British Victorian Era writer Oscar Wilde’s book ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ has the distinction of being the only novel ever written by its author. The predominant theme running through the novel is that there is a deep-rooted evil prevalent in mankind. Dorian Gray, around whom the story revolves, is initially a compassionate and morally upright man. As the events in the novel unfold, he gradually develops into an evil, wicked and merciless man who feels no guilt or regret for any of his wrongdoings. He succumbs more and more to the influence of evil that leads to his ultimate tragic end.
The development of Dorian Gray’s character is an excellent elucidation of how evil in humans can surface, fester and get out of control if left unfettered. At the outset, Dorian is the model of perfection of male youth and handsomeness. The innate evil in him is initially provoked by Lord Henry Wotton, a rich man with a venomous tongue. Wotton, is enthralled by the “full-length portrait of a young man [Dorian] of extraordinary personal beauty” (Wilde: 2) as painted by Basil Hallward, and befriends the young man.
He praises Dorian’s handsome physique but snidely remarks that it is just caused by youth that is not an everlasting part of life – it would soon end and the person would change and become ugly and disfigured with age {“Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!” (Wilde: 26)}. Dorian is totally taken in by Wotton’s glib flattery along with his fascinating theories, and begins developing a paranoia about youth, fervently wishing {“I would give my soul for that” (Wilde: 29)} that his portrait would take his place in real life, and wither with the vagaries of age while Dorian’s physique does not undergo any change.
Dorian’s spiral downward into the abyss of evil begins with his rude rejection of his lady love Sibyl Vane whom he earlier professed to have loved. Sibyl takes his rejection very badly. She feels that her whole world has caved in and that she has got nothing to live for. Fatally heartbroken, she commits suicide. Dorian’s response upon hearing the news is to callously admit his role in the tragedy but dismiss it as unimportant, talking instead about nature and surroundings (“Yet the roses are not less lovely for all that [Sibyl’s death]” (Wilde: 111)}.
As time passes, Dorian’s wrongdoings grow worse. He starts robbing jewelry and gets involved with the cream of top society as well as the morally degraded robbers and ruffians at street level. Dorian then commits his worst sin by killing of Basil Hallward, the innocent man who was always ready to help him. Basil’s killing signals the start of Dorian’s last lap in life. Unable to shake off his guilt at killing his best friend, Dorian tries to destroy his conscience as symbolized by his portrait, but ends up kills himself in the process. He is found “withered, wrinkled and loathsome of visage, lying on the floor in evening dress with a knife in his heart,” while his portrait has miraculously returned to its original state, a “splendid portrait” of their master as witnessed by Dorian’s awed servants (Wilde: 254)
Lord Henry Wotton is motivated by desire for sensual pleasures, a man full of “wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories” (Wilde: 87). His theories are radical and designed to shock and deliberately try to degrade traditional notions of truth . Basil has deep affection for Dorian and tries his best to dissuade him from getting too deeply involved with the weird theories and influence of Wotton. Basil’s affection for Dorian, like Sybil’s love for the misguided man, turn out to be ruinous to them both.
In the end, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ does well to highlight the evil present in human beings. The only barricade that prevents evil have a domineering influence over mankind is the specter of negatives results that humans believe will ensue; this possibility acts as an effective deterrent against evil controlling human life and behavior. Wilde himself wistfully identifies himself with the three main characters: “Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry what the world thinks of me; Dorian what I would like to be – in other ages, perhaps” (Wilde: Back Matter).
The novel exemplifies Wilde’s outstanding ability to inject a mixture of fantasy and realism into his writing. He displays his excellent mastery of morbidity by depicting fascinating scenes such as “He [Dorian] rushed at him [Basil], and dug the knife into the great vein that is behind his ear, crushing the man’s head on the table, and stabbing again and again” (Wilde: 179), and Basil’s lifeblood dropping “drip, drip on the threadbare carpet” (Wilde: 180), that provide a clear and chilling picture to his readers. Another characteristic of his writing is his preference of dialogue over real action.
The characters in the novel interact with each other more by word of mouth while action events are relatively few . A third characteristic of Wilde’s writing style is his penchant to use paradoxes. Henry Wotton , Dorian and Basil frequently exchange paradoxes throughout the novel.
Reference
Wilde, Oscar. “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” USA: Modern Library. 1998.