The Picture Of Dorian Gray Essay

Humanity’s Greatest Kept Secret In his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde utilizes syntax to convey to readers the relationship between body and soul. Wilde utilizes interrogative sentences to show the body’s tendency to mask the nature of the soul. When Dorian questions the nature of changes made to his portrait, he wonders whether the painting is altered by the aftermath of his actions, or “was it indifferent to results? Did it merely take cognizance of what passed within the soul?” (Wilde 101). The repeated use of questions here reflects Dorian’s uncertainty. In showing Dorian’s stream of consciousness, and showing him asking himself whether the portrait could reflect what passes deep in the soul, Wilde emphasizes the mystery shrouding the topic of what does

By utilizing an interrogative sentence structure in his writing, and underscoring the uncertainty of what does pass within the soul, Wilde furthers his point that the spirit is more hidden in relation to the body. Additionally, Wilde makes use of exclamatory sentences to depict the association between the body and soul. As Dorian reflects upon Lord Henry’s advice about how one can comfort their soul, he repeats, “To cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul!’ How the words rang in his ears! His soul, certainly, was sick to death” (Wilde 176). Dorian’s intent to turn to opium as a physical means to repair his rotting soul is depicted by Wilde as eager and almost desperate, with the usage of repeated exclamatory sentence structure. Urgency is further represented as Wilde points out that “the words rang in his ears!”-the combination of an exclamatory sentence and the implication of repetition paints the image in the reader’s head of a desperate hope being held onto. The desperation hinted at by this syntax reflects the state of disrepair Dorian’s soul is in-his spirit is so far gone that he will turn to anything, including physical