Ambiguity In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray exhibits a perpetual amount of ambiguous morals; his points of redemption along with feelings of guilt contribute to the complexity of his nature throughout the course of the novel. The opening chapter presents Dorian Gray as an innocent young male with exceptional beauty. He captures the eyes of characters like Basil Hallward and becomes a muse. However upon meeting Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil’s, he becomes introduced to the corrupted ideas of hedonism. Subsequently, he longs for youth and physical attractiveness. Dorian was no longer a naive young man following this heavy influence; simply put he was neither evil nor good. Dorian’s new ideals became a reality once he entered a relationship with Sybil Vane. Blinded by her beauty and talent, his love for her was purely objectified. During a chain events, Dorian breaks Sybil’s heart with his abusive words and immediately turns …show more content…
He murders Basil because he refuses to accept the fact that Basil still sees the good in him. He feels unworthy of having a friend like Basil. Right before his death, a powerful conversation between Basil and Dorian takes place. Dorian becomes overwhelmed by his words and kills him, not knowing that this will drive him deeper into madness. He ends up destroying the painting because of its now grotesque appearance and thus destroying himself. His invariable shifting between feeling guilty and selfish was the perfect example of a Napoleon complex. In another sense, Dorian’s moral ambiguity gives the novel definition. The conflicting principles and situational perspectives gravitates the reader and in some ways makes the novel more relatable. Dorian falters at the end because he failed to live by his own words; we can draw this connection in our world when it comes to making poor