Picture of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde Passage

Picture of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde Passage Analysis

Ethan, Ky, & Peter

Nature of sin and its effects on people – – “…sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of some one else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him. The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly -- that is what each of us is here for. People are afraid of themselves, nowadays. They have forgotten the highest of all duties, the duty that one owes to one's self. ” (13) Henry persuades Dorian and successfully convinces him that above all else, the “duty that one owes to one’s self” is the “highest of all duties” and that self-pleasure should be valued the most. Readers see that as the book progresses, Henry’s influence over Dorian takes hold and Dorian becomes persuaded by Henry’s thoughts and his philosophical outlooks. Henry believes that sins are inherently “borrowed. ” Like the “echo of some one else’s music, ” the sins one bears originate from someone else. This is significant since Henry convinces Dorian into believing that his life’s purpose should be geared towards “self-development. ” Readers see that throughout the rest of the book, this actually transpires as Dorian values pleasure above all else. Even if he commits sins, he believes “self-development” is more important to fulfilling his “nature perfectly. ” Dorian finally realizes at the end of the book that retaining beauty and wealth in the long run was simply a façade that was used to hide the sins and wrongdoings he had committed.

Positive/negative effects of influence over another person – – Basil is worrisome about the marriage between Sibyl and Dorian as he is talking to Henry when he says, "I hope the girl is good, Harry. I don't want to see Dorian tied to some vile creature, who might degrade his nature and ruin his intellect. ’ ‘Oh, she is better than good – she is beautiful, ’ murmured Lord Henry, ” (53). Basil is concerned that Sibyl will act as a “vile creature” to Henry and take away his great personality. The phrase vile creature takes away human qualities and makes her appear as a monster that he fears. He is scared that she might “degrade his nature and ruin his intellect. ” This fear is parallel to Basil’s fear in the first chapter of having Henry and Dorian meet because Dorian would ruin his innocence. This fear that he has of the girl is ironic because his fear is quite the opposite. While Henry was corrupting him and ruining his innocence, the girl was keeping it together with her love. Henry’s corruption is then displayed as he replies to Basil and says, “Oh she is better than good – she is beautiful. ” This shows that Henry doesn’t care about her personality and inner qualities as Basil does. Henry only cares about a woman’s appearance, as he makes evident when he claims that it is more important than being good. This kind of aspect on life is what would pervert Dorian’s great personality.

show the conflict between youth and beauty versus age – Dorian Gray explains to Basil how youth is the most important thing in life as he says, "I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted of me. Why should it keep what I must lose? Every moment that passes takes something from me and gives something to it. Oh, if it were only the other way! If the picture could change, and I could be always what I am now! Why did you paint it? It will mock me some day -- mock me horribly!" (16) – Dorian Gray wants to stay young and beautiful forever. He claims that he is “jealous” of things that stay beautiful forever. Since people age he feels that one day his portrait will look back at him in the future and will mock him because Dorian will grow old and age while the painting will forever be the same. Dorian then by his jealousy of the painting wishes that the picture would change and he could stay the same. This quote foreshadows the mystical changes of the painting that comes later in the book.

symbol – – “The next day he did not leave the house, and, indeed, spent most of the time in his own room, sick with a wild terror of dying, and yet indifferent to life itself. The consciousness of being hunted, snared, tracked down, had begun to dominate him…When he closed his eyes, he saw again the sailor's face peering through the miststained glass, and horror seemed once more to lay its hand upon his heart. ” (147) James Vane is a symbolic representation and reminder to Dorian of the sins he has committed throughout his life, and that these sins eventually do catch up and Dorian will eventually have to pay the price for committing them. After seeing Vane, Dorian remarks that he was “sick with a wild terror” of death and that the thoughts of , “being hunted, ” “snared, ” and “tracked down, ” “dominated” him. Dorian begins to feel entrapped by the inevitability of death, as Vane is seeking to murder him to avenge the death of his sister. As Dorian envisioned Vane’s face in the “mist-stained glass, ” “horror” rested “upon his heart. ” Dorian begins to come to the realization that he will have to eventually pay for the crimes he committed and that it is inevitable that death will near; James Vane is a physical reminder of both of these.

