In society, there has constantly been the question as to whether people can change or not. Author Oscar Wilde proves in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, that one can. The question he poses to his readers is “What kind of transformation is shown by the protagonist Dorian Gray: good or bad?” It is possible to think that Dorian Gray has become a better person, not for others, but for himself since he lives in the pursuit of pleasure and always achieves it. However, as it is demonstrated by the portrait, the damnation of the lives of others can provoke damage to one’s conscience and soul. Dorian’s soul is ruined gradually by his hedonistic adventures, eventually failing to redeem his actions, but not before he leaves a devastating path of destruction and experiences self-inflicted destruction. In his search for hedonistic pleasure, Dorian Gray ruins many reputations and is the cause of a few deaths. Even Basil points out that Dorian is linked to destroyed lives, realizing that “One has a right to judge of a man by the effect he has over his friends. Yours [Dorian’s] seem to lose all sense of honor, of goodness, of purity. You have filled them with a madness for pleasure. They have gone down into the depths. You led them there” (143). This is why Sibyl kills herself because after being introduced to pleasure, she cannot act anymore and Dorian unreasonably rejects her. Consequently, after hearing of Sibyl’s death, Dorian is grief-stricken, but quickly recovers and becomes an insensitive Lord Henry clone again: “You [Dorian] were the most unspoiled creature in the whole word. Now, I [Basil] don’t know what has come over you. You talk as if you had no heart, no pity in you. It is all Harry’s influence” (104). Instead of truly acce... ... middle of paper ... ... murder Basil to “kill the past” and to be free. This “...would kill [the] monstrous soul-life, and, without its hideous warnings, he would be at peace” (210). Little did he know that this would be his entire undoing. Dorian finally seeks to better himself, but it is too little too late after he ruins many companions’ reputations and goes through a period of insanity. It is important to realize that his own cognizance would have been helpful earlier and it easily could have happened earlier when he feels guilty about Sibyl’s death. At the sybaritic extent to which Dorian has journeyed, it is foolish to believe that positive outcome is possible. Awareness of one’s actions is all one has to protect one’s reputation. This does not mean that change cannot possibly be a good thing; it most definitely can be. The key is to be careful about the degree to which one changes.
"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often" (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_change.html), this quote by Winston Churchill is something I can connect with as I often feel the need to improve myself which can only be done with change. It also relates to the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford, of the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," by Richard Connell. Sanger Rainsford changes his views on some matters after being trapped on an island with a madman with no method of escape. He undergoes a major change in his character due to an awful experience in isolation with the psychopath, General
In "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, we see a beautiful young man who makes tremendous efforts to transform the actual world into the idealistic world of art, dreams and sensations. Dorian's quest, however, culminates in his ultimate tragic destruction. Given that Dorian lives a corrupt life, one is likely to focus on the negative aspects of his character. In spite of his significant character flaws, Dorian Gray may still be considered a hero. This essay will examine Dorian's degradation from the innocent world to the vicious, sensation-oriented world. The elements contributing to Dorian’s status of tragic hero will then be discussed.
Lord Henry easily influence Dorian because he is young and young people can copy everything what old people say and does. Dorian listened to Lord Henry that being gorgeous is better than to have manners. He showed this like when he just liked Sibyl because she can act but when Sibyl forget about her acting, he unliked her and just dumped her. When Sibyl killed herself, at first Dorian is kind of guilty but then Lord Henry told him that it is not his fault. That Sibyl is only a girl. Also, with the death of James and Basil, he felt really guilty. With James, he feels like because James was the brother of Sibyl so like James is threatening him. Basil also kind of influenced him because he also made Dorian realized or showed Dorian the world of beauty. And with Basil, Basil is the one who knows everything about him and the one who made his portrait that Dorian feels like it is not right because all he see on his portrait is his guilt and every bad thing he did. He blamed Basil for it. He also destroyed the painting because it is not working right and its just becoming worse and worse when his sins are increasing. When he destroyed the portrait, he used the knife that he also used when he killed Basil. At the end, when he destroyed the painting, he also killed himself. The book is
As Dorian descends deeper into the depths of his depravity, the audience loses faith in him. His innocent, childlike and charitable qualities, seen in his philanthropy and petulance when he is first introduced, are lost, and he acts cruelly and selfishly. For example, when his lover, Sibyl Vane, performs on stage and fails to meet Dorian’s expectations, Wilde fashions Dorian’s reaction to be callous and bitter to her so that the reader sympathizes with Sibyl. The juxtaposition of Dorian’s incredible devotion and his sudden hatred of Sibyl Vane creates shock and makes the reader realize Dorian’s injustice to his lover. When he first meets Sibyl, Dorian is enamored by her beauty and talent.
...d from condemning him as purely good or purely evil. His personality seems to be inconsistent. Sometimes his actions are good, allowing readers to identify him and a good person. However, other times his actions are purely evil, allowing readers to write him off as an evil, vain and ultimately horrible person. These inconsistencies in both his personality and actions stop readers from making any definitive decision about Dorian. Anais Nin, identifies with these personal inconsistencies and provides a thought that maybe everyone possesses the power to act ambiguously, causing others to judge us based on every action we make. Some could say that the world would be a better place if people were only judged on a day-to-day basis, or even an action-to-action basis, yet others would argue that this system would allow for too many evils to go without the proper reprimand.
