Ciara Terabasso
Pritika Pradhan
Principles of Literary Study: The Devil in the Details: 358:206:01
18 December 2017
Response Paper
The plight of life can be transformed into beauty based on one’s response to trauma. Dorian had a dark family past when he was younger. He had a wicked grandfather, his dad was murdered, and his mother died young. When Dorian came to be older, his beauty seduced many people. He was, in a sense, almost too perfect. A famous artist from this time, Basil, came in and painted a self-portrait of him. He was obsessed with Dorian and his beauty and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do a portrait …show more content…
When the possibility of Basil sexuality being homosexual people became outraged due to their limited exposure. People started to question Dorian and creating rumors about him. Those rumors were that Dorian had a very dark side to him. This is how, not only his childhood, but his current life reflects that of a function of the gothic nature, dark, mysterious, and lost. To make matters worse, Sibyl committed suicide after Dorian broke up with her in a very harsh way. At first, he felt so guilty about it, until Lord Henry talked to him and manipulated him into thinking that he did nothing wrong and that her death was not his fault. Lord Henry was not a good influence on Dorian and steered him down the wrong path, which Basil had warned him …show more content…
It seemed as if it was starting to age, but Dorian himself, was still that perfect man that everyone viewed him to be. To capture a moment in time when he was completely beautiful and untouched by nature. The painting was able to defy time initially and remain “perfect”. Since the curse impregnated the painting it too was impacted by nature. The nature of man is to sin, but according to Catholic beliefs, he is always supposed to return to god. Some simply cannot resist the temptation and inclination towards sin. But the curse upon the painting causes that nothing can escape the grasp of imperfection. Imperfection breeds authenticity within the world and life. Imperfection is self-evident but it is the flaws like aging that make life authentic. The fact that perfection has such a slim margin of existence makes moments of favorable circumstances beautiful. Impermanence is what makes imperfection authentic. However, this is also why Basil was afflicted so heavily when his painting was harmed because it no longer represented what he wanted it to be. The image did not match the intention, and its beauty was marred. It exposed the reality of life in the sense that happiness or desirable circumstances will always be present. Life’s circumstances can change in an instant, but one thing humans cannot change or impair is age. The aging process is one that humans are
Pritika Pradhan
Principles of Literary Study: The Devil in the Details: 358:206:01
18 December 2017
Response Paper
The plight of life can be transformed into beauty based on one’s response to trauma. Dorian had a dark family past when he was younger. He had a wicked grandfather, his dad was murdered, and his mother died young. When Dorian came to be older, his beauty seduced many people. He was, in a sense, almost too perfect. A famous artist from this time, Basil, came in and painted a self-portrait of him. He was obsessed with Dorian and his beauty and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do a portrait …show more content…
When the possibility of Basil sexuality being homosexual people became outraged due to their limited exposure. People started to question Dorian and creating rumors about him. Those rumors were that Dorian had a very dark side to him. This is how, not only his childhood, but his current life reflects that of a function of the gothic nature, dark, mysterious, and lost. To make matters worse, Sibyl committed suicide after Dorian broke up with her in a very harsh way. At first, he felt so guilty about it, until Lord Henry talked to him and manipulated him into thinking that he did nothing wrong and that her death was not his fault. Lord Henry was not a good influence on Dorian and steered him down the wrong path, which Basil had warned him …show more content…
It seemed as if it was starting to age, but Dorian himself, was still that perfect man that everyone viewed him to be. To capture a moment in time when he was completely beautiful and untouched by nature. The painting was able to defy time initially and remain “perfect”. Since the curse impregnated the painting it too was impacted by nature. The nature of man is to sin, but according to Catholic beliefs, he is always supposed to return to god. Some simply cannot resist the temptation and inclination towards sin. But the curse upon the painting causes that nothing can escape the grasp of imperfection. Imperfection breeds authenticity within the world and life. Imperfection is self-evident but it is the flaws like aging that make life authentic. The fact that perfection has such a slim margin of existence makes moments of favorable circumstances beautiful. Impermanence is what makes imperfection authentic. However, this is also why Basil was afflicted so heavily when his painting was harmed because it no longer represented what he wanted it to be. The image did not match the intention, and its beauty was marred. It exposed the reality of life in the sense that happiness or desirable circumstances will always be present. Life’s circumstances can change in an instant, but one thing humans cannot change or impair is age. The aging process is one that humans are