theme – – As seen through the book, Wilde delivers a commentary on the upper classes of society. “Society -- civilized society, at Wilde, through Dorian, believes that “civilized least -- is never very ready to society” is “never ready” to “believe” anything believe anything to the in regards to the “detriment” of people who detriment of those who are hold wealth and power. Instead, higher classes both rich and fascinating. It of society believe that superficialities or feels instinctively that manners “manners” are of higher importance than are of more importance than “morals. ” This is a recurring theme throughout morals, and, in its opinion, the highest respectability is of much the novel as members of the upper class value the trivial aspects of life rather than what less value than the possession actually is of importance. Instead of valuing of a good chef. ” (104) morals and doing what is right and just, these members of society like Dorian, value the artificialities and superficialities.

Annie, Pritika, Karen, Constanza

Nature of sin and its effects on people – Dorian Gray would compare his own beautiful face to the ugly on in the portrait with morbid fascination, “The very sharpness of the contrast used to quicken his sense of pleasure. He grew more and more enamoured of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul. He would examine with minute care, and often with a monstrous and terrible delight…wondering sometimes which were the more horrible, the signs of sin or the signs of age. ” (93) Dorian Gray has been pretty deep in sinning at this time, and the fact that he gets pleasure out of comparing his faces shows that sin has corrupted him into a vain and selfish man that is “enamored of his own beauty” and “interested in the corruption of his soul. ” He is not even disgusted by what he has become, because he does not view it as wrong. He takes a “monstrous” and “terrible” delight in looking at the wizened portrait, showing how much he has been corrupted by all the sins of his life. He wonders which is more terrible, age or sin, and while the answer may be obvious to the rest of us, his own narcissistic self must debate over it. Wilde is trying to convey that sin warps the mind in odd ways that makes a person take sick pleasure in things that are not generally viewed as good or sane.

Nature of sin and its effects – The morning after Dorian murders Basil, he wakes up and thinks back on what he did and, “He winced at the memory of all that he had suffered, and for a moment the same curious feeling of loathing for Basil Hallward, that had made him kill him as he sat in the chair, came back to him, and he grew cold with passion. The dead man was still sitting there, too, and in the sunlight now. How horrible that was! Such hideous things were for the darkness, not for the day. ” (118) After he committed the ultimate sin of murder, he does not even seem to realize what horrible thing he has done. Instead of wincing at the memory of what he had done, he winces at what he had suffered, showing his selfishness. Even after killing Basil, the hate inside of him did not go away. He grew “cold with passion” which shows that his sinful nature gets in the way of his empathy. His own materialism and narcissism is getting to the point where he does not feel remorse and instead is disgusted by the body sitting in the sun because it was “for the darkness, not the day. ” Wilde is showing how feelings of empathy and remorse gets twisted with sin, the deeper you are the easier it is to continue the downward spiral.

Positive/negative effects of influence over another person In the beginning when he refers to the “common – At the beginning of chapter 7, Dorian people” as, “coarse faces” and “brutal gestures” it speaks of the amazing talent Sibyl infers that these people are rude, but later he has and what she makes expectators explains that their cruelty transforms when Sibyl feel when she is acting, Gray goes to the stage. Moreover, in, “They explains, “These common, rough weep. . . them to do. ” it makes Sibyl sound as if she people, with their coarse faces and was in control of the audience’s sentiments. By brutal gestures, become quite using, “wills” it increases the idea of she having different when she is on stage… They the power of her audience. In, “ she makes. . . as a weep and laugh as she wills them to violin. ” the author makes use of a simile to do. She makes them as responsive as increase even more how her audience responded a violin. She spiritualized them, and to her acting, rapidly and noticeable like a violin. one feels that they are of the same By, “spiritualized them” it makes her acting seem flesh and blood as one’s self. ” (59) unreal or beyond the human world.

