Dorian Gray Doppelganger Research Paper

Doppelganger. Noun. A ghostly double or counterpart of a living person. The double may not be nearly as obvious in normal society as one person having two completely different appearances, but some people may lead a ‘double life’ which is the same concept. Someone could have two very distinct personalities that almost form two people that are incredibly different. This concept of a doppelganger is very prevalent in life and more importantly in literature. Doppelgangers are especially seen in Victorian literature. The use of duality or a doppelganger in literature shows the primeval side of humanity that is hidden due to societal pressures and shame, as seen in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Picture of Dorian Gray …show more content…
In The Picture of Dorian Gray when talking to his friend, Dorian himself says that “‘each of us has Heaven and Hell in him, Basil.’” (Wilde 169). While Dorian was making an objective point with that statement, he is also describing himself. However, Dorian’s balance of Heaven and Hell was more inclined towards Heaven than Hell. Dorian started out as a very innocent young man amazed with the beauties of the world. The loss of innocence begins when he meets Lord Henry who starts and fuels the fire that is Dorian’s sins thus Lord Henry’s influence acts as Dorian’s catalyst towards bad behavior (Kelley). Dorian’s doppelganger lies in the portrait that Basil made of Dorian. The portrait bears the horror of the sins that Dorian commits beginning with his poor treatment of Sibyl, the object of his affections. With the portrait bearing the ugliness that is his soul, Dorian feels a sense of detachment from his sins and he revels in this detachment (Kelley). Dorian describes his newfound ‘freedom’ as “eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins- he was to have all these things. The portrait would bear the burden of his shame; that was all.” (Wilde 115). After Dorian discovers his feeling of detachment from the consequences of his actions, he hides away the portrait. Hiding away the portrait further detaches himself from his sin thus causing him to delve further into sin. Dorian begins to entertain himself with a new segment of society such as those who would go to the opium dens that were so popular in England during his time. While his indulging in pleasures may not affect his outward appearance like how they would on many others. The changes instead affected something unseen by the rest of the world. The indulgence affects his soul and the appearance of the portrait. By the end of the novel when Dorian’s portrait, the visual