ipl-logo

Dorian Gray Double Life Essay

778 Words4 Pages

The Truth of Deception and the Art of a Double Life
“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” (48 Ch. 3) The novel The Picture of Dorian Gray explores the art of living a double life. Dorian Gray himself illustrates how the “double life” lifestyle is lived and the consequences of living such a risqué way. When worse comes to worse, the double life will not always hide the selfishness of a person on the inside. In the Picture of Dorian Gray, author Oscar Wilde depicts the positive and negative effects of living a double life and how deception ultimately can lead to downfall, specifically exemplified through the main character Dorian Gray, influenced by Lord Henry, and the good and bad of it all.
“Dorian Gray is my dearest friend," he …show more content…

Basil, worried about Dorian and his ranking, sought after him and went to his home; Dorian, to prove himself, decided to reveal Basil’s old ever changing portrait to him. Basil’s reaction proved inadequate for self-conscious Dorian, “The mad passions of a hunted animal stirred within him, and he loathed the man who was seated at the table, more than in his whole life he had ever loathed anything.” (157 Ch 13) Dorian, enraged, stabbed Basil in the neck, “The friend who had painted to which all his misery had been due had gone out of his life. That was enough.” (159 Ch 13) Dorian’s downfall began with his murdering of Basil, and the furthermore repercussions of his chagrining action. When Dorian tells his inspiration, Lord Henry, of his murderous act, Lord Henry responds with, “Crime belongs exclusively to the lower orders. I don’t blame them in the smallest degree. I should fancy that crime is to them what art is to us, simply a method of procuring extraordinary

Show More
Related

Cruelty In 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'

760 Words | 4 Pages

In conversation with Lord Henry, Dorian says, “I was terribly cruel to her. You forget that.” then quickly follows up with, “You have explained to me myself, Harry, I felt all that you have said but somehow I was afraid of it, and I could not express it to myself.” (Wilde, 90). Dorian is continuing on the path of no return.

Read More

Femininity In Dorian Gray

3872 Words | 16 Pages

Introduction The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of the most discussed works in English literature, provoking, just shortly after its publishing, a whole storm of indignation. Only six years earlier, J.K. Huysmans Á Rebours had been published in France and marked the apogee of its author. Both works are considered to be the cornerstones of symbolist, decadent and aesthetic writing. However, too often these works were (due to their scandalizing content) overlooked in their hermeneutics and mistaken for purely perverse, flamboyant or simply degenerated works. For the majority of the late-Victorian reader saw the decadent or aesthete as someone who was physically ill and feeble; morally, an arrant scoundrel; intellectually, an unspeakable

Read More

Dorian Gray Identity

695 Words | 3 Pages

Dorian Gray has fought with his subconscious desires in hope of maintaining a false belief that he is in control of his Id. As the story continues on it becomes clear that he is in fact taken over by his Id, the identity that is joyous over the narcissistic and greedy London society that he inhabits. Later in the novel, he starts to journey out to opium dens in a pitiful attempt to clear his conscious for murdering Basil. Dorian is the complete opposite of a realist, believing to focus on the superficial elements of his status as a gentleman, such as the wealth and art, giving into his eagerness for pleasure that he know does not exist. Yet, he refuses to believe that what he felt when he murdered Basil, or saw the lifeless body of James Vane,

Read More

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Research Paper

480 Words | 2 Pages

Oscar Wilde is a British famous author, who wrote the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. It is an aestheticism representative work. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” has been criticized by British public “This book is the product of the leprosy monster of the French decadent literature, this book is a full of toxic odor, moral and spiritual decay”. The point of view of this book is the book euphemistic show people a tragedy life of the Dorian Gray, and if just for art to taste the art, then the art will never take the happiness to people. If people seek the art and lost the original moral outlook, the art will be meaningless for people.

Read More

Theme Of Corruption In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

725 Words | 3 Pages

Dorian is a young man who is not yet fully formed in his thinking and has a very handsome appearance. Basil is instantly taken with him and finds that he wants Dorian all to himself. The way Basil influences Dorian isn 't through words but rather through his actions. He idolizes him.

Read More

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Literary Criticism

750 Words | 3 Pages

The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde. The Picture of Dorian Gray shocked the moral judgments of British book critics. Some of them said Oscar Wilde deserved to be pursuance for breaking the laws guarding the common morality because the uses of homosexuality were in that time banned. This book was for that time unusual because it had a pretty serious criticism on the society from that time. The novel is about a young and extraordinarily beautiful youngster, named Dorian Gray that have promised to his soul in order to live a life of eternal youth, he must try to adapt himself to the bodily decay and dissipation that are shown in his portrait.

