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Examples Of Dualism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

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In "The Picture of Dorian Gray", Victorian class system is reflected through the concept of duality and duplicity. The concept of duality can be found amongst settings and "Dorian" himself. Although "Dorian" is from an aristocrat background we see him being positioned in places associated with the lower class, such as the "Opium dens", this creates two sides to "Dorian's" personality, as he is shown to be split between the middle class or lower class and upper class. We could interpret that "Dorian" is being portrayed as the link between Victorian classes as he breaks the norms of what is expected from people of a higher class against the rules of aristocracy, by going to the "Opium dens". "Dorian's" county manor "Selby Royal" is shown to be a place of pride, wealth and outward respectability in comparison to the image of "Dorian" …show more content…

You will suffer horribly…Ah! Realize your youth while you have it” (PictureLocation 301-11). which are on beauty and seeking out pleasure. Thus, Dorian embraces hedonism and begins to live a youthful life and admiring his own beauty and trying to avoid becoming old but the results are disastrous. He leaded life devoted to following his impulses without tempering them with reason, a life of thinking only of his own selfish desires and disregarding the hurt caused to the people around him. His dismissal of Sibyl proves that he was putting her beauty and his pleasure of her acting before the real purpose of falling in love. To him, it does not matter if it really is love; it is what she portrays and the pleasure she provides for him that matters. Since she does not meet Dorian or society’s ideals of a woman, she is not a prospect for marriage. Dorian’s cruel dismissal of his relationship with Sibyl and her death act as a catalyst in his double

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386 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde illustrates the dichotomy of Dorian Gray revealing the corruption of his soul and the reflection of that corruption in the appearance of his portrait. At the beginning of the novel, Dorian is the epitome of youth and beauty: his appearance and innocence enable him to be well-liked among everyone. However, Dorian begins his descent into evil and sin when he pledges his soul to remain youthful while his portrait ages. To illustrate, Wilde repeatedly draws a parallel between Dorian’s corruption and the physical appearance of the portrait. Furthermore, Dorian’s murder of Basil reveals the extent of the irreversible corruption of his soul.

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1346 Words | 6 Pages

In The Picture of Dorian Gray,

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760 Words | 4 Pages

Cruelty plays a vital role in developing the plot and characters in “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. Throughout the piece, many acts of cruelty are displayed from Dorian Gray and others that show truly who they are how they've developed from it. Dorian takes on a huge change in his morals and standards because of the influence taken in from others. This influence causes him to only care about his own youth and vanity, resulting in a huge change of personality. The more Dorian becomes influenced by Lord Henry and the painting, the crueler he becomes

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1115 Words | 5 Pages

The researcher decides Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned to be the objects of the study on inferiority and superiority complex causing hedonistic lifestyle in main character. The first reason, both of literary works cover the changing of each life of the main character, society and ultimately the individual. Second, they both share the same social background of the main character in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian, displays a well-respected young man. He doesn’t recognize his own beauty until he sees it reflected in Basil’s portrait, and, once he does, it’s all too late. While Anthony in The Beautiful and Damned is illustrates reaching pleasure as the lifestyle and it becomes a habit.

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512 Words | 3 Pages

Dorian Gray becomes very receptive to Lord Henry Wotton’s radical notions, and in keeping up with the philosophy of new hedonism, the first person Dorian Grays influences is an actress by the name of Sibyl Vane, who he becomes enamored to. The very first evidence that Dorian has become corrupted by Lord Henry 's amoral philosophies is his short-lived relationship with Sibyl Vane, a young actress who plays Shakespearean roles in a tawdry theater located in the back streets of London. Her youth, beauty and brilliant acting makes her stand out from the dullness of the theater, which was why Dorian became attracted to her. Essentially, Dorian views Sibyl as art and rapidly falls in love with her, since he began to pursue her on sight before even

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1369 Words | 6 Pages

After the death of Sibyl, Dorian feels responsible for her death knowing that his horrible words towards her was the cause of it. Lord Henry then lends Dorian “The Yellow Book” which is about a character who is beautiful with an immoral life of sin that reminds Dorian of himself. However, the character in the book suddenly loses his beauty which terrifies Dorian thinking that the same thing would happen to him as he thought the character’s sudden change was “remarkable” (138). The Yellow Book started to influence Dorian and still continued to have a

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725 Words | 3 Pages

His idolization of Dorian causes him to let Dorian dominate him. Small as it is, it shows Dorian for the first time what his beauty can do to people. The fact that people are willing to believe and do anything for him because of his beauty. This realization causes a lot of problems later on in the storyline. Lord Henry Wotton is another influencer on Dorian Gray.

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750 Words | 3 Pages

The genre of the novel is a terror, drama, psychology, humanitarianisms, romance and paranormal components. The Picture of Dorian Gray begins on a beautiful season day in Victorian-era England where Lord Henry Wotton, a determined man, is observing the sensitive artist Basil Hallward painting the painting of Dorian Gray, a handsome young man who is Basil 's ultimate inspiration. Though sitting for the painting, Dorian listens to Lord Henry adopting his hedonistic worldview and begins to think that beauty is the only aspect of life worth trying. This encourages Dorian to wish that the painted image of himself would age in his stead.

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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.

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2219 Words | 9 Pages

His words and painting influenced Dorian’s life immensely and this made him so determined to want to retain his youth after taking a look at his

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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

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2011 Words | 9 Pages

Applying this definition to the duality presented within The Picture of Dorian and Jykell and Hyde show the idea of the duality of human nature and phycology and that humans always have two coflicting personalities which are interlinked and interrelated. The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Stange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde demonstrate the inportance of literature as as soical and cultural tool used as a platfrom to discuss and cast light on issues, interests and desires which link to 'devenciy ' in the victorian era. The Picture of Dorian Gray has many different elements which suggest the depiction of duality and the double within human nature, one of the most previllant examples of duality within this novel is the apparent stuggle between good and evil ' 'Your voice and the voice of Sibyl Vane are two things I shall never forgot... I don 't know which to follow ' '

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1044 Words | 5 Pages

“All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.” Oscar Wilde makes this statement in the preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray. It is through individualism and education that we form a meaning behind the work. Those that choose to be pessimistic and ignorant are those that miss out on the wonders of the world.

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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.

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937 Words | 4 Pages

The reader gets the impression that Dorian will find pleasure in watching the painting being teared apart. Dorian has set all his conscience aside. He believes that the only things that truly have importance are the concepts of remaining youthful and

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