Mr. McBain outraged, states, I loved you because you were marvelous, because you had genius and intellect, elocution (Wilde 120) and as,,.though they [conveyl no meaning to her (Wilde 121). Dorian,...the painful precision of a schoolgirl who [is] taught to recite by some second-rate professor of night she purposely acts in a production of Romeo and Juliet horrendously, saying her lines with, young actress, Sibyl, and falls deeply in love with her, later planning to marry her, However, one severity of Sibyl Vane s suicide to a pleasurable experience. In the beginning, Dorian meets a First of all, Dorian Gray demonstrates his lack of moral compass by lessening the soul in The Picture ofdorian Gray. practice of pure aestheticism leads to dire consequences through the destruction of Dorian Gray s morality for the preservation of his physical beauty. Thus Oscar Wilde expresses how the lifestyle, furthering his inner decay. Finally, Dorian uses the painting for vanity, deteriorating his his ethical downward spiral. Afterwards, Dorian continues to live an immoral and materialistic Initially, Dorian diminishes the importance of Sibyl s suicide to an art, showing the first signs of presents a moral tale regardless of the presumably amoral movement that Wilde promotes. well-written or badly written. That is all (Wilde 41). However, The Picture ofdorian Gray each other. Oscar Wilde states, There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are For centuries, it has been debated whether or not art and morality should cohere with Aestheticism in The Picture ofdorian Gray June 14, 20R ENG
ideal as an actress. She is left utterly a wreck, and as a result, kills herself. After Dorian hears of fact that Sibyl is a complete individual aside from her art. He diminishes her to this one shallow art...[and]...without your art, you are nothing (Wilde 124). Here, Dorian completely negates the trc gthenc ih uperficial rea ur ri Diijn it 1 jj iridescent beetles wings (Wilde 171). This extensive focus on materialistic possessions getting the dainty Delhi muslins, finely wrought with goldthread palmates, and stitched over with accumulate the most exquisite specimens that he [can] find of textile and embroidered work. nature, putting great importance on riches and pleasure as,...for a whole year, he [seeks] to Moreover, Dorian carries on with his sinful lifestyle, Dorian falls into his gluttonous deterioration. To conclude, Dorian Gray s lack of empathy for Sibyl s death marks the beginning of his destruction on the painting, and thus marking the downwards spiral of Dorian s morality and life. evolved mouth coincides with Dorian s first act of aestheticism, marking the first sign of and,...there [is] the picture before him, with a touch of cruelty in the mouth (Wilde 127). The without consequence. After the entire ordeal, he checks the portrait that Basil has created of him, experience and the short term pleasure it brings to him. However, Dorian s actions are not met lead another human being to suicide. Afterwards, he merely appreciates the beauty of the whole brink of aestheticism. He forgoes all moral grounds and basic decency in order to chastise and by which I [am] not wounded [by] (Wilde 135). At this point in the novel, Dorian Gray is at the play. It has all the terrible beauty of a Greek tragedy, a tragedy in which I [have] a great part, but Sibyl s suicide, he says, It seems to me to be simply like a wonderful ending to a wonderful because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of
there is no distinction between moral and immoral acts, only between those that increase or decrease one s happiness (Duggan I). Dorian mirrors this entire mentality. His satisfaction in something of the loveliness of their blue (Wilde 187). Every dishonourable act coincides with some gold in the thinning hair and some scarlet on the sensual mouth. The sodden eyes [keep] The horror whatever it was, [has] not yet entirely spoiled that marvelous beauty. There [is] still others. Dorian s moral decay is further conveyed through the deterioration of his portrait. Now, sinful lifestyle also deepens his net destruction, as it seeps through his relationships and destructs once charming and well thought of by the middle class, but now the community scorns him. His madness for pleasure (Wilde 183). Aestheticism continues to destroy Dorian Gray s life. He was...seem to lose all sense of honour, of goodness, of purity... as he,... [fills] them with a does Dorian s lifestyle affect his image, but it affects others as well. All of Dorian s friends, searching eyes, as though they [are] determined to discover his secret (Wilde 174). Not only [andj...men whisper to each other in corners, or pass him with a sneer, or look at him with cold destruction. Consequently, others ostracize him,...when he [reappears] again in society... evil, just pleasure and displeasure. However, repercussions follow Dorian as he leads this life of that Dorian Gray lives is indeed one solely based on Hedonism. He lives as if there is no good or disguise in the foulest dens in London... (Wilde 183). These actions, once again, prove the life circulating,...that [he has] been seen creeping at dawn out of dreadful houses and slinking in Dorian seemingly has no morals or conscience, and carries on in sin. There are stories life derives from pleasure, and this rule, in essence, is the core of aestheticism itself. In addition, Morality in Oscar Wiide s The Picture ofdorian Gray, Patrick Duggan states, To the aesthete,
