The Picture of Dorian Gray Novel 2022
Added on 2022-10-11
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Running head: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
AN ANALYSIS OF OSCAR WILDE’S “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:
AN ANALYSIS OF OSCAR WILDE’S “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY1
Topic: In the central premise of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the protagonist ceases to age after
a defining event. What is the cause of this mysterious transformation and what significance
does this have in the novel?
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”
The above quoted line of Oscar Wilde from his famous novel “The Picture of Dorian
Gray” offers an overview of the central theme of the novel itself. The novel published in 1891 is
a Gothic and a philosophical novel and widely considered to be one of the best works of Wilde
(Jaffe). The novel highlights the desire of not only Dorian Gray but of all the people to stay
young forever and lead a hedonistic life. The primary difference between Dorian Gray and the
other people of the world lies in the fact for the fulfillment of this desire or temptation he makes
a deal with the Devil so that rather than him his picture undergoes the process of ageing and
thereby the eventual decay (Wu). However, he soon realizes the mistake that he had committed
and in rage stabs the picture of his and this in turn leads to his own death at the end of the novel
as an old man, who just like others shows the signs of decay and ageing. The mysterious
transformation that Gray undergoes in the novel rather than being an actual process can be seen
as a psychological process wherein he refuses to acknowledge the truth regarding his own ageing
and the reality that he would eventually die just like the rest of the individuals. The purpose of
this paper is to undertake a critical analysis of the mysterious transformation that Dorian Gray
undergoes in the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”.
Oscar Wilde’s famous novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” shows its protagonist Dorian
Gray as an individual who wants to live his life to the fullest without having to worry about
ageing, decay and the other problems that the normal individuals have to undergo during the
Topic: In the central premise of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the protagonist ceases to age after
a defining event. What is the cause of this mysterious transformation and what significance
does this have in the novel?
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”
The above quoted line of Oscar Wilde from his famous novel “The Picture of Dorian
Gray” offers an overview of the central theme of the novel itself. The novel published in 1891 is
a Gothic and a philosophical novel and widely considered to be one of the best works of Wilde
(Jaffe). The novel highlights the desire of not only Dorian Gray but of all the people to stay
young forever and lead a hedonistic life. The primary difference between Dorian Gray and the
other people of the world lies in the fact for the fulfillment of this desire or temptation he makes
a deal with the Devil so that rather than him his picture undergoes the process of ageing and
thereby the eventual decay (Wu). However, he soon realizes the mistake that he had committed
and in rage stabs the picture of his and this in turn leads to his own death at the end of the novel
as an old man, who just like others shows the signs of decay and ageing. The mysterious
transformation that Gray undergoes in the novel rather than being an actual process can be seen
as a psychological process wherein he refuses to acknowledge the truth regarding his own ageing
and the reality that he would eventually die just like the rest of the individuals. The purpose of
this paper is to undertake a critical analysis of the mysterious transformation that Dorian Gray
undergoes in the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”.
Oscar Wilde’s famous novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” shows its protagonist Dorian
Gray as an individual who wants to live his life to the fullest without having to worry about
ageing, decay and the other problems that the normal individuals have to undergo during the
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY2
course of their life. Furthermore, it is seen that he appoints Basil Hallward for the creation of a
painting of his which will capture the essence of his youth and thereby remind him of his beauty
as well as grace in the later part of his life when age and decay had taken their toll on his life
(Clifton). However, the picture captivates him so much that he wants to stay young and graceful
forever despite the fact that this desire of his is completely against the norms or the rules of
nature. More importantly, he is willing to go to any extent for the attainment of this desire or
temptation of his and the end result of this is that he ends up making a deal with the Devil
through which he himself would be able to maintain his youthful appearance although his picture
or the portrait would undergo the resultant changes (Christensen). This action of Gary finds
adequate justification from the famous line of the novel wherein it is said that “There is only one
thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about” (Wilde). In
this relation, it needs to be said that there are various critics who argue that Dorian Gray despite
the mysterious transformation which had been mentioned in the entire novel actually undergoes
the process of ageing rather than the picture. For example, Dorian Gray is unable to accept or
come to terms with the fact that his beauty and grace will fade away one day and this in turn
creates the kind of mental image in him wherein the make-belief world of the picture becomes
his reality rather than the immediate reality which actually surrounds him (Wu). This in turn
makes him believe the fact that he had undergone a mysterious transformation because of which
he is being able to maintain his youthful grace as well as beauty.
The novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” belongs to the genre of Gothic fiction wherein it
is seen that the protagonists and the other important characters of the novel frequently undergo
different kinds of mysterious transformations. Furthermore, it is seen that the novelists who take
the help of the genre of Gothic fiction intentionally take the help of these mysterious
course of their life. Furthermore, it is seen that he appoints Basil Hallward for the creation of a
painting of his which will capture the essence of his youth and thereby remind him of his beauty
as well as grace in the later part of his life when age and decay had taken their toll on his life
(Clifton). However, the picture captivates him so much that he wants to stay young and graceful
forever despite the fact that this desire of his is completely against the norms or the rules of
nature. More importantly, he is willing to go to any extent for the attainment of this desire or
temptation of his and the end result of this is that he ends up making a deal with the Devil
through which he himself would be able to maintain his youthful appearance although his picture
or the portrait would undergo the resultant changes (Christensen). This action of Gary finds
adequate justification from the famous line of the novel wherein it is said that “There is only one
thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about” (Wilde). In
this relation, it needs to be said that there are various critics who argue that Dorian Gray despite
the mysterious transformation which had been mentioned in the entire novel actually undergoes
the process of ageing rather than the picture. For example, Dorian Gray is unable to accept or
come to terms with the fact that his beauty and grace will fade away one day and this in turn
creates the kind of mental image in him wherein the make-belief world of the picture becomes
his reality rather than the immediate reality which actually surrounds him (Wu). This in turn
makes him believe the fact that he had undergone a mysterious transformation because of which
he is being able to maintain his youthful grace as well as beauty.
The novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” belongs to the genre of Gothic fiction wherein it
is seen that the protagonists and the other important characters of the novel frequently undergo
different kinds of mysterious transformations. Furthermore, it is seen that the novelists who take
the help of the genre of Gothic fiction intentionally take the help of these mysterious
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