Positive/negative effects of influence over another person – – Towards the end of chapter 3, Wilde introduces the charisma Lord Henry has, and how it specifically affects Dorian, demonstrated in, “Dorian Gray never took his gaze off him, but sat like one under a spell, smiles chasing each other over his lips, and wonder growing grave in his darkening eyes. ” (31) In this part, the author shows the fascination Lord Henry provokes towards Dorian, that he remains attentive when he speaks. Moreover, in, “ Dorian Gray. . . under a spell. ” it demonstrates that it paralyzed his actions and the reality. By using the words, “ smiles chasing”, “wonder growing” and “darkening eyes. ” to illustrate a tone of fascination from Dorian towards Henry; and also show the effects of people being under a spell. That even when he smiles, others’ smiles also followed, their wonder increased and even their eyes darkened signified the intriguing the situation was in this moment for Dorian.

Find three passages that show the importance of art or lack of importance. Remember that music, actual painting, even human life are considered art by Wilde and his characters. Quote Analysis “‘He is all my art to me now, ’ said the painter, gravely. ‘. . . What the invention of oil-painting was to the Venetians, the face of Antinous was to late Greek sculpture, and the face of Dorian Gray will some day be to me… -- his personality has suggested to me an entirely new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style. I see things differently, I think of them differently. ’” (7 -8) This is Basil’s first interpretation of Dorian Gray, and the effect that he portrays. Dorian Gray has become the breath of fresh air to Basil. As a painter it would seem by the context, that he has found a muse to create better paintings, but because Basil says, “ I see things differently, i think of them differently” it comes to show not only did it change the way he paints but also how he sees life, as a beautiful masterpiece.

Find three passages that show the importance of art or lack of importance. Remember that music, actual painting, even human life are considered art by Wilde and his characters. Quote Analysis “Then he leaped up, and went to the door. ‘Yes, ’ he cried, ‘ you have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you don’t even stir my curiosity. You simply produce no effect. I loved you because you were marvellous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. ’” (63) Sibyl Vane had just performed the worst acting should could have done, and Dorian Gray has seen her differently. When he gives her the reason that he loved her it was because she, “gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. ” this means that art, or in this case her acting, gave her beauty. This makes the knowledge of art very important not only to Dorian Gray but to society.

Find three passages that show the importance of art or lack of importance. Remember that music, actual painting, even human life are considered art by Wilde and his characters. Quote Analysis “‘No: we have given up our belief in the soul. Play me something. Play me a nocturne, Dorian and, as you play, tell me, in a low voice, how you have kept your youth… Ah Dorian, how happy you are! You have crushed the grapes against your palate. Nothing has been hidden from you. And it has all been to you no more than the sound of music. It has not marred you. You are still the same. (159) Lord Henry is the character that believes that human life does matter unless you do something with it. When he talks to Dorian he always gives him advice, but here he compliments him by saying, “You have crushed the grapes against your palate. ” Throughout society, it is very well known that eating grapes was a very high class thing to do. So when he mentions this, he basically says that Dorian Gray had lived his life comfortably

Find and explain two themes from the novel. Quote Throughout the novel Wilde emphasizes the idea of “looks being deceiving”, demonstrated in, “There was something in the purity of his face that rebuked them. His mere presence seemed to recall to them the memory of the innocence that they had tarnished. (93) Analysis The author creates irony in the character of Dorian Gray, of being beautiful and handsome, from the outside but in the inside he has committed several sinful actions. The element that contributed to his malicious behavior, was that many told and made him believe that he was beautiful in an excessive way, which lead to his vanity, of staying handsome from the outside, but still enjoying the pleasures which affected his soul. The author proves the idea of not judging a book by its cover, since in this case, people thought of their damaged and lost innocence when they saw Dorian, when in reality he had done more evil than them. Wilde overall shows that the protagonist was good-looking from the outside but stained and malevolent from the inside.

Find and explain three symbols Quote Analysis For there would be a real pleasure in watching it. He would be able to follow his mind into its secret places. 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. And when winter – visible interpretation of Dorian's soul. – serves as a commentary on the ways in which evil can often be hidden away – uglier with every crime he commits came upon it, he would still be standing where spring trembles on the verge of summer. When the blood represents Dorian's inner self, which becomes – Dorian's true nature of his soul becomes crept from its face, and left behind a pallid mask of increasingly corrupt, its evil shows up on the chalk with leaden eyes, he would keep the glamour of surface of the canvas. boyhood…. he would be strong, and fleet, and joyous. What did it matter what happened to the coloured image on the canvas? He would be safe. That was everything. – eminds Dorian constantly of the evil at the heart of his nature