The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay Sample

‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is a philosophical fiction written by Oscar Wilde and published in 1890 that stars Dorian Gray, a beautiful young man forced to confront the true nature of his soul. While the genre of the book is philosophical fiction, the story delves into the dark depths of Dorian’s mind and really makes the reader question the morality of their own actions making it a psychological horror in nature. As the reader watches the portrait change, it conveys the message that no matter how lovely you appear on the outside, you can never be truly beautiful with a twisted soul. Dorian’s greed and selfishness constantly take control of him from driving Sybil Vane to suicide to going as far as murdering his friend. 

Going back to the start of the book, Dorian is portrayed to be an innocent boy with no malicious intentions. Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian’s and a painter, comments on the nature of Dorian’s purity to Lord Henry Wotton, while discussing the painting Basil has done of Dorian. Basil worries of the influence that someone like Henry would have on Dorian, and Basil could not have been more right. Dorian’s thoughts on Henry’s philosophy becomes an obsession and the reader gets to watch Dorian’s severe decline in morality. The theme of morality versus pleasure is one that is incredibly prominent as well as the idea that the past will always catch up, and the start of that decline is Henry. As early as chapter two, Dorian is fascinated by Henry’s thoughts on beauty and time to the point of becoming angry with Basil and the painting for mocking him. To Dorian, it becomes a reminder of something that he has to leave behind, in this case it being his youth. Dorian’s obsession with the idea that pleasure is the true meaning of life is poison and his ultimate undoing. 

From the start, Henry is portrayed as a very charismatic character. Many of the things he says, such as his views on women and tragedy, are often looked down upon in society. Henry is, however, able to say such things in a charming and matter-of-fact way that it is simply looked over, and sometimes even convincing. At one point, even Dorian questions why he likes him so much, to which Henry replies that Dorian will always like him. This manner of debate is one of the many ways that Henry is able to pull Dorian into the cycle of narcissism and recklessness which takes control of things. It probes the idea that one cannot be completely reliant another to form opinions. The case is the same with the introduction of “the yellow book.” It is a gift from Henry to Dorian, and after Dorian reads it, it becomes almost holy to the point of Dorian buying more than one copy. As Dorian continues to follow the principles of this book, the painting becomes more and more distorted. Dorian panics, and instead of him attempting to fix his actions, he engages in several forms of escapism to distract from his corrupting soul. This, however, only continues to make the painting worse, painting a picture that avoiding your problems rather than confronting them paves the way to more issues down the line. The yellow book also serves as a cautionary tale, to warn readers of the effects of surrendering yourself in such a manner.

The book has a myriad of examples that convey Dorian’s use of the pleasure versus morality philosophy as well as his use of escapism. After Sybil Vane’s death, instead of mourning the loss of a woman he once loved, Dorian listens to Henry’s advise and attends the opera to get his mind off of it. After murdering Basil, he feels no remorse, instead only anxiety at the thought of being caught. He ultimately decides to not think too much about it and while awaiting a response from his old friend, Alan Campbell, Dorian reads poetry. It really goes to show the lengths that Dorian is willing to go to avoid facing his issues as well as the type of person that Dorian has become. When Dorian visits the opium den, he does so in an attempt to forget his actions, but he is instead confronted by James Vane, dredging up the past that Dorian loathes. Living this hedonistic lifestyle is Dorian’s way of diverting his attention from the corruption of his soul and conscious.

Near the end of the story, Dorian can no longer ignore the pressing issues that have gathered. He knows that his soul has been permanently stained by his crimes, and Dorian wishes for the innocence that his past self once had. Of course, Henry disagrees, urging Dorian not to change his ways, but Dorian has finally become aware of the damage he has done not only to his reputation, but himself. It seems, however, that becoming self-aware is not all it takes to fix what has been broken, in this case, the broken thing being Dorian. The painting has only gotten worse, and in Dorian’s last attempt to hide what he has done, he stabs the painting, resulting in his untimely death. Dorian’s fixation with both escapism and self-indulgence were his demise. Throughout the course of the novel, Dorian’s actions, while viewed as scandalous, were more or less looked over by society due to his looks. The implication that someone attractive couldn’t possibly be as bad, is a reflection on society as a whole, saying that we often judge people based on what we deem to be valuable. Dorian’s portrait was a way to show that what is often presented on the outside is not the same on the inside. In truth, Dorian was the ugliest character in the novel. While Henry may have influenced Dorian, in the end, it was Dorian who killed Basil, not Henry. Dorian is a mirror of society’s biggest flaws that we refuse to confront including turning a blind eye to people that we deem to be more conventional, or escaping in the luxury we have that other people cannot afford. ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is a psychological horror that reflects the difference between the way we view things and the way they actually are. It makes the reader think about corruption in media, and the validity of other’s opinions over our own. The true horror of story is not the painting in itself, but instead the nature of man.