You forget that.” then quickly follows up with, “You have explained to me myself, Harry, I felt all that you have said but somehow I was afraid of it, and I could not express it to myself.” (Wilde, 90). Dorian is continuing on the path of no return.
Dorian, under the careful influence of Lord Henry, becomes aware of his state of life and exclaims, "How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June. . . . If it were only the other way!
As soon as Dorian enters in Chapter 2 of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wildes’ one and only novel, its is evident that there will be a battle between who will have the most influence on his pure, untouched soul. Basil Hallward, a painter and worshipper of art is an optimist and sees only the good in even the wickedest of people, such as Lord Henry. Lord Henry is a charming, self-indulgent aristocrat that shapes and molds Dorian to lead a life devoted to pleasure. Both Basil and Lord Henry represent two important opposing forces in the novel, good and evil. The greatest struggle in The Picture of Dorian Gray is inside Dorian; he himself embodies both pure good and pure evil.
Wilde’s sexuality and effeminate nature shaped his relations to the natural beauty of the world, which in turn manifested itself in the moral implications of his now famous works. For example, his very own personal ordeals are envisaged through the passages of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it has been passionately hypothesized that characters such as Basil, Dorian, and Lord Henry are personalities of Wilde’s own flamboyant character. In an interpretation written by Donald H Ericksen, Wilde had written the following: “Basil in how I see myself, Lord Henry how the world sees me and Dorian how I would like to be”. The discussions surrounding The Picture of Dorian Gray were linked to the egregious homoeroticism displayed through the synergy of Wilde’s characters and how they interacted with each other. In a time of irrational Victorian thinking, it comes as no surprise that Wilde’s writing had evoked such a backlash.
Lord Henry’s painting showed Dorian the reality of life and all the sins he had committed. With the picture, Dorian destroyed it plus his own life because he could not bear the fact that his beauty was going to fade. In addition, Henry influences Dorian by manipulating him because; he carries on with his idea of remaining youthful. This is evident when he says, "To get back to my youth, I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable" (Liebman 300). Lord Henry had everything to do with Dorian’s obsession of wanting to remain young especially with the picture and his philosophy.
Dorian Gray is a handsome, narcissistic young man enthralled by Lord Henry 's new enjoyment. He satisfies in every pleasure of moral and immoral life ultimately heads to death. Henry tells
Suddenly, Henry introduced Dorian to many important people of the high class. This makes him go to parties a lot more, be interested in rumors and care about how famous he is. Lord Henry pressures Dorian into bad decisions that it seems he himself regrets from his past, for example to not get married or not care about others. Eventually he Dorian is corrupt of his conscience. He does not sense remorse when he kills someone and only feels regret when his life is in danger.
Not one blossom of his loveliness would ever fade. Not one pulse of his life would ever weaken. Like the gods of the Greeks, he would be strong, and fleet, and joyous.” (Wilde 98). Through this scene, Wilde makes it clear to the reader how corrupt Dorian’s world perspective is.
At this point, Dorian begins to acquire the indication to switch souls with the painting, in order to Boyett 2 maintain an innocent complex. The beginning of the soul switch did not cause any harm, his minute cruelty led to small lines on his portrait’s face, while not allowing any signs on his own self. Realizing the soul switching was successful,
Basil has come to ask Dorian about all the horrible rumors surrounding him, and hopes they turn out false. Basil also asks about the portrait and why Dorian hides it, so Dorian decides to show him his “to see your soul. But only God can do that—you shall see it yourself to-night!”. Dorian then takes Basil to see his picture, which at first cannot be recognized by Basil, but soon he realizes the true horror of the situation, “an exclamation of horror broke out from the painter’s lips as he saw in the dim light the hideous face on the canvas grinning at him” (Wilde 113). Dorians soul has become rotten to the core with selfishness and pleasure, mainly because of Lord Henry’s poisonous words.
