The Picture Of Dorian Gray Literary Criticism
The Picture of Dorian Gray Criticism The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that depicts the evil side of human nature and is developed by motifs and the morals of the characters. There are many characters that show opposite moral believes, allowing the reader to judge the deterioration of a character's virtues by comparison. This novel has also lead to many personal issues for Oscar Wilde as it was used against him in a trial for homosexuality. There are many theories to the main theme of the novel. It is viewed as a gothic entertainment novel, which could be a cautionary tale or a philosophical treatise. However, the main consistency in the novel is the theme of a mirror image. The obvious example is the physical Dorian compared to Dorian's conscience which is shown in his portrait. Another example compares Lord Henry to Basil Hallward. Basil tries to positively influence Dorian and to instill integrity and solid mortals into the young man. However, Lord Henry is viewed as the tempter through his ideas that center around self pleasure and living in the moment. These mirror image comparisons are critical to show the deterioration of Dorian's soul (Adcock).
…show more content…
Initially, Basil threatens to destroy the portrait with a knife when he realizes that the picture is causing an internal conflict within Dorian. However, Dorian stops Basil because the painting is exquisite and it would be "murder" to destroy it. The motif of the knife is seen again when Dorian murders Basil with a knife. Basil had become disgusted with Dorian after realizing what Dorian's actions and corruption had done to the portrait and Dorian's soul. Dorian became annoyed with Basil and murdered him with a knife. The next appearance of the knife motif was at the end of the novel when Dorian kills himself with a knife when he was trying to stab his conscience through the portrait
Initially, Basil threatens to destroy the portrait with a knife when he realizes that the picture is causing an internal conflict within Dorian. However, Dorian stops Basil because the painting is exquisite and it would be "murder" to destroy it. The motif of the knife is seen again when Dorian murders Basil with a knife. Basil had become disgusted with Dorian after realizing what Dorian's actions and corruption had done to the portrait and Dorian's soul. Dorian became annoyed with Basil and murdered him with a knife. The next appearance of the knife motif was at the end of the novel when Dorian kills himself with a knife when he was trying to stab his conscience through the portrait