The yard was filled with the sickeningly sweet scent of blooming flowers, from the hard-petaled magnolias to the soft brittle trilliums, all competing and vying for the attention of the beholder, Dorian Gray. In a place not accustomed to the cruelty of the outside world he lived peacefully with his only true friend and companion, Basil Hallward. They ate, drank, and talked together in the luscious garden of flowers, day by day. This peaceful and monotonous life was home to them: that is, until Basil began work on a special painting of Dorian.
“Just look at him,” whispered Lord Henry, an acquaintance to the two. “Abusing your kindness so freely,” he said to Dorian.
“It’s what he wanted, Harry. As an artist he must paint of what he finds beautiful,” he replied. …show more content…
In Wilde’s novel, Dorian fully trusts Basil at first - this is the same in Evergreen, where Basil is Dorian’s partner and they live together in trust and peace. This is shown when Dorian affirms Basil’s innocence by telling Lord Henry that Basil would never take advantage of him. However, his all changes once Dorian loses his innocence and takes the fall. In The Picture of Dorian Gray Dorian resents Basil afterwards, telling him that, “... [He] only taught [Dorian] to be vain” (79). Dorian neglects anything else Basil taught him and only focuses on the bad; the corruption of his soul also attacked his heart. Dorian has the same reaction in Evergreen - where he had earlier stated that Basil would never take advantage of him, after he loses his innocence he renounces his trust of Basil, though noting that his fall wasn’t entirely Basil’s fault. Instead, afterwards he thinks Basil abused the trust they had to fuel his own artistic needs, again exemplifying Wilde’s views on the two states - Innocence harbors trust and friendship whereas experience crushes these in an all-consuming
“Just look at him,” whispered Lord Henry, an acquaintance to the two. “Abusing your kindness so freely,” he said to Dorian.
“It’s what he wanted, Harry. As an artist he must paint of what he finds beautiful,” he replied. …show more content…
In Wilde’s novel, Dorian fully trusts Basil at first - this is the same in Evergreen, where Basil is Dorian’s partner and they live together in trust and peace. This is shown when Dorian affirms Basil’s innocence by telling Lord Henry that Basil would never take advantage of him. However, his all changes once Dorian loses his innocence and takes the fall. In The Picture of Dorian Gray Dorian resents Basil afterwards, telling him that, “... [He] only taught [Dorian] to be vain” (79). Dorian neglects anything else Basil taught him and only focuses on the bad; the corruption of his soul also attacked his heart. Dorian has the same reaction in Evergreen - where he had earlier stated that Basil would never take advantage of him, after he loses his innocence he renounces his trust of Basil, though noting that his fall wasn’t entirely Basil’s fault. Instead, afterwards he thinks Basil abused the trust they had to fuel his own artistic needs, again exemplifying Wilde’s views on the two states - Innocence harbors trust and friendship whereas experience crushes these in an all-consuming