Character Change in the Picture of Dorian Gray Essay Example

How has Dorian changed throughout the book, and how has he stayed the same? To be honest Dorian was all over the place in this book. He has changed way more than he's stayed the same, and the changes weren't just little ones. He changed his whole look on the way he lives and especially on the way he looked. His life has been influenced in the worst possible way. Not only did he change his looks he's changed his attitude on life. He's changed his demeanor and his morals. There are some things that stayed the same like while the painting was changing and was getting older/uglier he was staying the same young man he was when he was about 20. 

Throughout the book Dorian's physical looks have stayed the same while the portrait has changed dramatically. At the beginning of the book Dorian Gray was influenced by Lord Henry about how he looked, how he wanted to stay young forever. Lord Henry said, “Someday when you are old and wrinkled and ugly, when thoughts has seared your forehead with its lines, and passion beared your lips with its hiderouse fires, you will feel it, you will feel it terrible.”. After hearing what Lord Henry said Dorian decided to sell his soul to the painting so he could stay young forever. Dorian Gray said, “How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June.... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that—for that—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!”. After he gave his soul away he made some bad decisions and the painting changed. While his  physical looks stayed the same his soul was changing everyday. 

I think the only thing that stayed the same throughout most of the book was his physical looks. No matter what he did bad in the world the painting would change, but he would stay the same. He would occasionally go to the schoolroom and see how the painting had changed, but when he looked in the mirror he saw the same person every time. He knew each bad thing he did would change the look of the painting, but he didn't care because he looked the same to the world. Even after 10 years of doing bad he still looked like the same young man when he first sold his soul. 

As I said before he changed his whole outlook on the way he lived. Before he sold his soul to the painting he was a normal man. He lived life like everyone else. Then he realized he could do whatever he wanted with no consequences. He started to not think before acting, and that eventually bit him in the butt. Over a short amount of time he became careless and reckless with his actions. He killed people without a second thought, he blackmailed people to do what he wanted, and he hurt the people in his life. He didn't care what happened to him because it would only happen to the painting and not him. 

In conclusion Dorian Gray has changed inside and out. He's changed his whole way of living. He's a bad evil man that doesn't care about others anymore. He realized that even if he does something bad he will get no consequences because it will go to the painting. The painting would change, but Dorian Gray would stay the same. Even though he did not change in his physical looks he was not the same man at all.