The Picture of Dorian Gray #8: Unlocking the Preface

 “All art is at once surface and symbol.  Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.  Those who read the symbol do so at their peril” (Wilde 2).

            The reader is first introduced to the idea that art is both surface and symbol in the preface, yet the idea is not fully explained until the last chapter of the text.  Wilde claims that there are two aspects to every piece of art, the surface and the symbol.  He also claims that those that attempt to understand the artwork do so with the chance of harm.  Basil’s portrait of Dorian serves these two purposes; on the surface it is just a painting that seems to be aging, but this visible aging symbolizes all of Dorian’s sins.  Although Dorian notices the surface before the symbol, he attempts to read the symbol first which then leads him to go beneath the surface, literally.  It didn’t take long for Dorian to realize that the portrait was displaying his sins so that he could keep his young features, but in the last chapter Dorian attempts to understand the symbol even more.  Dorian begins to wonder if the increase in blood on the portrait means “that he [is] to confess” to his sins (227-228).  As Dorian further understands the symbolism of the portrait he begins to question everything he has done and he blames the portrait for his actions.  He is then led to destroy the portrait.  When Dorian drives the knife through the portrait he is literally going beneath the surface and when he does this he ends up dying because of his relationship with the painting.  Since the portrait is the representation of Dorian’s soul he cannot live without it so when he destroys it he essentially kills himself.  Through his delving into the meaning of the symbol and going beneath the surface Dorian causes himself pain and trouble.  Unlocking the symbol led Dorian to commit such horrid things as the murder of Basil and the blackmail of Alan Campbell, and his attempt to destroy the painting by literally going beneath the surface caused his death, unlocking this part of the preface in the context of the story.

The Picture of Dorian Gray #7: Dorian’s Deceit

            Dorian has done some questionable things in his life including his treatment of Sibyl Vane and the savage murder of Basil Hallward.  His actions have led to unflattering rumors being spread about him and people forming opinions of him that are not ideal.  To cope with the consequences of his actions Dorian has had to become quite cunning; he knows that if people find out the truth about what he has done his reputation and life will be destroyed.  After killing Basil, Dorian knew that he could not let people tie him to the murder; one of the first things he did was establish a rock-solid alibi for himself.  Dorian knew that there was no evidence against him because “Basil Hallward had left the house at eleven.  No one had seen him come in again.  Most of the servants were at Selby Royal.  His valet had gone to bed” (Wilde 164).  He then proceeded to leave and re-enter the house by waking up his valet and creating the story that he forgot his key.  Dorian knows that if he can deceive the public with a solid alibi and destroy the evidence there will be know way to tie him to the murder, and his life and what is left of his reputation will be saved. 

            The other example of Dorian’s cunningness comes when James Vane confronts him in an alley in the middle of the night.  James, Sibyl’s brother, has made Dorian from the nickname, Prince Charming.  James knew nothing about Dorian except this nickname but he knew that he vowed to kill this man since it was Dorian’s fault that Sibyl is dead.  Dorian certainly would have been murdered if it wasn’t for his quick thinking that made James believe that he had the wrong man. Dorian asks James, “How long ago is it since your sister did” (195) to make James realize that there is no way that Dorian could be Sibyl’s Prince Charming because he looks to young.  Dorian’s deceit has saved him on multiple occasions; without it he would most certainly be dead if he was not in prison.

The Picture of Dorian Gray #5: Basil and Dorian’s Relationship

            In the fifth reading of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the reader sees a progression in Basil and Dorian’s relationship.  Basil’s dedication and love towards Dorian have been shown quite often in the first four nights readings but those feelings have been fairly unreciprocated.  The fifth reading is one of the first times that Basil’s feelings towards Dorian are reciprocated, even if only slightly.  The reader has begun to see that Basil’s relationship to Dorian is synonymous to that of a parent to child.  In many parent to child relationships the child refuses to listen to the parents, who tend to have the best interests of the child in mind.  Throughout the book Dorian has refused to spend time with Basil, who has Dorian’s best interests in mind, and instead chooses to spend his time with Lord Henry, who corrupts Dorian and destroys his defining characteristics.  The reader has been lead to believe that Dorian does not want to spend any time with Basil at all and that Dorian would always run to Lord Henry with his problems.  However, Dorian says: “I don’t think I would go to Harry if I were in trouble.  I would sooner go to you, Basil” (Wilde 120).  By stating that he would run to Basil if he were in trouble rather than to Lord Henry, Dorian acknowledges the fact that Basil has a parental influence on him and for one of the first times reciprocates some of Basil’s feelings.  Although Dorian says this as he is breaking Basil’s heart by telling him that he will never sit for another portrait, Basil does not become angry.  Basil is quite content with playing the role of parent because he cares so much about Dorian’s happiness and wellbeing that he is willing to lessen his own happiness.  Basil establishes himself as the picture-perfect parent figure in that he selflessly cares only about what Dorian wants and what makes Dorian happy.

