Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Book Analysis Essay Sample

Art will always be reflective of a society’s values; this was especially true for (of??)  Victorian society in the 19th century. Victorian society regarded art as a form of moral and social education. This caused the dominant art forms of the time, such as literature, to be held to extremely high standards. In the preface of Oscar Wilde’s novel, Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde states that a society's relationship with art is determined by the intensity with which the art mirrors it. This theme of art and its relationship with society is found throughout the novel and is easily the most distinguishable theme overall. This is shown in several ways throughout the book, such as the blurred line between life and art, in the many philosophical metaphors, and in the unusual relationship between Dorian and his painting. Wilde uses these different examples to criticize Victorian relations with art and to make the reader question the true purpose of art in society.

One of Wilde’s large critiques of Victorian society is about how indistinguishable the line between art and life is. This critique is exhibited through the side characters of the novel, specifically Sibyl Vane. Sibyl Vane’s character is representative of many things in this book, from the way that society treats artists to the harsh expectations of working class artists in Victorian society. Sibyl is described as being “the loveliest things [Dorian] had ever seen,” and her pure, raw passion for acting is what draws Dorian to her in the first place (Wilde 57). However, when asked if he wished to know about her past, Dorian declined due to disinterest. This demonstrates how society only respects artists for their art but holds little care for the artist themselves. When Sibyl loses her ability to act out love scenes, due to her new found love, Dorian immediately loses all feelings. He even states that “you have killed my love” and proceeds to diminish her down to her looks and poor social standing (Wilde 74). Dorian bringing up Sibyl’s social standing is representative of how lower-class artists will always be subject to classism and will always be considered to be subordinate to their upper-class associates. This event also further proves the previous point of Victorian society only valuing an artist’s for their art. More than one part of Victorian culture influences this book, though. Another example of Victorian culture that found its way into The Picture of Dorian Gray is seen in the religious and historical background of its setting. 

This background is primarily through the many biblical and mythological allusions used by Wilde. The most obvious example of a biblical allusion in The Picture of Dorian Gray is the fact that the story of Dorian mimics the story of Adam in the Bible. Both stories begin with a young, untouched man who is negatively influenced by an outside source and end with the man fallen from innocence and unable to return. Wilde uses this literary device to show how religion impacts a society's relationship with art. A society will feel more connected with an art piece if it has fragments of its central religion embedded in it. Wilde uses the story of Adam to represent Dorian’s struggle with influence in society, and to better connect the story with Victorian society. Similarly, Dorian’s story parallels the Greek myth of Narcissus. This is shown through the multiple times Dorian is compared to a “young Greek martyr”, and was also seen in the fact that he was “unspotted from the world” (Wilde 18,19). This demonstrated how, due to his abnormal beauty, Dorian was placed on a pedestal away from the rest of society. This otherworldly beauty is what leads both Dorian and Narcissus to commit sinful acts and is what leads them to their eventual demise. Dorian’s physical appearance is a metaphor for how beautiful art is treated by society. While the art might be criticized or looked down upon, it will still hold value simply for its alluring appearance. This statement about appearances, specifically Dorian’s, leads into the final piece of evidence for the theme of art and its relation to society. 

The most indisputable evidence of this theme is found in the beginning pages of the novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray begins with Basil painting a portrait of Dorian, while Lord Henry watches. This portrait will eventually become the key object in the plot and the main factor moving it forward. The painting, much like Dorian, holds astonishing beauty and is described as being “the finest portrait of modern times” by Lord Henry (Wilde 28). However, Dorian has a more melancholy reaction towards the painting than, which was only worsened by Lord Henry’s taunts about his youthful appearances. Dorian’s jealousy of the painting is shown through the quote “I would give my soul to be always young” (Wilde 29). Eventually, Dorian realizes that his wish came true, and it is the portrait bearing the weight of his sins instead of him. This allows for Dorian to commit most of his actions throughout the novel, without being ostracized by Victorian society. 

This reaction is symbolic of society's reaction to seeing itself in art. This was a common type of art style in the 19th century, known as realism. Both the portrait and the art style are supposed to reflect a persons, or societies, true self. These reflections typically spare a strong reaction, such as jealousy or rage, from the viewer. This was the last piece of evidence of the theme of art and its relationship with society, and successfully shows how the world usually has an intense reaction to art that mirrors society. 

All three of these pieces of evidence demonstrate how the theme of art and its relationship with society is used in The Picture of Dorian Gray to prove Oscar Wilde’s point that a society's relationship with art is determined by how well the art mirrors it. The first piece of evidence is found in the characterization of Sibyl Vane and the second is in the many biblical and mythological references found throughout the novel. The final piece of evidence is seen in the title, or the physical portrait of Dorian. All these pieces come together to form an argument for Oscar Wilde to say that art commonly mirrors society, which society does not enjoy.