The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Question: Write an essay on the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde? Answer: Thesis: It is evident that Dorian Gray destroyed the lives of three people before rest in peace namely Sybil, Alan and Basil. How was the relationship that Dorian shared with each one of them and how it lead to their destruction and demise? The Oscar Wilde novel, The picture of Dorian Gray is based on the theme of aestheticism meaning moral duplicity and complete self indulgence. The story revolves around the main character Dorian Gray who was famous for his innocence and impossible beauty that did capture the artistic imagination of his best friend Basil. Dorian Gray destroyed the lives of his best friend Basil, his beloved wife Sybil and his another friend Alan. Dorian was a person of charming grace and pure gold heart who was poisoned by the negative aspects of Lord Henry who taught him that the world is based over seduction and utter beauty. He made him follow succession of pleasures regardless of the good or the evil. "Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed." (Chapter 4). He once saw Sybil, a beautiful, sweet, talented but poor actress and was charmed by her beauty. It could have been the turning point of his life. He once said to Lord Henry after falling in love with Sybil that, When I am with her, I regret all that you have taught me. I become different from what you have known me to be. I am a changed, and the mere touch of Sybil Vanes hand makes me forget you and all your wrong, fascinating, poisonous and delightful theories. (Chapter 6). It was evident that Dorian was aware of the motives of Lord Henry but was unable to give those habits up. Sybil loved him utterly that all the other things had almost no value in front of his love for her. Her talent started subsiding away because she was more engrossed in loving Dorian. Her passionate love for Dorian overpowered her talent and her stage shows seemed quite unimportant to her now. "Dorian, Dorian," she cried, "before I knew you, acting was the one reality of my life. You had brought me something higher, something of which all art is but a reflection. You had made me understand what love really is. My love! My love! Prince Charming! Prince of life! I have grown sick of shadows. You are more to me than all art can ever be. What have I to do with the puppets of a play? When I came on to-night, I could not understand how it was that everything had gone from me. I thought that I was going to be wonderful. I found that I could do nothing. Suddenly it dawned on my soul what it all meant. The knowledge was exquisite to me. I heard them hissing, and I smiled. What could they know of love such as ours? Take me away, Doriantake me away with you, where we can be quite alone. But Dorian, who loved Sybil only because of her beauty and ability to act, got frustrated with loss of her talent and never understood the reason behind it. He cruelly broke the engagement and brutally dumped her. He destroyed the life of Sybil who madly loved Dorian and after that she committed a suicide. Basil was a darling friend of Dorian, who was enthralled by his beauty and decided to paint him on canvas. He was afraid that the innocence of Dorian should not be poisoned by Lord Henry but fate executes its own plans. With the crimes he commits, the beautiful portrait of Dorian seemed to loose its charm and become more and more withered. On 28th birthday of Dorian he confessed this to Basil about the changing form of his portrait turning wicked day by day. He forced him to see the portrait and Baisl was equally horrified seeing to it. An exclamation of horror broke from the painter's lips as he saw in the dim light the hideous face on the canvas grinning at him. There was something in its expression that filled him with disgust and loathing. Good heavens! it was Dorian Gray's own face that he was looking at! (Chapter 13). Basil recoils and asks Dorian, It is never too late, Dorian. Let us kneel down and try if we cannot remember a prayer. Isnt there a verse somewhere, Though your s ins be as scarlet, yet I will make them white as snow? (Chapter 13). Suddenly, a feeling of hatred overpowered Dorian and he started hating Basil with a feeling of wild animal creeping inside him. He crushed his head brutally by impinging the knife at the skin back of his ear. He stabbed the poor friend again and again just because he wanted to make him realize of the world he was trapped in and wanted him to pray for his sins and become an innocent man yet again leaving the world of dreadful pleasures. Alan was a long old friend of Dorian whom he left five years back. He lost all of his friends because of his evil behavior which was the result of Lord Henry and his horrendous teachings. After murdering Basil, he called for Alan Campbell to help him resolve this murder. Learning about the murder he completely refused to help the murdered Dorian, Of course I refuse. I will have absolutely nothing to do with it. I don't care what shame comes on you. You deserve it all. I should not be sorry to see you disgraced, publicly disgraced. How dare you ask me, of all men in the world, to mix myself up in this horror? I should have thought you knew more about people's characters. Your friend Lord Henry Wotton can't have taught you much about psychology, whatever else he has taught you. Nothing will induce me to stir a step to help you. You have come to the wrong man. Go to some of your friends. Don't come to me." (Chapter 14). But Dorian blackmailed him to help him. After completing the experi ment and making Basil disappear, he committed suicide one day in his lab being guilt about his sin which was completely his choice though was overpowered by forceful actions of Dorian, the man behind all the crimes. At the end, He seized the thing, and stabbed the picture with it (Chapter 20). This was a personification of his own death by his own hands and that too brutally. Conclusion It is evident from the story that wrong deeds come up in the life of a person and makes him feel horrendous about them. Dorian Gray was responsible to destroy the lives of various people by just coming under the influence of an imperious aristocrat Lord Henry. His evil and cruel deeds made him fall day by day and making him look ugly and heinous. The end of the story is the justification done to him because of his crimes. This moralistic novel showcases poisoning of relationships between very close people by mere hedonism leading to Dorians eventual downfall and demise.