Read More

Dorian Gray Good Vs Evil Essay

997 Words | 4 Pages

As soon as Dorian enters in Chapter 2 of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wildes’ one and only novel, its is evident that there will be a battle between who will have the most influence on his pure, untouched soul. Basil Hallward, a painter and worshipper of art is an optimist and sees only the good in even the wickedest of people, such as Lord Henry. Lord Henry is a charming, self-indulgent aristocrat that shapes and molds Dorian to lead a life devoted to pleasure. Both Basil and Lord Henry represent two important opposing forces in the novel, good and evil. The greatest struggle in The Picture of Dorian Gray is inside Dorian; he himself embodies both pure good and pure evil.

Read More

Influence In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

2219 Words | 9 Pages

Influence in The Picture of Dorian Gray And The Book of Job The Picture of Dorian gray is a book written by Oscar Wilde and it was published in 1880. The book was later revised by addition of more chapters and reprinted in April 1891. Dorian Gray is the main character in this book that is described as a beautiful and unspoiled male who changes his life completely by sinning and pleasure after meeting Lord Henry. Basil Hallward who is a painter develops obsession for Dorian because of his beauty whereas Lord Henry Wotton Basil’s friend influences Dorian with his theories about life, pleasure and women even though he had no intention of changing Dorian’s personality. Lord Henry’s influence in Dorian leads to his downfall.

Read More

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Moral Analysis

873 Words | 4 Pages

From the beginning of the novel we get to see a model of poor and unconventional morality, Lord Henry Wotton, a man who is moved by an ethic current called “New Hedonism” which taking into account society’s ethics (specially the ones from the Victorian Era) is quite immoral. The New Hedonism basically consists in looking for the individual’s best comfort, pleasure and happiness (based on beauty), leaving aside the other’s comfort and what should be morally done. This character with poor morality is who guides the book’s main character Dorian Gray along his adventure. However, it is vital to take into account the fact that Dorian Gray is never forced to follow New Hedonism and that Wilde never influences or invites the reader to follow New Hedonist

Read More

Corruption In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

453 Words | 2 Pages

Oscar Wilde claims to be more like Basil Hallward than any other character from his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Despite his own beliefs, Oscar Wilde has more similarities between himself and the main character of his book, Dorian Gray. Compared to Basil Hallward, Oscar Wilde has a more strong connection with Dorian Gray then he leads on. Dorian Gray is a young man who must deal with immortality and eternal beauty. Throughout his arc, various people die by his hands and eventually his own.

Read More

The Importance Of Double Life In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

828 Words | 4 Pages

“” At least you are like it in appearance. But it will never alter,” sighed Hallward. “that is something.”” (Wilde 33) The reader begins to perceive that Dorian is both intrigued and disgusted by the never changing portrait of his innocence.

Read More

Essay Comparing The Picture Of Dorian Gray And Narcissus

493 Words | 2 Pages

In the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian can be seen as a modern day narcissus. The whole novel portrays characteristics from the Greek mythological story about Narcissus and his love for himself. Dorian and Narcissus can be seen in the same way, for they both have narcissistic personalities. Their personalities is what carry the plot throughout the two stories and have such an impact on what happens. The Picture of Dorian Gray and the tale of Narcissus both show the common plot of a young male being in love with himself, which in the end, results in the tragedy of the two stories.

Read More

Social Commentary In The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde

1121 Words | 5 Pages

Relatively all authors are very fond of creating an underlying message to criticize society. Authors do this through social commentary. The book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is no exception. The author, Oscar Wilde, criticizes the upper class through the consistent underlying idea that people are often deceived by one's beauty and are unable to understand the poison that fills the world is corrupting it. From the beginning of this book, the social commentary towards the upper class begins with the structure of the novel.

Read More

The Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis Essay

829 Words | 4 Pages

The Paper of Dorian Gray Throughout Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, we view the horrible actions of the main character, Dorian Gray. These actions, however, never seem to affect Dorian. We soon come to realize that this self-portrait reflects Dorian’s actions and aging process instead of Dorian and allow him to live a secret life of horrible acts. In the novel, Dorian takes full advantage of the portraits power, calling the portrait a reflection of his soul, and makes no effort to preserve his soul due to the poisonous influence from Lord Henry and his own selfishness.

Read More

Theme Of Appearance In Dorian Gray

937 Words | 4 Pages

The reader gets the impression that the portrait is a representation of Dorian 's inner self, and how it becomes uglier and more disgraceful as time gradually passes and with every horrific crime that he commits, as can be seen in the following quote: “The picture had to be concealed. There was no help for it.” (Wilde 113). The portrait serves as an image of Dorian 's true nature and the relationship between how his soul progressively becomes more nefarious, and how the evil of his soul becomes visible on the painted surface of the canvas. The way Wilde uses the portrait as a motif throughout the story helps the reader to see and understand how Dorian himself is not yet entirely unfettered by the influence of the portrait.

Read More

More about Dorian Gray Double Life Essay

Related Topics

Open Document