The Picture of Dorian Gray #2: Lord Henry’s Influence on Dorian Gray

            In chapters three and four the reader starts to see a change in Dorian Gray; ever since Dorian first met Lord Henry he has been influenced by Lord Henry’s intellect.  During their first meeting Lord Henry baffled Dorian with his view on beauty and youth and ever since Dorian has completely changed.  Lord Henry likes to “hear [his] own intellectual views echoed back to [him] with all the added music of passion and youth [of Dorian]” (Wilde 39).  The manner in which Lord Henry speaks to Dorian has persuaded Dorian to adopt Lord Henry’s points of view, fundamentally changing who Dorian is as a person.  Lord Henry believes that “there [is] nothing that one could not do with [Dorian]” (39).  Lord Henry takes advantage of Dorian’s youth and naivety to impart in Dorian his views on life.  Lord Henry seeks “to dominate” Dorian and has already partially done so (40).  Lord Henry is not attempting to have a traditional friendship with Dorian; Lord Henry is taking advantage of Dorian to make a more youthful and handsome copy of himself. 

Dorian is quite oblivious of the fact that Lord Henry is corrupting him.  When Lord Henry addressed the dinner crowd with controversial opinions, Dorian Gray “sat like one under a spell … wonder growing in his darkening eyes” (45).  Dorian is entranced by everything that Lord Henry says and wants to know more.  However, when Wilde chooses to describe Dorian’s eyes as “darkening,” it is to show the corruption and evil fervor that is growing within him yet Dorian is completely oblivious to this aspect of Lord Henry’s influence over him.  The epitome of Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian is in regards to Dorian’s relationship with Sibyl Vane.  When Dorian is first introduced he is portrayed as a handsome and ignorant young man who knows nothing about love and his future.  However, at the end of chapter four Dorian Gray is “engaged to be married to Sibyl Vane” (63).  Earlier in the chapter Dorian had said that he is not likely to marry because he is too much in love (51).  His change in attitude towards marriage came solely after a conversation with Lord Henry about his relationship and feelings toward Sibyl.  Lord Henry became fascinated by Dorian and Sibyl’s relationship on a psychological level and he believes that Dorian is a subject of his psychological studies that seems “to promise rich and fruitful results” (63).  Dorian is oblivious to that fact that Lord Henry is studying him psychologically and takes everything Lord Henry says to heart.  Dorian has evolved from a naïve boy to a man ready to become a husband after only knowing this woman for three weeks all because of Lord Henry’s influence that has caused him to go looking for answers to life.