Michaela Mayorga English IV Honors Period One Rough Draft The Evilness of Dorian Gray Within Society, every individual has his or her own perception on evil. Considering eighty-three percent of Americans consider themselves Christians, one can assume those particular individuals associate evil with sin. The remaining seventeen percent of the population can have various outlooks depending on beliefs. Dorian Gray, a devout follower of hedonism, committed a number of what many would consider to be evil acts throughout the journey of his newfound lifestyle. There are numerous psychological definitions of evil due to varying perspectives. For instance, some individuals may believe, “evil people are those who cannot empathize with …show more content…
For example, Dorian finds himself using opiates, which is a drug with morphine-like effects, quite frequently. When speaking of his drug use, Dorian states, “There were opiates for remorse, drugs that could lull the moral sense to sleep. But here was a visible symbol of the degradation of sin. Here was an ever-present sign of the ruin men brought upon their souls.” (Wilde, Oscar). Here, Dorian is recognizing that drugs are evil. Furthermore, him using drugs was an evil act. Drugs essentially blocked out any remorse or moral sense he could have potentially conjured up, resulting in what readers can infer to be an opiod addiction, as we witness him visiting a den to satisfy his need. The use of these drugs also encouraged Dorian to continue on and do other evil acts. In addition to drug use, Dorian decides to begin a romantic relationship with a very young actress, Sibyl Vane. However, when she decides to give up acting in order to focus fully on their developing relationship, Dorian crudely remarks, “The world would have worshipped you, and you would have borne my name. What are you now? A third-rate actress with a pretty face.” (Wilde, Oscar). Dorian’s words to someone he claimed he wanted to marry are unnecessarily harsh and evil, considering they later cause Sibyl Vane to commit suicide. He caused harm to another human being,