Heraclitus stated that nothing endures but change. At least regarding Dorian Gray in the novel 'Picture of Dorian Gray', Heraclitus is definitely correct. In Oscar Wilde's fictitious world portrayed in the novel, Dorian's initial naivete, beauty, and youth, no matter how much they seemed immutable and indelible, could never escape the ineluctable grasp of change. Why did Dorian, who once possessed such unblemished beauty and youth, eventually degrade into a narcissistic villain? Regarding various intellectual matters and social influence that amalgamated and deteriorated Dorian Gray, the answer to that question cannot be simple. However, it is important to note that Lord Henry played a key role in deteriorating Dorian Gray's morality by hindering his repentance and luring him into the world of new hedonism.
Lord Henry is a vane to Dorian's morality in that he made Dorian Gray obtuse about gravity of his sins. While Dorian Gray taints himself and those around him with unremitting vice he indulges in, Lord Henry serves as a trigger for such misdeeds. The conversation between Dorian and Lord Henry after the tragic suicide of Sibyl incontrovertibly demonstrates Lord Henry's ability to disintegrate one's conscience into pieces. It is true that it was Dorian who abandoned Sibyl and drove her into extreme misery that eventually begot her suicide. However, Lord Henry's excessive self-indulgence in expressing his beliefs worsens the situation by hindering Dorian Gray's sincere regret about his brutal decision that destroyed tender Sibyl. For instance, Henry stated,
Some one has killed herself for love of you. I wish I had ever had such an experience. It would have made me in love with love for the rest of my life.
In other words, for Lord Henry, Sibyl's death merely serves to satiate his desire for aestheticism and dramatic love. For him, others merely exist to please his senses and impulses, indicating his extreme immorality, egocentrism, and abnormal pursuit of aestheticism. However, Lord Henry inculcates his improper thoughts into Dorian Gray by using his unconscientious yet enthralling rhetoric, persuading Dorian to indulge himself in another aesthetic pleasure, which is indicated as opera in chapter 8, and gradually forget the death of Sibyl. Due to Lord Henry, Dorian's primary importance in his life becomes satisfcation of sensual impulses and desire for beauty instead of maintaining humanity.
Lord Henry further plunges Dorian Gray into unfathomable pit of immorality by introducing him to the world of hedonism. Most of people have a strong desire to maintain their scintillating youth and physical beauty, and Dorian is no exception. However, while such desire had resided in unconsciousness of Dorian Gray before he encountered Lord Henry, it soared to the surface of consciousness with the help from Lord Henry. For example, when Lord Henry first occupied himself in a conversation with Dorian, he stated
"I believe that if one man were to live his life out fully and completely, were to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream,—-I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we would forget all the maladies of mediaevalism, and return to the Hellenic ideal"
His claim implies that pursuit of Hedonism is a worthy attempt, and in combination with his compelling eloquence that has pernicious impacts on others' ideology and demeanors, Lord Henry manages to intrigue Dorian with the idea of Hedonism. Lord Henry's success in galvanizing Dorian to ponder about the pursuit of pleasure and eternal youth serves as an outset of Dorian's future infamy, since Dorian later justifies his immorality by designating satisfaction of indulgence and impulse as a supreme value. In other words, Lord Henry's introduction of hedonism in front of Dorian Gray serves as a foothold for Dorian's moral degradation.
Overall, it is evident that Lord Henry did have a profound influence on Dorian Gray, since Dorian's incapability to sincerely regret about his grave sins and his inordinate pursuit of hedonism are all tragic outcomes of Lord Henry's immoral attempts to manipulate a naive, young gentleman. Joker, an incarnation of evil in a movie 'Dark night', stated that 'Madness is like gravity. All you need is a little push." Yes, all Lord Henry required was 'a little push' to trap Dorian in a quagmire of endless infamy. In fact, all he needed was his tongue to completely sway Dorian side to side.By portraying such gullible human spirit, Oscar Wilde brilliantly delivers the importance to be more discerned and moderate when dealing with one's desire.
Nicely done. I like your Joker quote, and it definitely applies to Lord Henry's puppetry. The debate about "blame" is interesting in this book. Who is to blame? Is Dorian wholly responsible for his actions? Early in the book, he is set up as a "tabula rasa" - or even a blank canvas. Basil and Henry create him, somewhat at odds with what the final product should look like, and then we see the downward spiral begin.
답글삭제As for hedonism... what if you aren't a rockstar, a famous actor, or a rich Lord without any familial responsibilities? What if you have to obey the status quo of the real world where beauty and pleasure aren't always available? In that sense, Oscar Wilde is speaking to us about his world. The possibility of weighing such a notion doesn't apply to 99% people, but it's an interesting one.
Good work, and beautiful use of Word Smart.