Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890 during an era in British history when immoral actions and values were to be hidden. When the book was first published the issue of the main characters' -Dorian and Basil- sexualities, became a very pressing issue for the book not to be printed for the masses. The British culture, centered wholly on facade, wished to keep its reputation as being the most pure civilization and display its highest morals, even though there were the underlying problems that no one person would admit. The reason Oscar Wilde wrote these characters into existence the way they are is because in his own private life he was a homosexual (Bristow). This difference in sexuality allowed for the moral development of the
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Basil notes how he in staying around Lord Henry more often, and some of the things he says are not like his usual self. The more Dorian is around Lord Henry, the more his morals are distorted by Henry’s views on how people can act and how they will really act. The style of the portrait again becomes important along with the weather that is surrounds the characters at the time. Basil describes how the portrait is his masterpiece, and how Dorian has never sat better for a painting (41 Wilde). The portrait has Dorian with his blond curly hair and blue eyes dressed in a toga surrounded by many different Greek and roman themed structures. This is important due to the allusion to Dorian being a god like, due to how he becomes immortal and that the god he is being alluded too is the most immoral of the gods, Zeus. This becomes important right after Dorian becomes immoral and begins to act with disdain against the world. He talks more and more about how the world is such a negative place, though this has become worrisome for Basil. Basil does his best as the novel progresses through the first half of the novel, he often is led to telling Dorian how the world is not as immoral as it really has been described to him. Basil’s view on the world is that of being perfect believing that people will always act for others, and that at the end of the day treating others well is important. Lord Henry acts as Basil’s counter …show more content…
Dorian and Basil climb up to the loft to see the painting, which Dorian describes as his greatest secret as the painting. Basel is absolutely astonished to how it looks to the point where he does not believe that it is his own work, but the signature at the bottom of the painting confirms his fears. All the immoral acts that have been committed inside the novel are coming to a head now as the weather turns from dark to storming. Basil begins to panic and describes how they should pray to god, god did not answer to Dorian, instead the painting did and it told him to kill Basil. Mechanically Dorian stabs basil in his neck and leaves the blade embedded into his neck until it falls onto the ground. This is the most immoral act that Dorian will commit, and part of the reason that it was initially not published in 1890 when it was completed. The moral that shaped the book to its final form were completely inconceivable at the time, for a friend to murder a friend in the face of the British and Irish was just shocking. It would not be released to the public to protect the youths minds as once argued, not the elders minds. This became the argument for Dorian as he fought for it to be
Basil notes how he in staying around Lord Henry more often, and some of the things he says are not like his usual self. The more Dorian is around Lord Henry, the more his morals are distorted by Henry’s views on how people can act and how they will really act. The style of the portrait again becomes important along with the weather that is surrounds the characters at the time. Basil describes how the portrait is his masterpiece, and how Dorian has never sat better for a painting (41 Wilde). The portrait has Dorian with his blond curly hair and blue eyes dressed in a toga surrounded by many different Greek and roman themed structures. This is important due to the allusion to Dorian being a god like, due to how he becomes immortal and that the god he is being alluded too is the most immoral of the gods, Zeus. This becomes important right after Dorian becomes immoral and begins to act with disdain against the world. He talks more and more about how the world is such a negative place, though this has become worrisome for Basil. Basil does his best as the novel progresses through the first half of the novel, he often is led to telling Dorian how the world is not as immoral as it really has been described to him. Basil’s view on the world is that of being perfect believing that people will always act for others, and that at the end of the day treating others well is important. Lord Henry acts as Basil’s counter …show more content…
Dorian and Basil climb up to the loft to see the painting, which Dorian describes as his greatest secret as the painting. Basel is absolutely astonished to how it looks to the point where he does not believe that it is his own work, but the signature at the bottom of the painting confirms his fears. All the immoral acts that have been committed inside the novel are coming to a head now as the weather turns from dark to storming. Basil begins to panic and describes how they should pray to god, god did not answer to Dorian, instead the painting did and it told him to kill Basil. Mechanically Dorian stabs basil in his neck and leaves the blade embedded into his neck until it falls onto the ground. This is the most immoral act that Dorian will commit, and part of the reason that it was initially not published in 1890 when it was completed. The moral that shaped the book to its final form were completely inconceivable at the time, for a friend to murder a friend in the face of the British and Irish was just shocking. It would not be released to the public to protect the youths minds as once argued, not the elders minds. This became the argument for Dorian as he fought for it to be