Dorian Gray Summary essays

Dorian Gray Summary essays The plot of Oscar Wildes Dorian Gray carries the reader in several different and twisted directions. From the first chapter in which Dorian is a young man just beginning to understand adulthood to the gruesome murder of his friend Basil Hallward, the true ruthless attitude of Dorian Gray rises to the surface. A ruthless carefree attitude which resembles that of one whom he aspires to imitate, Lord Henry Wotton (Harry). However, Dorian soon becomes engulfed in a dramatic world of dissonance, ultimately showing that he in fact is much different and far more despicable than that of Lord Henry. As an audience, our first introduction to Dorians new wicked persona is brought about in chapter seven, just following his broken engagement of marriage with Sibyl Vane. From this point on all evil which Dorian partakes in becomes evident in Basils portrait of him. Dorian not only leads two people to suicide, corrupts the mind of Adrian Singleton, but also takes the life of one whom once held dear to his heart in Basil. The unique factor amongst all this wrong doing is that nobody suspects him of these acts. Dorians soul as he so wished, it brought about in the portrait, while his outer being stays the same. Though both Dorian and Harry live lives dedicated to self fulfillment and pleasure, Dorian has crossed lines which not even Harry could imagine. Lord Henrys preached theories and ideas are a deliberate attempt to bring down established norms and question conventional feelings of truth. But, that is where it stops. Even Basil Hallward notes that Lord Henry doesnt believe half of what he says. Furthermore, in regards to the mysterious yellow book, Harry unlike Dorian feels that As for being poisoned by a book, there is no such thing as that. Art has no influence upon action(161) Throughout the chapters Harry continuously lives his settled life of attending parties, going t ...