How Does Lord Henry Influence Dorian's Death

Influence In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the main character, Dorian Gray, turns towards a life of sin that ultimately leads to his death. These actions were influenced greatly by Lord Henry. Although Dorian cannot be without blame as he made the final decision of each action, Lord Henry can be considered the antagonist in this novel as he influences Dorian’s dreadful sins, and succeeds in making Dorian live his life for art and forget moral responsibility. When Dorian meets Lord Henry, he is about eighteen, very innocent, and good-looking. Dorian is described as, “some brainless, beautiful creature”(Wilde 5). However, Lord Henry takes Dorian out to the gardens to talk about Dorian’s youth and good looks. This completely changes Dorian’s views on youth and the world …show more content…
While the details of the death are unknown, Sybil most likely killed herself because of Dorian’s horrible words to her. This news upsets Dorian greatly and he says, “This is terrible...I have murdered her surely as if I had cut her little throat with a knife”(Wilde 103). While Dorian is the only person to blame for his own words and actions towards Sybil, Lord Henry made Dorian confuse Dorian’s love for Sybil with his Hedonistic ideals towards art and beauty. Additionally, Lord Henry comes to “comfort” Dorian and make Dorian see his perspective on the death. Before Lord Henry came, Dorian was thinking of how he would start his relationship with Sibyl over and be a better person. However, Lord Henry says, “There is something quite beautiful about her death...don’t waste your tears over Sibyl Vane”(Wilde 107). Dorian believes Lord Henry and agrees to forget about the suicide and go to the opera with him. This shows how because of Lord Henry, Dorian no longer assumes the guilt and blame or anything he has done. This is another step towards Dorian’s life of