1.
A character that left a huge impact on the main character is Lord Henry Wotton, who
influenced Dorian with his cunning theories about life. All the external that affect Dorian
are from Lord Henry Wotton.
Throughout the course of the novel, Lord Henry remains the largest source of
maliciousness and his use of things like deception and persuasion corrupt Dorian enough to
allow him to become a murderous monster. Having met Dorian for the first time, Lord
Henry declares, “to influence a person is to give him one’s own soul” (20). In these certain
words, Lord Henry foreshadows the turn of events that will take place because of his
attendance. Another foreshadowing event that reveals Lord Henry's influence throughout
the story is the next scene, in which, while he is talking to Basil, he is picking a daisy from
the grass to examine it, just to pull it apart a few moments later. This was an act that
typifies his role as a manipulator and destroyer of beauty for his own entertainment.
He smokes opium-tainted cigarettes, something that symbolizes his decadent behavior. He
is very judgmental and he surely enjoys blowing profounds.
In Lord Henry's mind, the mixture of forbidden pleasures and the beauty of Dorian would
mean perfection accomplished: a sensually alluring man leading a life of careless
lasciviousness is what, eventually, Lord Henry would have wanted a life for himself. Why
not create the creature, and watch what happens when perfect beauty and perfect evil
combine?
The whole portrayal of Lord Henry Wotton makes the reader react with more empathy
towards Dorian, because, although the young man becomes corruptness himself, he was
not evil to start with but he began to create his wickedness under the full psychological
pressure of Lord Henry. This raises a certain amount of empathy, given how naive he was
easily changeable.
2.
Dorian notices the first change in his portrait after having driven Sybil Vane to her suicide
by breaking her heart—this is the evidence that his portrait is showing the effects of age
and experience while his body remains youthful.
Dorian faces a short moment of crisis, as he weighs his guilt about his treatment of Sibyl
against the freedom from worry that Lord Henry’s philosophy has promised.
Dorian refuses to recognize his culpability in her death. As soon as Dorian decides to view
Sibyl’s death as the achievement of an artistic ideal rather than an unnecessary tragedy for
which he is responsible, he starts down the steep and slippery slope of his own demise.
Her total innocence and particular vulnerability to pretty much everything makes her
suicide the tragedy of the story as this is the turning point for Dorian, his entire mindset is
changed. As the most innocent person of the story dies, she takes Dorian's innocence with
her.
Before Sybyl's death, Dorian could be described as a boy who constantly kept doubting and
justifying morals while after her death he turned into an unconcerned moral wrecker who
didn't care for anyone, partly because of his hedonistic way of viewing things (something
he got from Lord Henry Wotton.
A character that left a huge impact on the main character is Lord Henry Wotton, who
influenced Dorian with his cunning theories about life. All the external that affect Dorian
are from Lord Henry Wotton.
Throughout the course of the novel, Lord Henry remains the largest source of
maliciousness and his use of things like deception and persuasion corrupt Dorian enough to
allow him to become a murderous monster. Having met Dorian for the first time, Lord
Henry declares, “to influence a person is to give him one’s own soul” (20). In these certain
words, Lord Henry foreshadows the turn of events that will take place because of his
attendance. Another foreshadowing event that reveals Lord Henry's influence throughout
the story is the next scene, in which, while he is talking to Basil, he is picking a daisy from
the grass to examine it, just to pull it apart a few moments later. This was an act that
typifies his role as a manipulator and destroyer of beauty for his own entertainment.
He smokes opium-tainted cigarettes, something that symbolizes his decadent behavior. He
is very judgmental and he surely enjoys blowing profounds.
In Lord Henry's mind, the mixture of forbidden pleasures and the beauty of Dorian would
mean perfection accomplished: a sensually alluring man leading a life of careless
lasciviousness is what, eventually, Lord Henry would have wanted a life for himself. Why
not create the creature, and watch what happens when perfect beauty and perfect evil
combine?
The whole portrayal of Lord Henry Wotton makes the reader react with more empathy
towards Dorian, because, although the young man becomes corruptness himself, he was
not evil to start with but he began to create his wickedness under the full psychological
pressure of Lord Henry. This raises a certain amount of empathy, given how naive he was
easily changeable.
2.
Dorian notices the first change in his portrait after having driven Sybil Vane to her suicide
by breaking her heart—this is the evidence that his portrait is showing the effects of age
and experience while his body remains youthful.
Dorian faces a short moment of crisis, as he weighs his guilt about his treatment of Sibyl
against the freedom from worry that Lord Henry’s philosophy has promised.
Dorian refuses to recognize his culpability in her death. As soon as Dorian decides to view
Sibyl’s death as the achievement of an artistic ideal rather than an unnecessary tragedy for
which he is responsible, he starts down the steep and slippery slope of his own demise.
Her total innocence and particular vulnerability to pretty much everything makes her
suicide the tragedy of the story as this is the turning point for Dorian, his entire mindset is
changed. As the most innocent person of the story dies, she takes Dorian's innocence with
her.
Before Sybyl's death, Dorian could be described as a boy who constantly kept doubting and
justifying morals while after her death he turned into an unconcerned moral wrecker who
didn't care for anyone, partly because of his hedonistic way of viewing things (something
he got from Lord Henry Wotton.