an equally atrocious deformity on the painting, symbolizing the decay of Dorian s soul. Evidently, Dorian Gray s superficial and unethical lifestyle furthers the destruction of his soul. Lastly, Dorian Gray uses the portrait for superficial purposes, as he maintains his outer beauty while the picture deteriorates. After Dorian leads Sibyl Vane to commit suicide, he realizes Basil s portrait of himself mirrors his soul. Occasionally,...he [sits] in front of the picture, sometimes loathing it and himself, but filled, at other times, with that pride of individualism that is half the fascination of sin, and smiling with secret pleasure at the misshapen shadows that [have] to bear the burden that should have been his own (Wilde 173). It is not Dorian s beautiful youth that is marred with sin, but the painting itself. Dorian even states, The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought, and sold, and bartered away. It can be poisoned or made perfect (Wilde 243). Dorian is fl.ally aware of what he has done to his soul and how the portrait reflects it, so he decides to use this to his advantage. He essentially sells his soul to the devil, carrying on with his pleasures and vanity, able to lead a purely aesthetic life, with no morals in mind. Meanwhile, he allows the painting to take the fall for his actions in attempt to preserve his outwards beauty. Nevertheless, his behaviour produces consequences. In his essay, Aestheticism and Social Anxiety in The Picture ofdorian Gray, Mitsuharu Matsuoka notes that, Dorian ultimately reacts against his lifestyle, choking on his New Hedonism, at which point...a great sense of doom hangs over Dorian (Matsuoka 78). Dorian finally accepts that he lives an unholy lifestyle, and regrets it. He tries to eradicate the one thing that he has been a prisoner to: the portrait. Dorian,... [looksl round, and [sees] the knife that...stabbed Basil Haliward, and he believes he can kill the painter s work, as well as,...kill the past, and when that led he owd t ij l II this inonstr 1Jè anu I hid
warnings, he would be at peace (Wilde 250). So, Dorian stabs the painting, but consequently, dies. The portrait, utilized for aesthetic reasons, becomes an outlet in which Dorian can commit any sinful act without any physical repercussions himself. When it is destroyed, so is Dorian. Furthermore, Dorian Gray s entire life as an aesthete is completely meaningless because, When [the servants and policeman enter they find]...a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor [is] a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He [is] withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage (Wilde 251). The portrait no longer mirrors Dorian s corruption as his physical self does now instead. As a result, his true soul reveals itself to others after all. At last, all of Dorian s wrongdoings bring consequences. To Dorian s detriment, all of his beauty is lost, and...it [is] not till they [examine] the rings that they [recognize] who it is (Wilde 251). Dorian invests his entire being and soul into his aesthetic lifestyle. However, in the end, the hideousness that is apparent in the portrait becomes evident in Dorian. As a result, Dorian s usage of the painting for vain puiposes leads to his ultimate destruction. In conclusion, The Picture ofdorian Gray by Oscar Wilde conveys a moral message that a lifestyle of unadulterated aestheticism results in repercussions through the deterioration of Dorian Gray s soul. Firstly, Dorian reduces the significance of Sibyl Vane s suicide to an art, starting his moral decay. Then he continues to live an unholy and superficial life, deepening his inner destruction, At last, Dorian uses the portrait of himself for vain purposes leading to the corruption of his soul in attempt to conserve his outward beauty. Oscar Wilde states, No artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style (Wilde 41). This lack of ethical sympathy however, is the source of Dorian Gray s
downfall. Thus, the use of morals can seem tedious on the surface, nevertheless, morals are a vital aspect in one s life.
Works Cited Duggan, Patrick. The Conflict Between Aestheticism and Morality in Oscar Wilde s The Picture ofdorian Gray. Boston University Arts & Sciences Writing Program. 1 n, page. Web. 12 May. 2013. <www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journallpast-issues/issue-i / duggan>. Matsuoka, Mitsuharu. Aestheticism and Social Anxiety in The Picture ofdorian Gray. Journal ofaesthetic Education 29 (2003); 77-100. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture ofdorian Gray. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 1998. Print.