The Picture of Dorian Gray #4; Dorian’s ‘Progression’

            In the latest reading of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian undergoes more changes.  Dorian’s biggest change so far in the novel has been his adaption of hedonism because of Lord Henry’s influence.  This change is not portrayed in a positive light and the reader is led to believe that hedonism is bad for Dorian.  This hedonism is highlighted when Dorian is talking with Sibyl after her awful performance; Dorian tells Sibyl that her acting was horrible “‘It was dreadful.  Are you ill?  You have no idea what it was.  You have no idea what I suffered’…‘My friends were bored.  I was bored’” (Wilde 89-90).  Dorian is being extremely selfish and rude to Sibyl because all he cares about is that he is happy and when Sibyl performs poorly in front of his friends he becomes unhappy.  Dorian becomes so unhappy when watching the performance and talking with Sibyl that he tells her, “‘You have killed my love!...You are nothing to me now.  I will never think of you.  I will never mention your name’” (91).  The new Dorian, created by Lord Henry is highlighted here as Dorian only cares about how Sibyl can please him.  When that aspect of her disappears he immediately loses his interest in her because he no longer feels any pleasure in her presence.  

            After Dorian escapes his confrontation with Sibyl and returns home he starts to feel regret for how he treated her.  Dorian is portrayed to be once again undergoing a change.  This time however, the reader is led to believe it is a positive change.  Dorian realizes how awfully he treated Sibyl the night before and he blames his actions on Lord Henry’s influence.  Once he realizes how Lord Henry’s influence has affected him, he vows that “He would not see Lord Henry any more – would not, at any rate, listen to those subtle, poisonous theories that in Basil Hallward’s garden had first stirred within him the passion for impossible things.  He would go back to Sibyl Vane, make her amends, marry her, try to lover her again” (96).  Dorian shifts away from hedonism back into the Dorian that Basil knows, the Dorian that cares about other people.  Dorian wants to set right what he did to Sibyl and part of that is to eliminate his hedonism and Lord Henry.  However, Lord Henry is not absent from Dorian’s life for long.

            On the same day that Dorian vows never to speak to Lord Henry, Lord Henry inputs more of his philosophies on Dorian and they make plans to go see the opera.  Dorian fully embraces Lord Henry again and it seems as if he has fallen back into Lord Henry’s influence.  All progress that Dorian had made towards bettering himself disappears when he tells Lord Henry, “‘I am awfully obliged to you for all that you have said to me.  You are certainly my best friend.  No one has ever understood me as you have’” (108).  Once again, Dorian falls into Lord Henry’s influential trap.  The relationship between Dorian and Lord Henry is similar to an abusive relationship; the tension building stage would be when Lord Henry preaches his philosophy’s to Dorian, the explosion would be when a situation like the one with Sibyl happens and Dorian blames Lord Henry for his own wrongdoing, and the honeymoon period would be the current stage where they embrace ach other and become best friends again.  No matter what he does it seems that Dorian cannot escape the grasp of Lord Henry.

The Picture of Dorian Gray #3: Basil’s Oblivion

            In the third night’s reading the reader becomes aware of how out of touch Basil has become with Dorian’s life.  Over the past couple of chapters the reader has seen Dorian dramatically change, but Basil has not been in contact with Dorian so he is not aware of the changes.  When Lord Henry informs Basil of Dorian’s engagement, Basil reacts: “‘Impossible! … Dorian is far too sensible’” (Wilde 77).  The Dorian that Basil used to know was a sensible guy, but with Lord Henry’s influence, Dorian has become hedonistic and few things he now does seem sensible to the outside observer; Dorian now only does things that please him rather than what makes sense.  Basil’s oblivion in regards to Dorian’s hedonism is shown when Basil says that Dorian “‘is not like other men.  He would never bring misery upon any one.  His nature is too fine for that’” (81).  Basil doesn’t realize that Dorian’s nature has changed; he is completely oblivious to the fact that Dorian is a hedonist that does things for his own pleasure and doesn’t care if his actions bring misery upon others as long as they don’t bring misery upon himself.  Another part of Dorian’s life that Basil is oblivious to is the influence Lord Henry has.  When Basil first finds out about Dorian’s engagement he mentions that he hopes it is a good girl because he doesn’t “want to see Dorian tied to some vile creature who might degrade his nature and ruin his intellect” (78).  The dramatic irony with this statement is that although Basil is talking about Dorian’s fiancé, the reader realizes that the description applies to Lord Henry’s influence, an influence that Basil has yet to realize.  Although Basil has yet to realize Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian, by the end of six he realizes that Dorian has changed and he feels “that Dorian Gray would never again be to him all that he had been in the past.  Life had come between them” (84).  Basil’s realization marks the end to his oblivion of how Dorian has changed although he is still not aware of why he has changed.