Dorians

Character: The Picture of Dorian Gray Throughout life, each person becomes a product of their actions, decisions, and choices, which are often influenced by members of society or societal norms; it molds their character and defines their personality. Many times these actions can cause breakthroughs in one’s life, however other times it can compromise ones reputation and level of respect in society’s social hierarchy. The author, Oscar Wilde, in his classical novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray,…

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…

Moral Development Outline – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde I. Dorian Gray’s moral decay begins with painter Basil Hallward’s discovery of him and the subsequent collision of influences Dorian faces. A. When Basil first meets Dorian, Dorian’s purity and untainted youth capture the imagination of Basil to an almost dangerous extent that eventually harms Dorian. 1. When Basil confesses he “couldn’t be happy if [he] didn’t see [Dorian] every day” (Wilde 7), Wilde suggests the…

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…

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…

Art and the pursuit of beauty are two of the primary driving forces of Oscar Wilde’s famous novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Art is aesthetically pleasing because it is essentially anything created predominantly for the purpose of being beautiful. Whether a painter, an actress, an orator, or even an opera singer, each artist in the novel is depicted as most beautiful when observed through their art. Reality, the shared apparently physical space in which all individual universes seem to be…

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…

In the book Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, there are four types of genius and beauty that affected character’s lives: reputational beauty, superficial beauty, scientific genius, and psychological genius. Sibyl killed herself after abandoning her acting career for the beauty of Dorian Gray, who met her only a few days before. Even Basil the painter is stabbed by Dorian, after trying to help Dorian regain the purity of youth, the reputational and superficial beauty of whom Basil had for himself (in…

throughout his book, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Heteronormativity is the idea that heterosexuality is the only established sexual orientation. While, Homosocialality focuses more on the idea that men can bond with men without being labeled homosexual. The three main characters, Basil, Lord Henry and Dorian, experience many situations that illustrate these two theories. There is also an erotic triangle that links the two enemies, Basil and Lord Henry, to a romance which is Dorian. These theories…

Oscar Wilde was writing The Picture of Dorian Gray, gothic literature had declined in popularity. Although many of the gothic tropes still managed to make their way into many narratives of the late-nineteenth century. These narratives, Dorian Gray, included became known as Victorian gothic literature. The Victorian Gothics aimed to juxtapose the psychological terror, mystery, madness, and curses with a recognizable and familiar environment. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde focuses these…