Corruption of Dorian Gray (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
The soul is thought to be an immaterial entity coexisting with our bodies which is credited with the faculties of thought, action, and emotion. It is the part of our body which is believed to live on after the body dies. In Oscar Wilde's, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character, Dorian Gray, destroys the innocence of his soul and becomes corrupt. He becomes corrupt by failing to live a life of virtue but of sin. The main reason for his transformation can be attributed mostly to a portrait painted of him which capture the true essence of his innocence. This portrait is the personification of his soul. At the beginning of the book Dorian makes a wish that inevitably changes his life forever. His wish is that, "If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that - for that - I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!" (Wilde, 40) As Dorian's wish of staying young and beautiful forever come true so does the fact that he has given his soul away to the devil. Another contributing factor to the perversion of Dorian's soul comes from his supposed friend, Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry fills Dorian's head with his o
Ransome, Arthur. Oscar Wilde: A Critical Study. London: Mr. Martin Secker, 1913. It was known that in the Victorian period anyone caught having an affair with the same sex would immediately be tried and exiled. Most unfortunately, the young men acquainted with Mr. Dorian. They have all either mysteriously disappeared or committed suicide for fear of being shunned. Dorian would entertain "the fashionable young men of his own rank who were his chief companions," (196) and would invite them, to stay for weekends at a time, up at his house in the country. Soon it was discovered by Basil Hallward that most of the men Dorian came into contact with would always disappear. Basil would so often ask "why is it that so many gentlemen in London will neither go to your house nor invite to theirs?" (208) It is obvious that because Dorian has earned the reputation of a dangerous and seductive man. It is because he has "filled them with a madness for pleasure," and has led them "down into depths" which they have not been able to recover from. Dorian has destroyed the lives of many including the lives of Adrian Singleton and Alan Campbell. Adrian Singleton who used to be a prominent young lord now resides in the opium houses down by the Docks. The opium houses are where he spends his time living in a synthetic reality to escape the pressures of society. Alan Campbell who was also a very prospective chemist and physician kills himself in an effort to avert the Dorian's clutches. It is obvious that both these and other men were lured to "that indefinable attraction that Dorian seemed to be able to exercise whenever he wished, and indeed exercised often without being conscious of it." (230) Dorian's decent into homosexuality has truly debauched his soul and destroyed the souls of others. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Denmark: Wordsworth Editions Limited, Reprinted 1992. Pearson, Hesketh (edited). Essays By Oscar Wilde. New York: Books For Libraries Press, 1972. Lord Henry who is "not at all surprised that the world says that he is a extremely wicked man," (248) plays an important role in destroying the one essence of Dorian's being that will remain after death. He not only plants nefarious ideas into Dorian's head but he also gives him a copy of a most sinful book. It is because of these that Dorian's soul becomes perverse. There is a scene in the novel in which he dresses as Anne de Joyeuse in a costume covered with five hundred and sixty pearls. "This taste enthralled him for years, and, indeed, may be said never to have left him." (203) Dorian's physical traits are described as being beautiful and "wonderful to look at" which are perfect grounds for him to attain any type of partner. It might be argued that Dorian is not a homosexual but that he is a heterosexual because of his relationship with Sybil Vane, however, this can be proven otherwise. It can be proven that he is a bisexual man and not a heterosexual. Bisexual men are mostly attracted to young men and young girls who are around the age of twelve. It is Dorian who falls in love with Sybil because "she looked such a child." (138) Sybil Vane was a very young girl who was not yet been fully developed. Dorian not only falls in love with her for these reasons but also because she dresses like a boy. As an actress it is her career to portray different characters, sometimes being of a different sex. It is at these moments that Dorian enjoys watching her perform most of all. "You should have seen her! When she came on in her boy's clothes she was perfectly wonderful .... She had never seemed more exquisite." (106) Dorian's fascination does not only lay in young girls but also in young boys. This is evident because the only reason he finds the Roman Catholic communion worthy of himself is that he enjoys looking at the alter boys who "in flowers, had their lace and scarlet, tossed into the air like great gilt flowers, had their su
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4139
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page double spaced)
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