Motifs in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay

If this girl squeeze out crumple soul to those who pull in lived without wizard, if she earth-closet take the consciousness of beauty in community whose lives gravel been muddied and ugly, if she can strip them of their egocentricness and lend them tears for sorrows that ar non their own, she is valuey of all(a) your adoration, worthy of the adoration of the gentlemans gentleman (59). Sibyl has inner beauty and common basil realizes that, merely victor Henry and Dorian that see the physical or symbolic beauty of her form.This is contrary to the reoccurring idea that beauty is only flake off deep like Dorian for example he is beautiful on the outside provided horrible on the inside. For the wonderful beauty that had so fascinated Basil Hallward, and umpteen opposite besides him, seemed never to intelligence of farewell him. Even those who had heard the most evil liaison over against him, and from snip to time strange rumours most his mode of life crept th rough and through Lon wear thin and became the call down of the clubs, could non believe any matter to his dishonour when they byword him (93). Shows how society judges people by their looks. They project the desirable traits that they believe they should have, scarcely in globe theyre the same as other people.Even though his character is being questi aned when people see him all they see is his beauty. He grew much than and more enamored of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul (93). Morbid fascination with the delineation. Its so flagitious and he can not look away. I have got through all that, give tongue to Dorian, shaking his head, and smiling. I am suddenly happy now. I know what moral sense is, to begin with. It is not what you told me it was. It is the divinest thing in us. Dont sneer at it, Harry, any more at least, not before me.I want to be good. I cant bear the idea of my soul being hideous. (142). Dorian is still comple tely obsessed with his looks so in an attempt to cat himself he spared an innocent thing but beca using up he did it because he did not want to look old and horrible it was still a selfish act. He was trying to convince himself that the death of Alan Campbell was not his fault. Conscience/ soulfulness Conscience makes egotists of us all (75). Dorians conscience was his portrait it showed him all the sins he committed throughout is life. It made him obsessed almost(predicate) his looks.The more you think of all the things you do the more you kibosh about the people around you. His unreal and selfish love would yield to few higher influence, would be transformed into some nobler passion, and the portrait that Basil Hallward had motley of him would be a guide to him through life, would be to him what holiness is to some, and conscience to others, and the fear of God to us all. There were opiates for remorse, drugs that could lull the moral sense to sleep. But here was a visible s ymbol of the degradation of sin. here was an ever-present sign of the ruin men brought upon their souls. Portrait was like a mirror of his soul, his full-strength self. The portrait would always be the one thing that would constantly remind him of all his sins in life, tour opium could help him forget the things that were haunting his mind the portrait was a constant reminder of everything he did wrong. Choice is taken from them, and conscience is either killed, or, if it lives at all lives but to give rebellion its fascination, and disobedience its charm (139).The pursuit for joy is encoded in our DNA its a natural thing that we must cope with, but most times people cant control their impulses and give in, and instead of their conscience helping them to fight the urge it is the one that pushes you to concede to it. The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought, and sold, and bartered away. It can be poisoned, or made perfect. There is a soul in severally one of us. I know it (158). Dorians soul was vitiated after the influence of churchman Henry, and he sold it to stay unripened forever.A soul means nothing to Dorian he does not even believe in it anymore. He looked round, and saw the knife that had stabbed Basil Hallward. As it killed the painter, so it would kill the painters work, and all that that meant (164). When Dorian stabbed the painting it was similar to when he stabbed Basil. In the beginning Basil said he put his soul into the painting, then after that it became Dorians soul.They were linked, he could not destroy the painting without destroying himself. Influence He was conscious and the thought brought a gleam of pleasure into his brown agate eyes that it was through certain words of his, musical words said with musical utterance, that Dorian Grays soul had turned to this white girl and bowlegged in worship before her. To a large extent the lumberjack was his own creation (42). This is where Dorian starts his descent into a sinful l ife. Lord Henry influenced him into falling in love with poetry or art. The only reason he fell in love with Sibyl was because he saw her as living art, her passion for acting fueled his passion for her. If one doesnt talk about a thing, it has never happened (79).A express by Lord Henry, denying that something happened helps you get over it faster so you have no sorrowful feelings, you just push it out of your mind or seek pleasure to distract yourself. A strange sense of firing came over him. He felt that Dorian Gray would never again be to him all that he had been in the past. Life had come amid them.. (58). Lord Henrys influence ruined the pureness of Dorian. He now embraced hedonism which corrupted him and made him vain and hateful. A man who is master copy of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I dont want to be at the mercy of my emotions.I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them (79). Lord Henry said something similar when Sibyl died. Its goes against the ideology of Hedonism to be sad or regretful because you are supposed to be in pursuit of happiness. The mere fact of having publish a phonograph record of second-rate sonnets makes a man quite irresistible. He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realize (41). This shows the relationship amidst Lord Henry and Dorian. Lord Henry influenced someone with the idea of Hedonism, while he himself did not completely indulge himself in that lifestyle. plot Dorian is pursuing every pleasure that he can find. In a way Lord Henry is living through Dorian. Hedonism There was an peachy poison in the air. I had the passion for sensations Well, one evening about seven oclock, I determined to go out in search of some adventure. I felt that this grey, monstrous London of ours, with its myriads of people, it sordid sinners, and its splendid sins, as you once phrased it, must have something in investment firm for me (35). Dorian now feels the need to satisfy his hedonistic craving. He realizes the man is not pure or innocent anymore and that there is many ways to sin and indulge himself.Pleasure is the only thing worth having a theory about But I am panic-struck I cannot claim my theory as my own. It belongs to reputation, not me. Pleasure is Natures test, her sign of approval. When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy (56-57). Lord Henry believes that morality does not promote happiness, and we must realize pleasure because that is a huge part of life. If everyone pursued pleasure the world would be happier and more ideal. Believe me, no civilized man ever decline pleasure, and no uncivilized man ever knows what pleasure is (57).Same idea, the world is better off with pleasure, it will make the world happier, although upper house receive the most pleasure because they can afford all the luxuries of life. While lower class people can only imagine what tr ue pleasure is because they are to busy worrying about other things they dont the time nor fund to indulge in the finer things. well-favoured sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich (57). Dorian lives this saying. He lavishes himself with the most luxurious items because he has the money to do so.Having fancy objects in life is purely for the aesthetic pleasure that we receive from them, and repeating the word beautiful emphasizes and glorifies the idea of pleasure. Difference of object does not alter straightforwardness of passion. It merely intensifies it. We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as possible (145). Pleasure and passion are universal emotions that can be felt anywhere. Repeating that emotion can help you feel younger, it will take you back to all the other times you felt that way, its another way of reminiscing.