Inner and Outer Beauty in Dorian Gray

When things spiral into a blind rage Dorian brutally murders the only friend he had, Basil Hallward. Dorian’s lack of self awareness gets progressively worse, but the lowest he gets is when he blames Basil for the disfigurement of the painting. “Dorian glanced at the picture and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward came over him... He rushed at him and dug the knife into the great vein that is behind the ear, crushing the man’s head down on the table, and stabbing again and again.” (Chapter 13, page 151)

Furthermore, Dorian’s moral principles get progressively worse, eventually leading to the murder of Dorian’s longtime friend, Basil Hallward. Dorian acts impulsively and erratically while showing Basil the mutilated portrait, “and suddenly an uncontrollable hatred for Basil Hallward came over him” (115) spurring Dorian to stab Basil repeatedly. Due to his impulsive nature and devotion to seeking pleasure, the moment his anger took over, Dorian chose to ignore his conscience. He retains his childish behavior because he never

There is an old saying that declares: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. This suggests that beauty is subjective, and lacks a concrete contextualized definition; what is perceived by one individual as attractive, may be, by another, considered unattractive. Regardless of the subjective nature of beauty, society still conforms to beauty ideals, which are propagated and fueled by the media. The beauty ideals that are self imposed by society are problematic because they are unattainable, and galvanize society to reject or promote people based on their outward appearance and hold people’s inner beauty in less regard. The imbalance between physical (outward) appearance and inward is a key theme in both The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Phantom of the Opera. In both novels, the main characters are subject to judgment that is overwhelmingly directed at their outward appearance, and we see an over-emphasis of the superficial, which ultimately leads to their downfall. Another important thematic element present in both novels is that the main characters have conflicting dual personalities that have changing roles as the story progresses. A contrasting thematic element in both books is the excessive praise that the main character in The Picture of Dorian Gray received, and the excessive criticism that the main character in The Phantom of the Opera received, both leading to negative outcomes, and the characters’ ultimate demise.

He is even told by Lord Henry he is far too charming to go into philantropy. This remark may be the beginning of the flattery that opened Dorian's mind up to his corruption. Dorian is being moved by Harry's speech about cherishing youth and enjoying it. His mind was being challenged by the thought of his own passions until the point when he proclaimed "stop! You bewilder me. I do not know what to say. There is some answer to you, but I cannot find it. Do not speak. Let me think. Or rather let me try not to think". Dorian allows himself to be corrupted. He begins to fear aging and begins to think that everything will be loss with the loss of his youth and beauty. Dorian goes from no worries to this thought as Harry speaks. He was convinced that this "new Hedonism" was the way. This shows the weakness of his mind in his youth it is also the begginning of his fate. With this flaw of character, Dorian seemed to write his fate unknowingly. When Basil Hallward, the painter, rewarded Dorian with the portrait he replied "If I were to be the one always young, and the picture grow old! For that-for that-Iwould give everything!…Iwould give my soul for that!". This was just a plea at the depth of his sorrow, a remark made totally through whim.

He is infatuated with Dorian's beauty in the beginning. He appreciated Dorian's beauty but did not wish to possess it for himself. Basil exclaims, “When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale... I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself.” His love for Dorian changed the way he perceived art. Basil eventually paints a portrait of Dorian to capture his beauty forever. Basil’s portrait marks a new phase in his career. Once he has painted Dorian, he fears that he has put too much of himself into the work. Basil reluctantly introduces Dorian to Lord Henry, who he fears will have a damaging influence on Dorian. He admits, “Yes, that is his name. I didn't intend to tell it to you.” Basil is later envious of the relationship between Lord Henry and Dorian. Lord Henry upsets Dorian with a speech about the transient nature of beauty and youth. Basil, wishing to protect and defect him, voices his objection to Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian. Dorian felt Basil had come to realize his true personality and that he would bring it to someones attention. Basil is murdered by Dorian. The murder of Basil marks the beginning of Dorian's end. He cannot overcome the realization that he killed his friend.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel laced with sin, treachery, and raging battles of inner conflict, is Oscar Wilde’s sole novel. Considered immoral and scandalous upon publication, the book centers around a young man named Dorian Gray, who does not age or reflect the darkness of his heart outwardly, and instead a portrait of him bears the damage his destructive life wreaks on his soul. However, the meaning of the story extends past the simple fact that Dorian lives a life of immorality—he walks the path that takes him there with his two friends, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotten. The two attempt to guide and influence Dorian throughout the novel in their own ways, and are a vital piece of Dorian’s tale. Basil and Henry act as character foils as well as a symbolic angel and devil for Dorian Gray’s character, and also contribute themes of choosing one’s own fate.

