Dorian Gray Ch 19-20

Quote

"Suddenly I determined to leave her as flowerlike as I had found her" (Wilde 215).

Response

I think Dorian's promiscuity is a representation of Oscar Wilde in a heterosexual fashion. Promiscuity is not something that was widely accepted during this time period, especially homosexual promiscuity. I think Wilde chooses to write from a heterosexual perspective so as not to condemn himself. Wilde provides us with another critique of societal values through Dorian's promiscuity. Also, this idea brings up the value of love. In today's world the word love is thrown around like nothing, people say it even when they do not mean it. Dorian is a revolutionary character, his idea of love is more similar to that of today's world rather than that of his own time period.

Quote

"He was withered, wrinkled, and lonesome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was" (229).

Response

Yes! I have been waiting the whole book for Dorian to finally pay the price for his actions and he finally receives his punishment in the waning moments of the story. Youth is not eternal, no matter what a person does they cannot stay youthful forever. Dorian's age catches up with him extremely quickly, when he destroyed the picture he destroyed the bargain, he killed himself and lost his youth; he gave his beauty back to it's rightful owner. Dorian deserved to die, there was no hope of any reformation. He was simply too far gone that he had to die.

DG 16-18

Quote

"The hideous hunger for opium began to gnaw at him" (190).

Response

Maybe opium will destroy Dorian's body like no other thing has. Dorian counts on the picture to bear the brunt of his sins and keep his face beautiful, but will the picture bear the internal effects of opium is the question. I really hope that Dorian will be forced to suffer some sort of consequence. Also, the fact that Dorian needs to smoke opium proves his feelings of guilt for his actions. Dorian could have just continued living his life normally but he now needs drugs to relieve the pain. 

Quote
"'You wrecked the life of Sibyl Vane,' was the answer, 'and Sibyl Vane was my sister. She killed herself. I know it'" (Wilde 195).

Response
Once again Dorian is so close to receiving retribution for his actions, and once again his beauty gets him out of a tight situation. I find myself continually waiting for Dorian to be punished; he comes so close and his beauty helps him. Dorian is the devil disguised as a beautiful human and nobody is able to recognize it. This relates back to people's perceptions of beautiful people, beautiful people can do no wrong. Bad perceptions of beautiful people simply melt away when we come into contact with people. Beyonce can simply do no wrong, she is just too good looking much like Dorian can do no wrong as he is beautiful.

DG Ch 15

Quote
"What is the matter with you to-night? You are quite out of sorts" (Wilde 181).

Response
Could Dorian possibly be feeling a bit of guilt? It has been a long time coming for Dorian to finally feel a bit of consequences for his actions. We see a loss of appetite at dinner and an insatiable thirst for champagne. His stomach is turning from guilt and he is attempting to drink away his problems. This is great, Dorian may finally be changing for the better. His guilt may possibly cause him to evaluate himself and realize the terrible life he leads. Dorian's guilt is the first step towards a transformation, it is uncertain if he will suppress this guilt or use it to help himself.

Quote
"'I believe he is in love,' cried Lady Narborough, 'and that he is afraid to tell me for fear I should be jealous'" (181).

Response
Mrs. Bennet! Lady Narborough's disconnect with reality is just like Mrs. Bennet. Lady Narborough provided a bit of comic relief to an intense situation, I actually chuckled to myself when I read this section. To be quite honest, I could not find another quote worth writing about so I chose a comical one.

Predictions on Dorian's Note

The two words written on the paper were Your Next. Dorian set up Alan by admitting he murdered Basil in order to convince Alan that he is capable of killing a man. He struck fear into the heart of Alan before informing him that he will be next if he does not destroy the body.

DG Ch 14

Quote
"You must have something to do with it. Wait, wait a moment; listen to me" (Wilde 173).

Response
This quote goes back to the discussion we had during class regarding Dorian's influence over man. We stated that Dorian has the ability to be the leader of men or the ability to drag men down with him. Unfortunately, Dorian has chosen the second option in his decision to drag Alan Campbell down with him. Dorian decided to force Alan to help him dispose of the remains of Basil Hallward by blackmailing him with some sort of note. Once again Dorian displays his profound ability to continuously make the wrong decisions. It is one thing to commit yourself to a life of crime, but to bring another man into the equation unvoluntarily is a whole other beast. What is it going to take for Dorian to finally realize that he has no right no do whatever he wants because of some rediculous painting?

Quote
"But the thing that had been sitting at the table was gone" (178).

Response
Damn! Dorian seems to have an inate ability to wiggle his way out of the tightest situations. I would love to see Dorian get punished for his actions, but I realize it is a far fetched idea. Dorian needs to pay for his actions because he is unable to realize himself what he has done. Dorian is the polar opposite of Reverend Dimmesdale. Unfortunately, Reverend Dimmesdale was tormented day after day by himself and another while Dorian lives his life free of consequence both from himself and from society. I'm afraid the only way to help Dorian is to kill him, it would be the best for both Dorian and London.

