The Picture of Dorian Gray explores physical beauty, vanity and influence using three friends with distinct flaws. At surface level this book describes the moral spiral of Dorian Gray, who starts as a beautiful and innocent “lad” but ends a corrupted and ugly old man. Loosely, vanity is Dorian’s fatal flaw, but who caused his downfall is more complicated.
Dorian Gray’s immense physical beauty is the instrument Wilde uses to explore the effects of beauty, and this theme is the books strongest. Wilde illustrates how beauty can obscure reality by making Dorian’s closest companions oblivious to his true character. Basil is enthralled, and he attempts to capture Dorians beauty through his art. After they distance near the middle of the book, he says his best art is behind him. Lord Henry’s fascination with youth and beauty is established through his dialogue in the opening two chapters. His primary desire is to influence beauty, and he views Dorian as his personal experiment. Nonetheless, he is also blind to reality, and is more of a convincing contrarian than a calculated manipulator. Dorian relationship changes throughout the book. Basil’s painting illustrates his own beauty to him, and Lord Henry convinces him that it is temporary. These combine and drive him to pursue pleasure. However, and perhaps from the beginning he is interested only in image. He shuns Sibyl after she embarrasses him in front of his friends, and he is disgusted, and frightened by the change in his picture. However once he is confident that his true image is hidden, he becomes fascinated by it. His fascination fades into disgust at his souls image. He attempts to heal his soul, but his actual desire is to reverse the change in its image. All his action are done in vain, and he dies because he does not realise the distinction. This does not mean Dorian is the only one at fault. Lord Henry’s continual encouragement corrupts Dorian. This is especially damming as he also a hypocrite; being late, and contrarian are the only crimes he commits himself (perhaps unfaithfulness as well; but this is only implied). Above all, the fact that his closest companions are wilfully ignorant of Dorian’s nature allow him to become what he does.
The books exploration of vanity through Dorian was not my favourite philosophical aspect of it, not due to any faults in the moral or presentation, but because I understood the mechanism already. What the book illustrated to me was the irony in a scholar’s pursuit of knowledge and understanding. The pleasure in studying comes when you uncover understanding, but the satisfaction in understand fades quickly. Put another way: the motivation comes from the mystery of things we do not understand, and the pleasure comes from reducing the mystery. The understanding is less substantial, and quickly taken for granted. This is just as superficial as someone who desires what they don’t own, derives satisfaction from buying, and has no interest in what they have bought. Something Lord Henry said taught me this but I couldn’t place a finger on the exact moment.
I have lots more to say on the book, but these particular thoughts are the essence of most of them.