Dorian Gray and Narcissus Several times through The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde compares the titular character to Narcissus. These comparisons are the most obvious in a set of hints that imply that Dorian Gray was written to be a modern Narcissus. Their similarities go beyond simple vanity, although both characters have a considerable share. Dorian is more able to demonstrate all the various facets of narcissism with an entire novel than Narcissus was able to with his one legend. Dorian focuses only on himself and “his search for sensations that would be at once new and delightful” (Ch. 11). He makes friends and quickly loses them again, with no further thought, much like how Narcissus “would pass the loveliest [girl] carelessly by…Heartbroken
