Themes in the Picture of Dorian Gray - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1270 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/13 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay Did you like this example? The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1890, was extremely controversial. Many considered it morally wrong because of the things it portrayed (SparkNotes). But the main elements it portrayed, its themes, were common ones. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Themes in the Picture of Dorian Gray" essay for you Create order The idolization of beauty and youth begins on page one and continues on through until the end. Art is also introduced on page one, before page one really, and its effects are felt throughout the entire book. A constant battle between good and evil takes place throughout the entire story. These three things play major roles in the movement of the plot and largely affect the main characters we see. Dorian Gray is beautiful. This is the first thing we know of him. We also learn that is young, not even of age yet. After knowing him a short time, Lord Henry tells Dorian youth is the one thing worth having and someday, when you are old and wrinkled and ugly, you will feel it (Wilde, 20). These comments show that Lord Henry, and most of society, associate youth with beauty. They also show the idolization that takes place of such youth and beauty. It seems to be the only thing that people seem to notice of him. Sibyl Vane doesnt know his real name, but she knows he is good looking and young. People, Lord Henry included, assume that because he is so beautiful and so young-looking he is innocent and unmarred by the world. Beauty and youth act as a revitalizing agent for the characters. Basil creates the best works of his life when he becomes friends with Dorian. When Lord Henry, a married man, sees Dorian for the first time, feelings are awakened in him he hasnt felt in a long time, f eelings his wife doesnt even give him. As Dorian falls into the wrong ways of life, he is brought back to something close to his normal self when he becomes obsessed with beautiful things like jewelry and fancy tapestries. Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter (Wilde, 5). In the story, Dorian comes in contact with three works of art: the portrait of himself done by Basil, Sibyl Vanes acting (for that is a work of art), and the yellow book given to him as reading by Lord Henry. All three works of art show Dorian something he truly wants in life. They also change his life in some form or fashion. The portrait shows him how beautiful he truly is and makes him realize that he doesnt want to lose his beauty. Without the painting, Dorian wouldnt have made the wish that kept him young. Without the painting, Dorian would have shown the world how bad of a person he could have been. Without the painting, he might not have become such a terrible person. He might have not done terrible things, knowing the world could see all the scars and marks on his body. Sibyl Vanes act is the first time that Dorian falls in love. It shows him what he really wants out of a wo man and a lover. Her lack of acting, during her last performance, leads to the fight between her and Dorian which leads to the first change in the picture and her taking her own life. The portrait changing for the first time leads to a change in Dorian. It makes him realize what happens when he does something that would mar his body. It leads to him realizing that he could do terrible things without having to pay for the consequences. Sibyls death leads to another new chapter in Dorians life because he realizes that he can cause people to do terrible things and get away with them. The yellow book forces him to realize what he is truly doing with his life and makes him work for change. It takes a while for that to happen though. When Basil finishes the portrait, he says he can not exhibit it because I [Basil] have put too much of myself in it (Wilde, 2). He is afraid that it would make Dorian dislike him. Later on, however, he asks Dorian if it would be all right if he exhibited the painting. This shows that Basils feelings for Dorian change over the year as Dorians pulls away from him. He stops feeling things for Dorian that he needs to hide because Dorian becomes a terrible person and Basil doesnt want to be around him. Sibyls acting before meeting Dorian is the rawest form of emotion. She doesnt realize that what she is portraying is fake because she has never experienced that before. After meeting, and falling in love with Dorian, she realizes that her acting is fake and stops trying because she has the real stuff. The battle between good and evil is a fight that has been fought since the beginning of time. There are two examples in this story. Basil and Lord Henry are constantly fighting over how to treat Dorian and how to nourish his growth as a human being. Basil wants Dorian to be the perfect gentleman. He wants to stay the sweet, innocent, young thing he is at the beginning of the story. Lord Henry wants to change Dorian as much as possible. He thinks it is a game to change Dorian, to make him question what he thinks and what he does. Basil wants to encourage Dorian in everything he does. When he falls in love with Sibyl, Basil acts if its the best thing in the world. When Sibyl cant act and Dorian thought, Basil still encourages him to love her. Basil goes to Dorian as he falls into the darker side of life and tries to reason with him. Lord Henry does right the opposite. When Dorian tells him that he will marry Sibyl Vane, Lord Henry tells him not. He encourages Dorian to leave the play, and Sibyl, when they realize how bad of an actress Sibyl is. He doesnt seem to notice or care it is being rumored that Dorian is destroying young mens lives. The fight begins the moment Lord Henry meets Dorian and continues through until the end of the book. The other battle of good versus evil is fought within Dorian himself. He has two little people standing on his shoulders, giving him contradicting advice. He wants to be good. He really tries to be good. But he falls off the wagon. He is constantly seeking new feelings he has not yet felt before and he finds them by doing things on the wrong side of life. This battle wages inside him until he kills Basil. He then realizes that he wants to be good, wants to do the right thing. Even then, though, he has to fight to do that. Lord Henry tells him he is being stupid for wanting to do that, that he has done nothing wrong, and that makes him question himself. But eventually, he does the right thing. To repent for all his sins, he tries to destroy the painting and kills himself. Though at its publication, it was considered controversial, The Picture of Dorian Gray portrays main themes that can be found in most works. The idolization of youth and beauty causes a lot of problems in this book. Art changes how the characters think about the world and themselves. The battle between good versus evil is fought from page one until the end. These three themes play major parts in the story of Dorian Gray and change all the characters in some form or fashion.