Dorian Gray: Question#8

I think The Picture of Dorian Gray is pretty accurate on several events in history, one of these being the Aesthetic movement. The Aesthetic movement was a movement in which people believed that art should be available to all classes and that one didn’t have to have a reason to create art. That it didn’t need a meaning. One source that discuses this movement says, “Aesthetic experience is a fully autonomous and independent aspect of a human life. Thus, art should exist solely for its own sake.”(Aesthetic par.2) In fact, Oscar Wilde was even one of main authors who became a voice for this movement. Even his character Basil Hallward believes in this and even says, "An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them. We live in an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography. We have lost the abstract sense of beauty.”(Wilde 13) The Aesthetic movement was happening in London in the setting this book was written in. In this story you can clearly see that the Aesthetic movement was a major influence to Oscar Wilde. Mainly because this movement helped to make Dorian’s portrait such an important symbol in the book.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

"Aesthetic Movement." Buffalo Architecture and History. Ingenius Inc. Web. 08 July 2011. .

Dorian Gray: Question#7

In The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde uses mystery, suspense, murder, and twists to make the story engage the audience. Overall, the story comes off as dark, mysterious, and macabre. The book almost has a gloomy and creepy feeling about it. I think, though, that this mood and the touches he uses are what makes the audiences want to continue reading it. When first reading the book, it comes off as rather happy and full of life, bringing you to a sunny day in an art studio with two friends having a good time. But then the story starts to change when Basil, the artist, tells his friend Lord Henry that he doesn’t want him to meet Dorian Gray, his new friend and inspiration (Wilde 16). Why? Because Lord Henry is known to influence his friends and Basil warns him not to try and befriend Dorian, in fear that Henry will destroy his innocence by influencing him. This one conversation starts the mood for the whole book. It starts in a small conversation between Dorian and Henry about beauty, and it leads to Dorian wishing that he and his portrait could trade places (Wilde 28-29). This wish is the start of his downfall. As the book continues, Dorian takes to keeping secrets and hiding his portrait, which reveals to all who look at it his soul. His own character starts to become mysterious because the book skips ahead several years in which Dorian commits many crimes that the readers don’t know about. This interests the audience. Later on in the book Dorian murders his friend Basil and this twist is completely unexpected because the readers have no idea that Dorian has become that evil. Dorian soon is hunted by James Vane, a past enemy, and this suspense of being killed keeps readers on edge.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

Dorian Gray: Question#6

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a very interesting book and is like nothing I have ever read before. The mystery, the murder, the lies and secrets are extremely twisted and intriguing. But why do we read it? We still read this book not because it’s just “a good read”, but because it’s a reminder that even the most innocent and pure of people can fall to influence and corruption. In fact, the power of influence and corruption is what the whole book is all about. Dorian Gray is at first seen as a young man, even thought of as a child, who is the symbolism of purity and youth. He’s young, he’s innocent, and he’s been untouched by greed and vile ways. That is why it is so easy for him to be manipulated by the world and views of others. He starts by being influenced by words. His friend Lord Henry has always been thought as an extremely influencing person, and Dorian can’t help but listen to him. Unfortunately, after feeding on the words of his friend, Dorian already starts to tip his scales between purity and corruption. He starts trying drugs, sex, and thievery and by the end of the story has become the vilest of people. The most innocent man becomes the corrupted. The book targets the fact that good people can become bad people and that purity can easily be defiled if a person is tempted by evil things.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

Dorain Gray: Question#5

The Picture of Dorian Gray is set in the 1890’s in London, England. When reading this book, you notice the differences between social classes, the popularity of Shakespeare in the theatre, the layed-back life of the wealthy classes, and the extravagant homes of the rich. One of the main things this book has to offer is what daily life was like for the wealthy people. Dorian Gray in this book is an extremely wealthy person. Many times in the book he throws parties and attends parties with minor royalty found in London at that time, and other aristocrats of the time period (Wilde 132). Also, Dorian attends the theatre and opera many times in the book, which was very popular and entertaining at that time. You also notice the popularity of Shakespeare, and you see Dorian’s outlook on it while he attends a small theater to see Sibyl Vane, his crush, who just so happens to be a great actor (Wilde 52). The book does not really address any social issues of the time. The only time where it might be apparent is in the thoughts of Sibyl Vane’s mother and Dorian’s friends because they are surprised he wants to marry someone far below his social class.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