The first sign of Dorian’s new development is when he first lays eyes on the portrait after hearing Lord Henry’s panegyric of youth. As Dorian gazes upon himself on the portrait, he comes to a shocking realisation. Wilde writes it as, “The sense of his own beauty came upon him like a revelation… Basil Hallward’s compliments had seemed to him to be merely the charming exaggerations of friendship… They had not influenced his nature. Then had come Lord Henry Wotton with his strange panegyric on youth, his terrible warning of its brevity. That had stirred him at the time, and now, as he stood gazing at the shadow of his own loveliness, the full reality of the description flashed across him… He would become dreadful, hideous, and uncouth. As he thought of it, a sharp pang of pain struck through him like a knife, and made each delicate fibre of his nature quiver” (Wilde 18-19). His beauty would not last forever, and he would become old and withered just like everyone else will. Dorian, who once didn’t care about his looks, had now become obsessed with the ideals and ideas fed to him from Henry. He makes his wish for the portrait to take on the burden of time and sin, instead of him. He says, “I know, now, that when one loses one’s good

Throughout the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde tells a tale about a young man named Dorian whose entire life changes after he meets Basil Hallward, who paints a portrait of Gray that ultimately leads to Gray’s demise. At the same time, Dorian also meets Lord Henry, who eventually plays a bad influence over Dorian. The portrait shows the man Dorian has become

In this novel, beauty and youth reign over everything. In Victorian period, The Picture of Dorian Gray was characterized as scandalous and immoral. Typical idealistic image of behavior and modesty inherent to old time Victorian England was discredited in the novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray contained radical ideals for the period of time it was written. Dorian represents all what was disgraceful and forbidden condemned in Victorian

Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, chronicles the transformation of Dorian Gray from an naive youth to a corrupted monster. The simplicity of the storyline contrasts the complexity of Dorian Gray; specifically, the cause of his corruption. The cursed portrait, and characters such as Lord Henry and Basil, play a significant role in the Dorian’s journey to pernicity, but neither of three can be held entirely responsible. Dorian Gray’s initial innocence conceals an inner evil within him; the amalgamation of the three outside influences in Dorian’s life reveals his inner monstrosity.

The picture of Dorian Gray is a classic victorian novel that has maintained its influence through the years. To this day, it is consider to be a masterpiece that treats in a very precise way the themes of beauty and identity. The book revolves around the life of Dorian Gray and his portrait. At the beginning, when Basil Hallward, a prestigious artist, is painting the portrait of Dorian Gray, the character is presented as an innocent and beautiful guy. However, as the novel progresses, Dorian’s soul, reflected in the portrait, is corrupted mainly because of Lord Henry’s ideas and influence. In the last chapter of Oscar Wilde’s book, the protagonist, in a stressful situation, stabs his portrait and consequently dies. The message behind the ending

The definition of beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty has negative and positive influences on mostly people. Beauty is described by the inside and outside of us. Due to beauty, our self-esteem has been hurt dramatically, especially towards girls. Beauty is not always about our outside looks but it’s about our inside personality also.

Aestheticism was a popular dogma in the late 1800s that centered on the belief that art should exist for beauty alone. This doctrine is defined as an “exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with indifference to practical matters” and “the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard, ethical and other standards being secondary” (“Aestheticism,” def. 1 and 2). In Oscar Wilde’s sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism is a fashionable belief accepted by society at the time. Oscar Wilde uses the moral deterioration and ultimate destruction of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray to emphasize the negative effects of society’s preoccupation with aesthetics and offer a moral for the reader.

Media demonstrates certain beauty standards that women are expected to meet, similar to Dorian Gray’s obsession with youth and beauty to conform to society’s ideals. Dorian Gray idealizes Lord Henry, therefore he is influenced by Lord Henry’s view on his passion for youth. Henry exemplifies that, “ for youth [he] would do anything

What is beauty? How do we decide who is attractive and who is not? Society is full of information telling us what is beautiful, but what fact is that information based on? The topic of beauty has been studied, analyzed and controversial for centuries. We all know the feeling you can have when you hear a beautiful song that brings joy to your heart, stand in a field of flowers that excites your eyes, or admire a face that is visually pleasing. As human beings, we are all drawn to beauty, but what is it that makes something beautiful? The controversial issue that surrounds beauty is that some believe that true beauty is defined by someone’s outer appearance, while others believe it is something that is experienced through a person’s