DG Ch 12-13

Quote
"It was some foul parody, some infamous, ignoble satire. He had never done that. Still, it was his own picture" (Wilde 160).

Response
The picture of Dorian Gray has become unrecognizable even by it's very artist, Basil Hallward. Basil had no idea what he was getting into when he asked to see Dorian's soul, he opened a can of worms that he never imagined would exist. Basil's once beloved muse is now a demonic shell of his former self. Lord Henry's experiment turned out to be disasterous, as forshadowed initially by Basil.

Quote
"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" (163).

Response
The picture should have just burst into flames right then and there, what is Dorian thinking? What did Basil do to Dorian that he deserved to be murered, could it have possibly been for Basil's genuine care for Dorian? Lord Henry is to be blamed for all of Dorian's vile doings. Lord Henry chose the worst possible person for his twisted experiment, he to have foreseen the consequences. Lord Henry may have seen the consequences and not cared. The possbilities are endless, but a man is dead on account of Lord Henry's experiment.

Dorian Gray Ch. 11

Quote
"He grew more and more enamored of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul" (Wilde 131).

Response
Dorian's interpretation of the painting is in the middle of the two options we have discussed. He sees the marks that he is leaving on the painting and becomes intrigued by it all the while cherishing his eternal youth. Dorian will never change, he sees the wrinkles made on the painting and scoffs at them. The marks made on the painting have an influence on Dorian, but this influence is not positive. The marks make Dorian happy that he made the bargain because he sees how much damage he would have actually done to his beauty.

Quote
"How exquisite life had once been! How gorgeous in its pomp and decoration! Even to read of the luxury of the dead was wonderful"(140).

Response
It is very surprising to me that Dorian would not realize the obvious. It is obvious that life will become boring when emotion and change is taken out of it. Dorian is basically living the same day over and over again, which is what he asked for. There are only so many things one can do at the age Dorian is. With age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes an added element of excitement. Dorian needed age in order to become smart, when his beauty left him he would have had elderly wisdom. Now Dorian is trapped with his good lookes and naive mind.

Dorian Gray 9-10

Quote
"You must not ask me that, Basil. I could not possibly let you stand in front of that picture" (Wilde 119)."

Response
Basil could not possibly look at the best of his artwork and see the new marred image staring back at him. Basil would be absolutely crushed to see his work destroyed by the sins of Dorian. Basil would also find out about Dorian's deal with the Devil. Dorian has no friends in this world, nobody who he can fully trust. What good is beauty if there is nobody to share it with. Dorian cannot let anybody into his life because they might find out his deepest secrets. Dorian's life is now filled with outer beauty and inner torment.

Quote
"He recalled the stainless purity of his boyish life, and it seemed horrible to him that it was here the fatal portrait was to be hidden away" (125).

Response
Dorian can no longer bear to look at the picture. His quest for eternal youth will never end. Dorian's quest began with his natural beauty, followed by the Devil's bargain in order to keep himself young, and now he can no longer look at his marred image so he decides to hide it forever. Dorian's quest has taken him so far as to hide a picture where he looks old. Dorian can hide the picture but he can never destroy it, the picture owns Dorian's soul and will never sell it back to him.

Dorian Gray CH. 7 and 8

Quote
"He had dreamed of her as a great artist, had given his love to her because he had thought her great. Then she disappointed him. She had been shallow and unworthy. [...] But he had suffered also" (95).

Response
Dorian is calling Sibyl shallow but he has failed to accurately judge himself. Dorian fell in love with Sibyl's acting rather than her beauty and personality, sounds a bit shallow. This situation is much like when a man saves a woman's life, she is destined to fall in love with him; but once this luster wears off there is nothing to build a relationship on. When Dorian saw that SIbyl was a bad actress, the luster of the love he thought he felt has worn off.

Quote
"Eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins--he was to have all these things. The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame, that was all" (109).

Response
Dorian has achieved what he always wanted, eternal youth and a life without consequence. The picture will now bear the brunt of Dorian's age and sins. A life without consequence is a life with anarchy, Dorian will now do anything he wants because he knows it will have no effect on him. It is true Dorian will be happier because he will keep his youth, but what happens when Lord Henry grows old and Dorian stays young. Dorian will not feel his sins personally, but he will see them whenever he looks at the painting. Dorian's achievment is both a blessing and a curse

Dorian Gray Ch. 5-6

Quote
"As for marriage, of course that would be silly, but there are other and more interesting bonds between men and women" (Wilde 79).

Response
This quote relates back to one of the topics we discussed in class regarding Harry's motives. Scott stated that Harry may want to create another image of himself in Dorian, simply changing small aspects to see what it would be like. Seeing as Harry is already married, he would not want Dorian to be married because he already knows what marriage is like. Harry wants to see what other bonds between men and women are like so he can know what he could have had. Harry's fantasy of recreating himself in another man is twisted, he is willing to take another man's soul just for his own whimsical pleasures.

