The Picture of Dorian Gray Character Analysis Essay Example

The desire to love and to be loved can be an overwhelming and all-consuming sensation that many get the pleasure and pain of experiencing. That need for connection, whether it be emotional or physical, can control someone's life and who they let in and out of it, and while there may be some positive aspects of that, there can also be some negative, even life-ending ones. One might also find themselves unsatisfied, constantly looking for the next best thing, and never being truly content with what’s right in front of them. This can be seen in characters like Dorian from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, whose hedonistic values caused a selfish carelessness that destroyed his romantic relationships. Consequentially, the reality of hedonism's influence on Dorian's approach to romance and the direct and indirect impacts it had on his relationships ultimately led to the downfall of Dorian Gray himself.

To fully understand how Dorian's relationships ended the way they did, there needs to be a clear understanding of how he approaches the concept of love through hedonism. Oftentimes in any type of relationship, there can be lulls caused by a lack of satisfaction, a tension point, and/or other numerous reasons. Some people respond to this by fighting harder, fixing things, and strengthening that bond. Others may give up and move on, leaving that relationship behind them in some way or another. Dorian consistently chose the latter but with a more extremist approach that reflected traditional hedonistic practices. Because hedonists crave self-indulgence and having the next best thing, they often fly through life narrow-minded and careless. One of the many ways Dorian embodied this practice was by moving to the next best relationship. When something became a burden of any sort, he moved on, and more importantly, he wanted something better than the things before. Each relationship led to higher expectations and greater disappointment, putting him on a vicious cycle that tore apart any valuable and romantic relationship he had, for he went “from corruption to corruption.” 

More specifically, Dorian's hedonistic values are seen ruining relationships through his experiences with Sybil Vane, Basil Hallward, and Allan Campbell, as well as many other men along the way. In the relationship of Sybil and Dorian, Dorian is found madly in love with a beautiful actress which he ends up informally proposing to. While their relationship had no deep roots or history to back it up, he had basically promised his life to this girl, saying that he “want[s] to place her on a pedestal of gold and to see the world worship the woman who is [his].” Unfortunately, the minute there were signs of imperfection and discontent, Dorian ran from Sybil faster than he got engaged to her and came to find that she killed herself. The only time he looked back at her and their relationship was when he feared it was going to slow him down in the future, and when he knew it wouldn’t affect him, he felt secure. This is shown when referencing the symbolic portrait of himself as the author states, “what did it matter what happened to the colored image on the canvas? He would be safe. That was everything.” This is proof that hedonism greatly affected his love life, tossing out those who got in the way and burning bridges as he went. All that mattered was that he could make the choices he wanted to make, as long as he didn’t bear the blame, a quality that can be found in hedonism as well as his love life.

Another example of this displays itself in his relationship with his lifelong “friend,” Basil Hallward. Basil never did anything to intentionally hurt Dorian, in fact, he seemed to care very deeply about Dorian's wellbeing. But when Dorian fully accepted the fact that Basil created the portrait that ultimately destroyed his life, or caused him to destroy his own, Dorian goes as far as killing Basil to get rid of that pain and discomfort. Once again, Dorian is found taking the most drastic measures to get rid of something that is slowing him down. In addition, revealed through his conversations with Alan, another person whose life he ruined, and Basil, it becomes clear that Dorian had ruined a lot of men's lives, saying that others called him “the man whom no pure-minded girl should be allowed to know.” His clear repeat offenses show his lack of regard for others as he seeks more and more pleasure, thus, hedonism implemented a “never good enough” mentality that caused Dorian to never maintain a relationship.

All in all, Dorian's clear path of broken and rejected relationships can draw many parallels to a hedonistic lifestyle, whether it be in how he goes about relationships or in the ones he ruined. The conclusion can be drawn that the author is trying to warn readers about the dangers of hedonism because, while Oscar Wilde may have been a known hedonist, that doesn't mean he condoned it or the full practice of it. Through the story of Dorian’s life, he uses his romantic life to show how much hedonism can also tear someone apart. By seeking only pleasure, not growth and experience, a person misses out on all the things that allow them to grow. The idea of experiencing all the things that sound desirable at the moment may sound easy and fun, but it also leaves someone without valuable life experiences. If Dorian had just experienced true and committed love with someone, even when things became hard, he may have not left it behind so easily. He may have not been the cause of his own demise because, after all, “all his failure has been due to that."