Dorian Gray was clearly based on a living person
, a member of Wilde’s literary homosexual circle in the early 1890s when the story was first published. If Wilde’s fiction is strange, the real life story of John Gray, Dorian’s original, is even more bizarre.
What did Dorian Gray do that was so bad?
As the novel progresses, Gray becomes increasingly immoral, indulging in all manner of vices, eventually including
the murder of the portrait-painter
. Gray only ends the split by plunging a knife into the painting and killing himself.
What’s the story behind Dorian Gray?
History: Dorian Gray is
an orphaned boy who is the heir to a great fortune
. Basil Hallward paints his portrait, and Dorian declares that he would give his soul if he were always to be young and the painting instead would grow old. … Fanatical about the portrait, he is driven to murder and deception.
Is Dorian Gray innocent?
That is to say,
even Dorian isn’t truly innocent
. Sibyl’s innocence, like Dorian’s own, is what makes her so very appealing. At this early stage, Dorian still retains some of his boyish innocence – something that Lord Henry strives to take away from him.
What was Dorian Gray’s secret?
To escape the guilt of his crime,
Dorian goes to an opium den
, where James Vane is unknowingly present. James had been seeking vengeance upon Dorian ever since Sibyl killed herself, but he had no leads to pursue; the only thing he knew about Dorian was the name Sibyl called him, “Prince Charming”.
What sins did Dorian Gray commit?
Throughout the story, Dorian commits
many sins
, for example, using his influence to ruin others’ lives and the murdering of Basil Hallward. However, Dorian’s appearance is still young and beautiful because the portrait suffers from all the sins he commits but not him.
How did Dorian Gray lose his innocence?
Lord Henry feeds Dorian with thoughts of staying young forever, this causes Dorian to think irrationally. Dorian feels guilty for Sybil’s suicide. At this point, Dorian loses all innocence
because he feels responsible for the death of another
. Dorian wishes that his portrait would grow old while he stays young forever.
How does Lord Henry influence Dorian Gray?
In the garden, Lord Henry continues to influence Dorian. He tells the young man that only the senses can cure the soul just as the soul is the only remedy for the senses. … Influenced by
Lord Henry’s words on youth and beauty
, he is terrified of aging. He fears that he will lose everything when he loses his good looks.
Is Dorian Gray evil?
At the beginning of the novel, Dorian is simple and nature; however, after his excess discovery of hedonism,
Dorian’s soul became irretrievably evil and corrupted
.
Did Dorian GREY sell his soul?
The legend tells of a learned doctor who sells his soul to the devil in return for knowledge and magical abilities. Although Dorian Gray never contracts with the devil, his sacrifice is similar:
he trades his soul for the luxury of eternal youth
.
Is Dorian Gray a bad guy?
He runs a gentlemen’s club for witches known as Dorian’s Gray Room, although he views it as a gentlemen’s only club, he will generally serve anybody and is very welcoming and helpful to many characters who need him. This version of
Dorian is not a villain and instead a heroic and wise man
.
What does the ending of Dorian Gray mean?
The novel ends, like it begins, with the painting. … The grotesque deformities of the picture come into being in Dorian’s own body, while painted Dorian is restored to its original image of spotless beauty. In the end,
Dorian gets everything that was coming to him; his choices brought about his own doom.
What does Dorian Gray symbolize?
The portrait is the main symbol at work here. It’s a kind of living allegory, a visible interpretation of Dorian’s soul. Basically, the picture
represents Dorian’s inner self, which becomes uglier with each passing hour and with every crime he commits
.
Is the picture of Dorian Gray banned?
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of those books that’s been nothing but trouble since it was first published.
It has been banned, demonized
, and was once used as evidence in a trial held against Wilde.
What is the moral lesson of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
James’s Gazette, that Dorian Gray “is a story with a moral. And the moral is this:
All excess, as well as all renunciation, brings its own punishment”
(Wilde 248).
What were Oscar Wilde’s last words?
Oscar Wilde’s last words were reportedly “
This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes or I do.
” That would be funny, except I once had a hideous case of food poisoning in Paris at L’Hotel, where he died.