Dorain Gray: Question#4

The “hero” in this book is Dorian Gray. Now is he really a hero? Some would say no. But he does, indeed, serve that purpose in the novel. Dorian Gray’s goal in the book is too find a way to escape his sins and forget about the evil things he has done in his life. He, unfortunately, does actually succeed in a way. He wished that he could destroy everything that would remind him of his sins and get rid of everything linked to what he had done. He tries to destroy the picture but in doing this destroys himself. He also accomplishes another goal. Later on in the book he makes a new goal to be good and to turn from his evil ways. By the end of the book he regrets what’s he’s done and he understands the evil he’s committed. It says, “He would never again tempt innocence. He would be good.” (Wilde 227) By the end of the book, it also says this, “He knew that he had tarnished himself, filled his mind with corruption, and given horror to his fancy; that he had been an evil influence to others, and had experienced a terrible joy in doing so; and that the lives that had crossed his own had been the fairest and the most full of promise that he had brought to shame. But was it all irretrievable? Was there hope for him?” (Wilde 225) In the end Dorian Gray knew he did wrong and wanted to change himself. Dorian is portrayed as a handsome and kind man, but at the end of the book he is seen as cruel and corrupted. I think he represents the abstract idea of evil. He tempts others and ruins reputations. He’s constantly doing bad things then feeling sorry, but he never does a thing to correct himself. He never changes his ways.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

Dorain Gray: Question#3

In The Picture of Dorian Gray you can find several universal themes that really stand out. One of them just so happens to be close to “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Except this version has a bit of a twist to it. The usual theme explains that ‘it’s what’s inside that counts’ and ‘the outside might look ugly but the inside is what is beautiful’. When saying these things, it’s suggesting that the inside is more beautiful than the outside. In this book it’s quite different. Dorian Gray looks pretty great on the outside. He’s described as “certainly and wonderfully handsome, with his finely curved scarlet lips, his frank blue eyes, his crisp gold hair. There was just something in his face that made one trust him at once.” (Wilde 18) He is attractive and appealing to the eye. But it’s really the outside that deceives everyone. His inside is twisted and vile and not at all attractive. Later in the book a character says, “he’s as bad as bad.” (Wilde 196) So, to be more accurate, the actual theme is “everything is not what it seems.” Dorian might look great on the outside, but on the inside he’s very evil. Another theme this book addresses is that beauty isn’t everything, and that it won’t get you anywhere if you look great but you’re nasty at heart. Dorian thinks that by staying young forever and being as evil as he wants he’ll be okay, as long as his portrait takes the burden. But he finds out that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. People don’t like people who have an ugly personality.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

Dorian Gray: Question#2

The main conflict in The Picture of Dorian Gray is the fact that Dorian traded his soul to live a life free of old age and ugliness and now must face the destruction of his own soul which is recorded in his portrait. He now must reconcile himself and make right the sins he has done. He traded his soul to the devil to live a life always beautiful and now all his sins are seen in his self portrait, reminding him what a kind of vile life he’s living. What are the gains of this conflict? Though the picture destroys his life, it does help him gain some things. He gains the ability to see what he looks like on the inside. He gains the conscious to see what he’s done and the ability to regret it. In the story he thinks this when he looks at the picture for the first time after what he did to Sibyl Vane, “One, thing, however, he felt that it had done for him: it had made him conscious of how unjust, how cruel, he had been to Sibyl Vane.” (Wilde 99) He says this, “This portrait would be to him the most magical of mirrors. As it had revealed to him his own body, so it would reveal to him his own soul.” (Wilde 110) The portrait helped him to understand how cruel he truly was. What are the losses? Dorian loses his sanity because of the picture. It slowly drives him mad from seeing the ruin he brought on his own soul. In the story, right before he kills Basil it says, “Dorian Gray glanced at the picture, and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward came over him, as though It had been suggested to him by the image on the canvas, whispered into his ear by those grinning lips.”(Wilde 162) The picture almost literally controls him. It destroys his life and brings ruin to his name. Why? Because it shows him his own evilness.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

Dorian Gray: Question#1

The book The Picture of Dorian Gray is written in a third person point of view. The story is not told by one of the characters, but by an unknown person who is watching the story from afar. I believe that a lot of the author’s attitudes and values are seen in his characters. Most certainly Lord Henry for sure. This book has many characters that are opinionated, and I believe that even the author believed in some of the things his own characters spoke of. One of the main attitudes and opinions of Wilde was spoken by Lord Henry. One of the things Lord Henry says is, “I believe that if a man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream—I believe that the world would gain such an impulse of joy that we would forget all the maladies of mediaevalism, and return to the Hellenic ideal—to something finer, richer, than the Hellenic ideal, it may be.”(Wilde 20) In the commentary Hellenic ideal was the ideal that homosexuality between men was accepted. Oscar Widle himself was a homosexual, so this opinion was lived out through Lord Henry. This shows his views that people should not hold themselves back and that they should give in to every feeling and not be ashamed of it. Several of the characters live out Oscar Wilde’s views, I believe. Another one of his characters says, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” (Wilde 21) In some histories of the author it was said that this is one of the things Oscar Wilde said in other books of his, so it was a common theory he believed to be true. Wilde clearly valued people who were independent and stood for what they believed in.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barns & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.