In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde readers are presented with a vast depiction of the art of immorality in the face of ignorant innocence portrayed by the character Dorian Gray. In the beginning it seems to be a quaint novel on artistry and the paradoxical relationship between two lifelong friends by the name of Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. The plot takes a surprising twist when introduced to the real center of attention, the character of the seemingly innocent Dorian Gray. Upon this introduction Wilde then begins to tell the tale of what a life of secrecy and deception will lead to without the consciousness of a moral threshold and the inescapable burden of Dorians horrid accumulation of sins. The deception begins with a simple shout out to the heavens for the impossible to be granted. This then flourishes into unspeakable acts caused by an Egyptian statue, bringing misfortune to Dorian Gray by giving him exactly what he so desperately desires, thus teaching the world a lesson. Not everything we so strongly desire the world to provide is good for the soul.
Within the text, Sibyl’s character was contrastive in comparison to the other females as she became the evidence of how the woman were seen as only objects meant to service their men, as her life and eventual demise were on account her being fearful of being unloved by Dorian Gray. Sibyl asserted the degradation of woman as it is her character which compels the both Dorian and Lord Henry to proclaim the chauvinistic opinions of the public. In the aftermath of Sibyl’s death, Dorian exclaims,“She passed again into the sphere of art. There is something of the martyr about her. Her death has all the pathetic uselessness of martyrdom, all its wasted
Dorian Gray inflicts his first and most important act of evil upon Sibyl Vane, a third rate actress he falls in love with, when he confronts her about the performance. His reaction towards Sibyl demonstrates his the lack of care towards what women have to say and their opinions. Dorian claims of Sibyl to be shallow and stupid as regards to her feelings towards him and her reason for the careless performance. The realization of Dorian finally recognizing his love for her acting rather than her as a person reveals the frequent ill treatment of women in the Victorian Era. Due to his first real infliction of evil towards another person, his soul alters and reflects in the painting. As Davis recalls, “His rejection of Sibyl is cruel, and it is this cruelty that he first notices on the alerting portrait,” (Davis 214). Because he did not care about how Sibyl felt at the moment, he becomes selfish and would later become evil. The treatment of Sibyl results in her committing suicide but rather than Dorian grieving, Lord Henry teaches him ...
Every individual has an inner drive to succeed over some challenge in their life. Individuals can experience motivation in different ways, whether it is from a good or bad situation. Even though good influences do have an impact on our lives, motivation is found to have a stronger impact from negative experiences. Negative people, especially, can have a huge influence on our lives, but this negativity can be turned into something useful and good. It is this motivation that keeps us striving to achieve our goal and which also promotes our nature of self-confidence and self-efficacy. A strong confidence and self-efficacy inspires an individual to take action and partake in change. These experiences enable us to self-evaluate ourselves and help us realize that each of us are able to live a happy and better life. In the two different mediums, “A Story of an Hour,” a short story by Kate Chopin and The Awakening Conscience, a painting by William Holman Hunt, show that the same person that can be the source of one’s downfall can also be the same person who is the inspiration for one’s redemption or awakening.
Sibyl falls head over heels in love with Dorian Gray, willing to commit her life to him after only two weeks. Lady Henry hardly knows her husband, to whom she has been married for some time. Because neither woman is in a stable and comfortable situation, both eventually take drastic measures to move on. Therefore, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, both Sibyl Vane and Lady Henry are weak, flighty, and naive.
Dorian Gray's life is dictated by his physical appeal. His beauty lies within his youth. Dorian's perception of beauty allows him to love. He is convinced that his beauty allows him to accomplish anything he desires regardless of the consequences and still be loved by his friends. He uses his beauty to mitigate his evil actions. Dorian says, “I don't wish to know anything about them. I love scandals about other people, but scandals about myself don't interest me. They have not got the charm of novelty.” Youth and beauty are the most precious things to Dorian. In his life, beauty is of utmost importance. Then he sees the picture of himself, painted by Basil, absorb his sins and this changed his view. “I hope it is not about myself. I am tired of myself tonight. I should like to be somebody else,” Dorian said. He aspired to have had a good life rather than one filled with artificial meaning and beauty. The moral beauty of Doran lies within the portrait of himself. The portrait imitated his life. He finally realized that beauty cannot help him escape his evil actions. He deeply lamemted his wish that the portrait bore the burden of his age an...
In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray reads a yellow book given to him by mentor-friend, Sir Henry Wotton. In the years after reading the book, Dorian Gray transforms from the pure and innocent young man he was into a two-faced immoral man. The reason behind the Dorian's degradation is never explicitly mentioned in Wilde's novel, which begs the question of whether literature has the ability to degrade a person. The influence of literature has the potential to corrupt one’s mind, but whether it does is dependant on the state of the reader.
Careful examination of Dorian’s initial susceptibility to influence, willingness to commit sin, and interactions with other characters prove Lord Henry plays the biggest role in transforming Dorian from pure to vicious. With his cunning theories and brainwashing comments, Dorian cannot muster the strength to resist Lord Henry’s dominating nature, showing there are no limitations in relationships when it comes to influence. The topic of which character primarily influences Dorian to turn to a dishonest lifestyle is undeniably significant in understanding the purpose of the characters as well as the deeper meaning of the text.
Through Basil Hallward, Wilde implies that Dorian can easily be corrupted. However, Dorian tries to assure Basil that he is not being influenced. He states that Lord Henry "has certainly not been paying me compliments. Perhaps that is the reason that I don't believe anything he has told me" (Wilde 15). The only reason Dorian does not believe Lord Henry is because Lord Henry does not complement him. Wilde infers that if this is the only reason for Dorian to doubt Henry, Dorian could therefore be influenced in some other way. Overall, Wilde shows how a person may deny the warning signs of being influenced.
Before we examine the quality of the error that Dorian Gray commits, we should first examine his friends and their relation to him because Dorian falls into this error with a little help from his friends.