Dorian Gray syndrome

In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde it is apparent that Lord Henry’s influence drastically changes Dorian’s view of himself and the world around him. Dorian’s character began as a blank slate, but deep within Dorian’s character there was the temptation for the forbidden. Lord Henry saw this as an opportunity to introduce his philosophy and indulge his desire to manipulate him for his own pleasure. Lord Henry’s philosophy of Aestheticism is not inherently bad, it simply allows an…

An entertaining and moralistic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray combines multiple literary elements into a well-written novel with underlying ideas about the inherency of evil and its roots. Many prominent literary themes stand out throughout the novel, but the most common and prominent ones remain: “man vs. self” and “man vs.society”. Throughout the story, the questions of moral values such as the creation of evil and the importance of beauty standards in society appear frequently and are…

In "The Picture of Dorian Gray," Oscar Wilde conveys a compelling theme centered on the detrimental use of influence personal in our relationships. Although the philosophical novel has multiple themes, the theme involving the detrimental use of influence in personal relationships manifests itself through the destruction of various characters including: Dorian Gray and Basil Hallward. One of the broader notions presented in the novel reveals itself as the stark disapproval of sacrificing one's…

In the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, sin and redemption is an occuring theme. The main character, Dorian Gray, commits plenty of sins and has the opportunities for redemption, however, when Dorian tries to atone for his wrongdoings he is unsuccessful. Dorians’ underlying intentions keeps him from redemption, due to his hedonistic views. In the beginning of the novel, Dorian is portrayed as a young and innocent boy that is easily influenced by Lord Henry, a character with a…

The novel The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde is about the life of the character Dorian Gray. Dorian is a young and beautiful man who makes a Faustian pact that his self-portrait, drawn by painter Basil Hallward, would grow older as time past instead of Dorian. Throughout the story, Dorian commits many sins, for example, using his influence to ruin others’ lives and the murdering of Basil Hallward. However, Dorian’s appearance is still young and beautiful because the portrait…

Superego through Dorian Gray, based on how Wilde lived a “Double Life”(Schmidt 3). Dorian was thought to be pure and innocent when really his inner self reflected the complete opposite. Dorian “desperately wanted to find his true identity”(Schmidt 4) and longed to be known for more than just his appearance. Dorian’s desperation resulted in an unhealthy intrigue with Henry Wotton. Henry’s fascination with Dorian resulted in him giving Dorian a gift called the “Yellow Book”. Dorian was…

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…

The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde contains many characters with flaws. Dorian Gray, who is the main character, shows his character flaws throughout the book. At the beginning of the book, Dorian was innocent and kind young man. However, the reader soon figures out that he is a person that actually like bad things and gives up easily. Because of these two character flaws, Dorian sadly dies at the end of the book. First of all, throughout the book, Dorian seems to look like a kind…

regarding the key theme Wilde uses symbols and literary devices in order to highlight authority of one leading to negative consequences. Dorian was innocent in the beginning of the book and changed into a criminal by the middle. The influence behind the cruel man was Lord Henry; Dorian’s manipulative “friend”. Henry’s lectures and cynical attitude reeled Dorian in and soon led to his negative behavior. For example, the portrait, a key symbol in the novel is a mirror image of how Dorian’s life is…

The Picture of Dorian Gray, a book by Oscar Wilde, is the story of a man who lost his friendships, trust, and ultimately himself, because of his own insanity. His life was wasted away by his fear of others finding out his true identity, and by his constant state of guilt. Throughout the story, Dorian exhibits many symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. He struggles to maintain the peaceful relationships he has, and these relationships only get worse as his disorder and the story progresses…