Dorian Gray Theme Essay - 690 Words

Josh Nitz April 16, 2012 Professor Anders Response #7 Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde’s fictional piece The Picture of Dorian Gray is a wonderful story that provides insight on the effect that sin has on the soul. In the beginning of the story Dorian is a kind hearted man, but by the end he becomes a cold blooded murderer who thinks only about himself. The ending is also very interesting in the sense that although Oscar Wilde escaped suspicion, revenge from James and those who could put his pursuit of pleasure in jeopardy, Dorian could not escape himself. This is the theme that really stuck with me. Dorian pursued pleasure with complete disregard for his soul or his conscience and in the end it led to his lack of pleasure and death.†¦show more content†¦Rather this strategic silence allows the author to move on with the story while still impacting the reader in the way he wants. In Hop Frog and Dorian Gray, the author’s vague description of wrong doing enables the reader to presume the worst from the antagonists and justi fy the antagonist’s grisly end. After Dorian murder’s Basil, Dorian begins to feel guilty and he swears he will start a new and wholesome life. Despite his efforts and his fortunate luck (James who was going to kill him died is a bizarre accident) Dorian cannot escape himself. The portrait of himself will always remind him of what he truly is inside. No matter what he does Dorian cannot escape the past or his wrong doings. This situation applies to most readers, as most people have gotten away with a sin. Although no one else knows about the wrong doing, the individual cannot escape the guilt or memory of what they have done. This is what happens to Dorian and the only way to escape his guilt is through suicide (unintentional). The Picture of Dorian Gray provides many good moral lessons that should be observed by anyone who reads the book. Morals that come to mind are â€Å"Beware your sin will find you out,† and selfishness will only bring you pain. Dorian Gra y tried to find individual pleasure, but pleasures are not found in the individual. Rather pleasure is found in love, God andShow MoreRelatedThe Dark Themes of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dracula2593 Words   |  11 PagesThe concerns of Victorian England about the status of faith and manhood have left a deep mark in the literature of the period. The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dracula are good examples of this concern. In both books there is an emphasis in the corruption of the body and of the soul as maladies that haunt the greatness of England. The aristocracy is pointed as the social strata from where this decadence will spread. 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