The Picture Of Dorian Gray Motifs Essay

The motifs in the novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray create a recurring idea to emphasize the immorality present throughout the novel. This is done through motifs of religion, pastiche and reflections. The reference to biblical and mythology literature add a more dramatic sense to the immorality in the novel. Religion acts as a descriptor to the phenomenon to provide a more realistic explanation that ties in with his gothic theme. It aids in emphasizing the morality in the novel as religions are typically the sources that influence morals in society. The description of the portrait:“the leprosies of sin were slowly eating the thing away.” (Wilde 140) plays on the idea that the immoral influence was slowly eating away at Dorian’s purity. In addition, Basil’s attempt to purify Dorian’s soul, through repentance for his sins uses religion to create a realistic way in which his sins can be atoned for. The prayer: “Dorian. Let us kneel Down … ‘though your sins be as scarlet, yet I will make them white as snow’” (Wilde 140) is a reference to the prayer Our Father. Reflection as a motif refers to the

The combination of the morals of the novels provide the grounds for which the statement ‘philosophy and literature should be learned from, but with reason, adapted into our lives’. This is idea is stated by Wilde in which he says ‘There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book’, thus implying that the immoral influence comes from our interpretation, not the art itself. Faber similar idea adds onto this as he says that one needs quality information and the leisure to interpret it before he should let such knowledge influence his