Dorian Gray’s portrait even bears the weight of his guiltiness.
Since he doesn’t have to pay for his sins in the loss of his looks, it
is easier for him to leave them behind and never repent of them.
When he is confronted by Basil Hallward, he is confronted by his
creator. Without Basil’s portrait of him, Dorian would have had a
very different life. He kills Basil when Basil begs him to reform.
Dorian hates the creator, the one who enabled him to sin as he has
in the first place, and so he kills him. After Basil’s death, though,
Dorian cannot go on as he did before. Without his creator, he loses
his ability to leave all his sins to mark the portrait. He gets nervous
and edgy. Vengeance comes out of his past in the form of James
Vane and stalks him. When he is let off the hook by James’s
accidental death, he doesn’t feel relief. He attempts to go Basil’s
way after all, but it is too late. He has no moral grounding to
support moral choices. The only end possible for him is to kill the
art that has poisoned his life. In doing so, he kills himself.
Oscar Wilde ended up writing a moral book after all. The novel
shows the lesson that has been told over and over in story after
story. Guilt will always out. There is no escape from a guilty
conscience. All crime must be paid for.
CHAPTER 1
In a richly decorated studio an artist, Basil Hallward talks with a
guest, Lord Henry Wotton about a new portrait he has standing
out. Lord Henry exclaims that it is the best of Hallward’s work and
that he should show it at Grosvenor. Hallward remarks that he
doesn’t plan to show it at all. Lord Henry can’t imagine why an
artist wouldn’t want to show his work. Hallward explains that he
has put too much of himself in it to show it to the public. Lord
Henry can’t understand this since Hallward isn’t a beautiful man
while the subject of the portrait is extraordinarily beautiful. As he
is explaining himself, he mentions the subject’s name–Dorian
Gray. He regrets having slipped, saying that when he likes people,
he never tells their names because it feels to him as if he’s giving
them away to strangers.
Lord Henry compares this idea to his marriage, saying that “the
one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception
absolutely necessary for both parties.” He adds that he and his wife
never know where the other is and that she’s always a better liar
than he is, but that she just laughs at him when he slips. Basil
Hallward is impatient with Lord Henry for this revelation, accusing
Lord Henry of posing. He adds that Lord Henry never says
anything moral and never does anything immoral. Lord Henry tells
him that being natural is the worst of the poses.
Hallward returns to the idea of the portrait. He explains that “every
portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not the
sitter.” The sitter only occasions the production of the art. The
painter is revealed, not the sitter. He won’t, therefore, show the
secret of his soul to the public.
He tells the story of how he met Dorian Gray. He went to a “crush”
put on by Lady Brandon. While he was walking around the room,
he saw Dorian Gray, “someone whose mere personality was so
fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb by whole
nature, my whole soul, my very art itself.” He was afraid of such
an influence, so he avoided meeting the man he saw. He tried to
leave and Lady Brandon caught him and took him around the room
introducing him to her guests. He had recently shown a piece that
created a sensation, so his cultural capital was quite high at the
time. After numerous introductions, he came upon Dorian Gray.
Lady Brandon says she didn’t know what Mr. Gray did, perhaps
nothing, perhaps he played the piano or the violin. The two men
laughed at her and became friends with each other at once.
He tells Lord Henry that soon he painted Dorian Gray’s portrait.
Now, Dorian Gray is all of Hallward’s art. He explains that in art,
there are two epochal events possible: one is the introduction of a
new medium for art, like the oil painting, the second is the
appearance of a new personality for art. Dorian Gray is the latter.
Even when he’s not painting Dorian Gray, he is influenced by him
to paint extraordinarily different creations. It is like a new school
of art emerging. Dorian Gray is his motive in art.
As he is explaining the art, he mentions that he has never told
Dorian Gray how important he is. He won’t show his Dorian Gray-
inspired art because he fears that the public would recognize his
bared soul. Lord Henry notes that bared souls are quite popular
these days in fiction. Hallward hates this trend, saying that the
artist should create beautiful things, and should put nothing of his
own life into them. Dorian Gray is often quite charming to Basil,
but sometimes he seems to take delight in hurting Basil. Basil feels
at such moments that he has given his soul to someone shallow and
cruel enough to treat it as a flower to ornament his lapel. Lord
Henry predicts that Basil will tire of Dorian sooner than Dorian
will tire of him. Basil refuses to believe this. He says as long as he
lives, Dorian Gray will dominate his life.
Lord Henry suddenly remembers that he has heard Dorian Gray’s
name. His aunt, Lady Agatha, has mentioned him in relation to
some philanthropic work she does, saying he was going to help her
in the East End. Suddenly, Dorian Gray is announced. Basil
Hallward asks his servant to have Mr. Gray wait a moment. He
tells Lord Henry not to exert any influence on Dorian Gray
because he depends completely on Dorian remaining uncorrupted.
Lord Henry scoffs at the idea as nonsense.
NOTES
Chapter 1 sets the tone of the novel. It is witty, urbane, and ironic
with only brief moments of deep feeling expressed and then wittily
submerged. The artist of the novel is Basil Hallward. He seems to
be in love with his most recent model, Dorian Gray, whom he
considers more than a beautiful man, but an inspiration to a new
form in his art. The intensity of his feelings for Dorian Gray and
the art that Dorian Gray inspires has to do with his sense of
identity. He doesn’t want his portrait of Dorian to be shown in
public because he feels as if he’s put something essential of
himself in it. That is the seed of the novel. The artist paints himself
when he seems to be painting another.
