Beauty in The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay - 1224 Words

In Oscar Wildes novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, beauty is depicted as the driving force in the lives of the three main characters, Dorian, Basil and Lord Henry. Dorian, the main character, believes in seizing the day. Dorian is described as an addict, having mad hungers that grew more ravenous as he fed them. Basil, the artist, admires all that is beautiful in life. Lord Henry, accredited ones physical appearance to the ability of achieving accomplishments in life. Lord Henrys moral position in Dorian Gray is akin to that of the devil; he is the initial serpent in the Garden, and continues to coax Dorian to evil throughout the novel. Beauty ordains the fate of Dorian, Basil, and Lord Henry. The novel embodies the relationship of†¦show more content†¦Dorians features retain their youth and purity, while his deepening moral corruption caused by his narcissistic worship of the beautiful is made visible only in the portrait. Dorian sets his conscience aside and lives his life according to a single goal of acheiving pleasure. His painted image, however, asserts itself at his conscience and hounds him with the knowledge of his crimes. He aspired to have had a good life rather than one filled with artificial meaning. The image of Dorian reflects his conscience and his true self, and serves as a mirror of his soul. The moral beauty of Dorian lies within the portrait of himself. The portrait imitated his life. He finally realized that beauty cannot help him escape his evil actions. He deeply lamented his wish that the portrait bore the burden of his age and sin. He Buckner 3 finally realized there is no way to undo the effects of age or of sin on a soul. Dorian tries to destroy the picture, so he will no longer be reminded of the evil that beauty has caused him. But, as he destroys the picture, he kills himself, and the picture is cleansed and beautiful again. Dorian gives nothing less than his soul for the mistakes that he made. The price that one must pay for their discrestions is exceedingly high. Basils life is also driven by beauty. He is infatuated with Dorians beauty in the beginning. He appreciated Dorians beauty but did not wish to possess it for himself. BasilShow MoreRelatedBeauty in The Picture of Dorian Gray 809 Words   |  4 Pagesnovel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, beauty is depicted as the driving force in the lives of the three main characters, Dorian, Basil and Lord Henry. Dorian, the main character, believes in seizing the day. Basil, the artist, admires all that is beautiful in life. Lord Henry, accredited ones physical appearance to the ability of achieving accomplishments in life. Beauty ordains the fate of Dorian, Basil, and Lord Henry. The novel embodies the relationship of beauty and morality. Beauty is not basedRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Literary Analysis1029 Words   |  5 PagesThe Picture of Dorian Gray: What’s the meaning? The famous and well-renowned saying â€Å"do not judge a book by its cover† is something we have all heard ever since we were little children. In the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, this advice is crucial. This idiom expresses that someone should not judge something based on its appearance. A book, or in the case of this novel, a person, might actually be very different from the image portrayed on its cover or their outside appearance. This could notRead MoreKiller Instincts in Oscar Wildes Novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray778 Words   |  3 Pagesothers,† (Wilde 46). Dorian Gray deceives himself by not knowing he is in love, and ends by showing everyone his most horrible traits. In his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde talks about Dorian Gray, an innocent, beautiful young man who does not understand the power of his own beauty. 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This is theRead MoreInner and Outer Beauty in Dorian Gray1512 Words   |  7 PagesThe term ‘beauty may have very relative significance. Something can be beautiful for us, but ugly for other people. The external beauty of a person is often the first thing that we pay attention to. This is the result of the association of beauty with good and ugliness with evil. Through the outer appearance we make a general opinion about a given person. Such a way of thinking may be very misleading. In order to get to know the person we need to look to the inside Ââ€" into the soul. This is the placeRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray971 Words   |  4 Pagesnineteenth century novel, the Picture of Dorian Gray demonstrates the importance of the aesthetic movement in Victorian England. This suggests youth and physical attractiveness is emphasized and are valuable additions to society. Therefore, what matters to Dorian, is not the internal goodness an individual possesses but the appearance they present. 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