The picture of dorian grey

The man; in each one there, is an internalduality because each has a "real" and "unreal" aspect to it. At one point,Wilde has Lord Henry express the view that it is only shallow people who do notjudge by appearances alone. This is in keeping with Wilde's saying in thepreface that "They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean onlybeauty."By implication, Wilde is making a larger statement about Dorian's activitiesas the portrait "ages" and he seemingly does not. Though the details ofDorian's "corrupt" behavior are never revealed to us, it's more than likelythat—given Wilde's own biography—Dorian has adopted a gay lifestyle. "Why isyour friendship so fatal to young men?" Basil Hallward asks him. Thoughoutwardly Wilde accepts the norms of his time in regarding gay relationships asimmoral, his suggestion, though veiled, is that Dorian is simply fulfilling hisdestiny. It is at least partly society's hypocritical judgment of him thatleads him to the actual crime of murder, which in turn destroys Dorian himselfin the end.The final scene is a riddle in which the meaning of the basic dualitybetween picture and man is reversed: Dorian stabs the portrait, but theservants find a withered old man's body with a knife in his chest, while thepicture appears in its original form as a magnificent portrait of a young manin evening clothes. Which, then, was "real": the picture or the man?

Before Oscar Wilde even begins his narrative, he gives us a prefaceconsisting of a series of aphorisms that express contradictions or paradoxesabout art:The highest, as the lowest, form of criticism is a mode ofautobiography.All art is at once surface and symbol.The nineteenth century dislike of Realism is the rage of Caliban seeing hisown face in a glass. The nineteenth century dislike of Romanticism is the rageof Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass.Wilde's purpose is to set up dichotomies, or dualities, that purportedlyexpress or support the themes of the story to come. Much of the preface sounds like the typically iconoclastic and mischievous wit Wilde was known for throughout his career, and only some of these aphorisms can be seen to relate to Dorian Gray's story. The principal duality in the narrative itself is the well-worn theme of... Unlock This Answer Now Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime. Get 48 Hours Free Access Already a member? Log in here. illusion vs. reality, and the difference, if any, between them. On a more obvious level Wilde focuses on "beauty" and "ugliness," "youth" and "age." "How sad it is!" says Dorian. "I shall grow old and horrible and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young." This statement consummates the opposition at the heart of the story, which drives the whole plot. The portrait grows older, uglier, and more corrupt, while the real Dorian remains youthful and beautiful. They are opposites. But is the man, and not the picture, the "real" Dorian?In some sense the answer is no. The man's appearance does not change, but weare told that his behavior has become increasingly corrupt. So the questionbecomes: is the picture "real" because it shows his actual age and the state ofhis "soul," or is the physical man "real" in spite of the fact of his age andcorruption being concealed by his outward appearance? There is not simply aduality between the portrait and

Said to Harry, once, you are made to be worshipped."Dorian Gray drew a long breath. The colour came back to his cheeks, and a smile played about his lips. The peril was over. He was safe for the time. Yet he could not help feeling infinite pity for the painter who had just made this strange confession to him, and wondered if he himself would ever be so dominated by the personality of a friend. Lord Henry had the charm of being very dangerous. But that was all. He was too clever and too cynical to be really fond of. Would there ever be some one who would fill him with a strange idolatry? Was that one of the things that life had in store?"It is extraordinary to me, Dorian," said Hallward, "that you should have seen this in the portrait. Did you really see it?""I saw something in it," he answered, "something that seemed to me very curious.""Well, you don't mind my looking at the thing now?"Dorian shook his head. "You must not ask me that, Basil. I could not possibly let you stand in front of that picture.""You will some day, surely?""Never.""Well, perhaps you are right. And now good-bye, Dorian. You have been the one person in my life who has really influenced my art. Whatever I have done that is good, I owe to you. Ah! you don't know what it cost me to tell you all that I have told you.""My dear Basil," said Dorian, "what have you told me? Simply that you felt that you admired me too much. That is not even a compliment.""It was not intended as a compliment. It was a confession. Now that I have made it, something seems to have gone out of me. Perhaps one should never put one's worship into words.""It was a very disappointing confession.""Why, what did you expect, Dorian? You didn't see anything else in the picture, did you? There was nothing else to see?""No; there was nothing else to see. Why do you ask? But you mustn't talk about worship. It is foolish. You and I are friends, Basil, and we must always remain so.""You have got Harry," said the painter sadly."Oh, Harry!" cried the lad, with a ripple of laughter. "Harry spends his days in saying what is incredible and his evenings in doing what is improbable. Just the sort of life I would like to lead. But still I don't think I would go to Harry if I were in trouble. I would sooner go to you, Basil.""You will sit to me again?""Impossible!""You spoil my life as an artist by refusing, Dorian. No man comes across two ideal things. Few come across one.""I