Outline
Introduction
Dorian
Grey
Basil
Hallward
Lord
Henry Wotton
The
Best Reflection of the Author
Conclusion
Reflections of author's personality in ‘The picture
of Dorian Gray’
‘The
picture of Dorian Gray’ is viewed by many as a true reflection of the life of
its author (Oscar Wilde). The reflection comes out clearly through the main
characters in the novel: Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton. This
essay will show that there is a degree of reflection of the author’s
personality in ‘the picture of Dorian Gray’. The three major characters in
the novel display personalities which to a great extent resembled that of Oscar
Wilde. All these characters have some level of personality which was
similar to that of Oscar Wilde. The characters are analyzed in the order
starting with Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton.
In his lifetime Dorian had a great love for pleasure
in the very same way that Oscar Wilde had. Dorian had a great love for beauty
and aesthetics just like Wilde did. Concerning Wilde, Sloan wrote, “to the
wider public, an apostle of aesthetes who mixed with fashionable society” (11).
Sloan further wrote that Wilde left Oxford in 1879 with an aim to pursue,
“success - fame or even notoriety” (9). Dorian enjoyed being young as it
allowed him to engage in all pleasures. Wilde likewise is seen engaging in pleasures,
which were considered crimes, such as the homosexual act.
The craving for pleasure seen in the lives of Dorian
and Oscar led them to commit crimes which eventually led to their downfall. All
the consequences of the evil that Dorian committed were somehow transferred to
the portrait he had hid in his upper room. One time, after examining the
portrait, he realized that he had committed many evils and in an attempt to
change the situation he got too angry and stabbed the portrait automatically committing
suicide. Dorian’s death was brought about by his quest for extreme pleasure
which aged the portrait. Oscar Wilde likewise led a life in pursuit of pleasure
which led him to committing what was then considered crime and led to his
imprisonment which effectively was his downfall. Wilde tried to live really,
fully, and perfectly by engaging in acts considered unconventional just as
Dorian had done. The two did not seem to have much sense of conscience.
The states of the downfall of Oscar and Dorian were
quite similar. In his last days Wilde spent his life in abject poverty which
can related to the state in which Dorian died – old and in a very ugly state -
which made it hard for his recognition. Pearce wrote, “Oscar Wilde died a
pariah” (13). The two died in states which were contradicting those they had
spent their lives in. Another character which reflected the personality of
Oscar Wilde is Basil Hallward.
Basil
Hallward and Oscar Wilde had a deep love for art and could give up anything for
it. Basil was extremely attracted to art and regarded it as part of his own
life. He liked art so much that he could not sell his best work even at a very
high price: “you remember that landscape of mine, for which Agnew offered me
such a huge price, but which I would not part with?” (Wilde 14). He tenaciously
held to his art and never let it go at any moment; he was very talented in art.
This tenacity and admiration for art was seen in the life of Oscar Wilde. Oscar
Wilde went to all lengths to show his love for art including crossing roads
with Whistler. Wilde believed that art was made for life and not the reverse.
Basil
and Oscar believed that being attracted to a male person was good as it made it
possible to fully display their talents. In the novel, it is depicted that the
presence and admiration that Basil had for Dorian made him (Basil) paint the
best work. This is seen twice: when he was painting the portrait and landscape.
It is recorded, “because, while I was painting it, Dorian Gray sat beside me;
some subtle influence passed from him to me, and for the first time in my life
I saw in the plain woodland the wonder I had always looked for, and always
missed” (Wilde 14). After being initiated into homosexual by Ross: the relationship
and conversations Oscar had with Ross inspired him to claim that even
Shakespeare had the same relations: “the Portrait of Mr. W. H., which sets out
to prove that Shakespeare’s artistic genius flowered because of his love for a
boy actor” (Sloan 18). Oscar and Basil believed male friends were necessary for
art to be fully appreciated.
To
some extent the downfall of Basil is quite similar to that of Oscar. Basil went
to see Dorian because of the portrait he loved so much and ended up dying there.
Oscar is seen engaging in what he believed would make his art flow out and
ended up being imprisoned. In short, the two fell in pursuit of what they held
fast to their hearts.
Lord
Henry Wotton and Oscar Wilde display a common personality in regard to how one
should live his life. In the novel Lord Henry Wotton is a friend of Basil
Hallward and after being introduced to Dorian he is attracted to him. His
attraction to Dorian is reflected in the attraction that Oscar Wilde had for
Lord Alfred Douglas. It was Lord Henry Wotton who had the views that one ought
to live his life fully especially when talented, “you have only few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully”
(Wilde 24). It is clear that Oscar Wilde must have harbored the same
views in his heart and consequently ended up engaging in all kind of pleasures
in his life. Lord Henry Wotton and Oscar Wilde held the belief that one should
maximally utilize the opportunities to enjoy the pleasures that life brings
along.
Of
the three characters Dorian Gray best reflected the personality of Oscar Wilde.
Lord Henry Wotton only reflected the personality of engaging in pleasures as
long as one is alive. Basil Hallward reflected the personality of Oscar being
talented and the pursuit of the talent leading to his downfall. Dorian Gray not
only reflected the talent in Oscar Wilde but also the urge to engage in all
manner of pleasures. The state of the downfall of Dorian is very similar to
that of Oscar. Dorian in this sense reflected perfectly the personality of
Oscar Dorian.
In
conclusion, Dorian Grey and Oscar Wilde both have a great affinity for life’s
pleasures. They went to all lengths to enjoy all the pleasures in their
lifetime and in the process committed crimes which eventually resulted to their
downfall. Basil Hallward’s great love for art was similar to that of Oscar
Wilde. It was this love that drove the two men to their downfall. Lord Henry Wotton
and Oscar Wilde held the same view of engaging in pleasure in life since life
is quite short. Of the three characters the personality of Dorian best
reflected the personality of Oscar Wilde.
Works Cited
Pearce, Joseph. The unmasking of Oscar Wilde. San
Francisco: Ignatius, 2004. Print.
Sloan, John. Oscar Wilde. London: Oxford University
Press, 2003. Print.
Wilde, Oscar. ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. 1890. Maryland:
Arc Manor LLC, 2008. Print.
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