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Examples Of Aging In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

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How Does The Picture of Dorian Gray Discuss Aging And How Does It Compare To Today’s Male Beauty Standards? The Picture of Dorian Gray is a story of a man who is led astray because of his obsession with not aging. Today, aging is seen as a negative thing. There are several different creams to prevent wrinkles, filters on social media to smooth out your face, and even plastic surgeries to make yourself look younger. The Picture of Dorian Gray is similar to today’s beauty standards. We can see this in Dorian’s obsession with himself, his motivations for murdering Basil, Lord Harry’s philosophies, and Dorian’s own death. Early in the novel, we can see Dorian grow obsessed with aging and the preservation of his youth. This is started around Chapter …show more content…

“When they entered, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was” (Wilde 230). Dorian died right next to the portrait of his younger self. The funny part was that he was now old and ugly. “From art portraits, the observer may derive at least two different hedonic values: The attractiveness of the depicted person and the artistic beauty of the image that relates to the way of presentation” (Schulz et al). The beauty of the portrait was that of a younger Dorian. One that was not afflicted by the horrible conflict of the inevitable demise his attractiveness would face. “Art should be beautiful and pleasure its observer, but to imply further-reaching influence would be a mistake” (Duggan). The portrait of Dorian while being beautiful, had evoked rage and remorse within his soul. He wanted to forever be beautiful. Even in death, he was near …show more content…

Today, we obsess over how we look. We want to be beautiful, just like how Dorian wanted.

Works Cited:
Duggan, Patrick, The Conflict Between Aestheticism and Morality in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Arts and Science Writing Program.
Jacobsen, Thomas, Beauty and the brain: culture, history and individual differences in aesthetic appreciation, Journal of Anatomy, 19 Nov 2009.
Kwart, Dylan G et al, Age and beauty are in the eye of the beholder, Perception, 31 July 12.
Matsuoka, Mitsuharu, “Aestheticism and Social Anxiety in The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Journal of Aesthetic Education, 29, 2003.
Meehan, Michelle, "A Campaign for Male Beauty: The Influence of Advertisement on Dimensions of Male Body", Honors Projects, 130, 2009.
Schulz & Hayn-Leichsenring, Face Attractiveness versus Artistic Beauty in Art Portraits: A Behavioral Study, Front Psychol, 22 Dec 2017.
Weitz, Morris, “The Role of Theory in Aesthetics,” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism,

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Basil has come to ask Dorian about all the horrible rumors surrounding him, and hopes they turn out false. Basil also asks about the portrait and why Dorian hides it, so Dorian decides to show him his “to see your soul. But only God can do that—you shall see it yourself to-night!”. Dorian then takes Basil to see his picture, which at first cannot be recognized by Basil, but soon he realizes the true horror of the situation, “an exclamation of horror broke out from the painter’s lips as he saw in the dim light the hideous face on the canvas grinning at him” (Wilde 113). Dorians soul has become rotten to the core with selfishness and pleasure, mainly because of Lord Henry’s poisonous words.

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Not one blossom of his loveliness would ever fade. Not one pulse of his life would ever weaken. Like the gods of the Greeks, he would be strong, and fleet, and joyous.” (Wilde 98). Through this scene, Wilde makes it clear to the reader how corrupt Dorian’s world perspective is.

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