Lord Henry is here for ironic relief and the production of
aphorisms (short statements of truth) that irony spawns. He voices
Oscar Wilde’s signature expressions. He says, for instance, “It is
only the intellectually lost who ever argue.” One of the most often
quoted of his aphorisms: “there is only one thing in the world
worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
He thinks of the luncheon he missed in lingering with Hallward. It
had a philanthropic motive, upper class people gathering to discuss
ways to share a bit with poor people, the idle people discussing the
dignity of labor, the rich people discussing the value of saving
money. Basil Hallward also has his own aphoristic rules of life. He
never tells people where he’s going when he travels as a way to
keep mystery in his life. He never introduces people he likes to
other people because he feels it would be like giving them away.
CHAPTER 2
When they walk from the studio into the house, they see Dorian
Gray at the piano. He tells Basil that he’s tired of sitting for his
portrait. Then he sees Lord Henry and is embarrassed. Basil tries to
get Lord Henry to leave, but Dorian asks him to stay and talk to
him while he sits for the portrait. He adds that Basil never talks or
listens as he paints. Lord Henry agrees to stay.
discuss Dorian’s work in philanthropy. Lord Henry thinks
he’s too charming to do that kind of thing. Dorian wonders if Lord
Henry will be a bad influence on him as Basil thinks he will be.
Lord Henry thinks all influence is corrupting since the person
influenced no longer thinks with her or his own thoughts. He
thinks the “aim of life is self development.” He doesn’t like
philanthropy because it makes people neglect themselves. They
clothe poor people and let their own souls starve. Only fear
governs society, according to Lord Henry. Terror of God is the
secret of religion and terror of society is the basis of morals. If
people would live their lives fully, giving form to every feeling and
expression to every thought, the world would be enlivened by a
fresh impulse of joy. He urges Dorian not to run from his youthful
fears.
Dorian becomes upset and asks him to stop talking so he can deal
with all that he has said. He stands still for ten minutes. He realizes
he is being influenced strongly. He suddenly understands things he
has always wondered about. Lord Henry watches him fascinated.
He remembers when he was sixteen he read a book and was
immensely influenced. He wonders if Dorian Gray is being
influenced that way by his random words. Hallward paints
furiously. Dorian asks for a break. Basil apologizes for making him
stand so long. He is excited about the portrait he’s painting, and
praises Dorian for standing so perfectly still as to let him get at the
effect he had wanted. He says he hasn’t heard the conversation, but
he hopes Dorian won’t listen to anything Lord Henry tells him.
Lord Henry and Dorian go out into the garden while Basil works
on the background of the portrait in the studio. Dorian buries his
face in a flower. Lord Henry tells him he is doing just as he should
since the senses are the only way to cure the soul. They begin to
stroll and Dorian Gray clearly looks upset. He’s afraid of Lord
Henry’s influence. Lord Henry urges him to come and sit in the
shade to avoid getting a sunburn and ruining his beauty. Dorian
wonders why it’s important. Lord Henry tells him it matters more
than anything else since his youth is his greatest gift and that it will
leave him soon. As they sit down, he implores Dorian to enjoy his
youth while he can. He shouldn’t give his life to the “ignorant, the
common, and the vulgar.” He thinks the age needs a new
Hedonism (pursuit of pleasure as the greatest goal in life). Dorian
Gray could be its visible symbol.
Dorian Gray listens intently. Suddenly, Basil comes out to get
them. He says he’s ready to resume the portrait. Inside, Lord Henry
sits down and watches Basil paint. After only a quarter of an hour,
Basil says the painting is complete. Lord Henry proclaims it his
finest work and offers to buy it. Basil says it’s Dorian’s painting.
When Dorian looks at it, he realizes he is beautiful as Lord Henry
has been telling him. He hadn’t taken it seriously before. Now he
knows what Lord Henry has meant by youth being so short-lived.
He realizes the painting will always be beautiful and he will not.
He wishes it were reversed. He accuses Basil of liking his art
works better than his friends. Basil is shocked at this change in
Dorian. He tells him his friendship means more to him than
anything. Dorian is so upset that he says he’ll kill himself the
moment he realizes he’s growing old. Basil turns to Lord Henry
and says it’s his fault. Then he realizes he is arguing with his two
best friends and says he’ll destroy the painting to stop the
argument. Dorian pulls the knife away from him to stop him. He
tells Basil he’s in love with the portrait and thinks of it as part of
himself.
The butler brings tea and the men sit down to drink it. Lord Henry
proposes they go to the theater that night. Basil refuses the
invitation, but Dorian agrees to go. When they get up to go, Basil
asks Lord Henry to remember what he asked him in the studio
before they went in to see Dorian. Lord Henry shrugs and says he
doesn’t even trust himself, so Basil shouldn’t try to trust him
NOTES
Beauty lives only for a moment. The theme of this chapter is also one of the central themes of the novel. Dorian Gray is introduced
as an un-self-conscious beauty. In the course of this chapter, he is
made self-aware. He recognizes his beauty when he sees it
represented in Basil Hallward’s portrait. He is prepared for this
recognition by Lord Henry who, in the garden, urges him to spend
his youth on youthful pursuits, not on philanthropy, and warns him
that his youth is his best gift and that it won’t last. All of Basil
Hallward’s fears of Lord Henry corrupting Dorian Gray seem to
have been borne out.
CHAPTER 3
It is 12:30 in the afternoon and Lord Henry Wotton is walking to
his uncle’s house. Lord Fermor had in his youth been secretary to
his father, an ambassador to Madrid. When his father didn’t get the
ambassadorship of Paris, he quit in a huff and Lord Fermor quit
with him. From them on Lord Fermor had spent his life devoted
“to the serious study of the great aristocratic art of doing absolutely
nothing.” He pays some attention to the coal mines in the Midland
counties, “excusing himself from the taint of industry on the
ground that the one advant
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