Quote

"Her trusts make me faithful, her belief makes me good. When I am with her, I regret all that you have taught me. I become different from what you have known me to be. I am changed, and the mere touch of Sibyl Vane's hand makes me forget you and all your wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories" (82).

Response

Dorian's love for Sibyl is deeper than his love for Harry. Sibyl could destroy Harry's experiment if Dorian begins to trust her more than he trusts Harry. Sibyl proves, once again, Dorian's impressionability. Dorian first let himself be influence by Harry to the point that his identity was lost, now we see him stating that Sibyl has more influence than Harry. The worst part of this is the thought of what Harry will do to Sibyl in order to save his experiment. The results could be profound.

Dorian Gray Chapter 4

Quote
"I dont't think I am likely to marry, Harry. I am too much in love" (Wilde 51).

Response
Dorian's sexuality is no longer a mystery, and Harry's sexuality is no longer as ambiguous. We see Dorian profess his love for a woman, this drastically changes the way I perceive the novel. Reading this chapter that was full of talks of marriage and woman is a change of pace, there is no longer a profound sense of ambiguity. My opinion has also shifted along with the novel, I believe Wilde is making a societal critique on flamboyancy and feminity. One's amount of flamboyancy and feminity has nothing to do with their sexual orientation.

Quote

"Oh, yes; horrid people with dyed hair and painted faces" (55).

"Don't run down dyed hair and painted faces. There is an extraordinary charm in them sometimes" (55).

Response

While reading this chapter a strange comparison comes to mind; I found myself continually comparing Dorian and Harry to Alan and Charlie from the television sitcom Two and a Half Men. This is especially applicable to the above quote, throughout the episodes Charlie pokes fun at Alan because he is unable to find girls to go out with him while Alan pokes back by saying that all the girl Charlie dates are whores. The two conflicting views make for a funny show while the two conflicting views of the novel made this chapter comical. 

Dorian Gray #2

Quote
"Margaret Devereux was one of the loveliest creatures I ever saw, Harry. What on earth induced her to behave as she did, I never could understand. She could have married anybody she chose" (Wilde 37).

Response
During class today we had an in depth discussion on which is more advantageous, beauty or intelligence. One of the major focal points was the fact that beautiful people can marry rich men and not have to work hard, therefore, beauty is more advantageous. In this case we see Margarent, who is apparently stunningly beautiful, run off and marry a poor man. Why she did not marry the richest man in the town is unknown. If she was more intelligent she would have married a richer man because women have little to no chance of making any money in that time period. If a woman was to gain status she would have to marry a rich man, Margaret could have but did not. Intelligence is much more valuable than intelligence, but a median between the two is ideal.

Quote
"To get back one's youth one has merely to repeat one's follies" (44).

Response
Lord Henry's statement may have an effect on Dorian. Whether this effect is good or bad is unknown. Dorian could interpret this statement literally and begin repeating all his mistakes again in order to accomplish his everlasting quest for youth. Dorian's other option is to realize that youth is plagued by mistakes which one will not make when they are older and wiser. Dorian may realize that growing old has its perks along with youth. Nothing is perfect and nothing is static, one cannot be young forever and youth is not without it's struggles. Dorian's immaturity is inhibiting him from growing old and wise.

Dorian Gray #1

Quote
"You seem to forget that I am married, and the only charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties" (Wilde 6).

Response
This quote has little textual relevance but I feel like it is the ignored aspect of marriage. Marriage is not a cake walk, people sometimes go into marriage thinking that it will be easy and full of nothing but blissful happiness. This is possibly why the divorce rate in the United States is at 50%, people have a false idea of the struggles of marriage and when the going gets tough people just quit. It is a testimony to certain people, if you are not willing to put effort into something important like marriage then you should not be getting married.

Quote
"Every day. I couldn't be happy if I didn't see him every day. He is absolutely necessary to me" (11).

Response
Oscar Wilde seems to be inserting his own life into his characters. When Basil states that he cannot reveal his painting because it will say to much about his true self it is a testimony to the struggles of homosexuals in the 1800s. These homosexual tendencies are probably why the novel was ridiculed when it first came out. If I was to guess what would happen I would say that Basil's sexual identity will be found out, much like Wilde's was. Once again, the novel's ending is not going to be pleasant.

Dorian Gray Preface Assignment

I did not particularly enjoy the preface as I do not enjoy this type of abstract, artsy writing. I find it somewhat difficult to understand. I did get certain concepts out of this preface. One thing was that people who find faults in beautiful things are corrupt, or in other words, pessimism is bad. People live their lives constantly attempting to find faults in everything while failing to see life's beauty. Wilde then goes on to talk about the morality of books, he states that there are no moral or immoral books, just well writen or badly written. This is a statement I completely agree with, throughout history certain books have gone from ridiculed to acclaimed. The morality of books is not objective, it is based on the opinions of the reader. Certain people could love books that another person would dispise.