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Patrick Scott

Ms. Winter

British Literature, Period 1

10 May 2017

Mirroring the Soul

Is morality subjective or universal? Throughout Oscar Wildes novel, The Picture of

Dorian Gray (1891), Wilde expresses that art is not only useless but a reflection of a time

periods concept of beauty, however this aestheticism may condone a life of moral impurity. To

understand what is right and wrong is a subjective controversy itself, delving deep into Dorians

reality, a reader will discover the symmetry of moral code and his physical beauty. Wilde

explains this moral development and inevitable deterioration through a series of examples that

involve a youthful upbringing, influences in forms of surrounding people, and Dorians physical

genetics.

Dorian Gray was born into a higher social class; he was very much privileged over his

fellow men. The fact that he was gifted with these physical advantages of possession gives a

social edge on others around him. This is in the sense of how he may have a greater opportunity

to thrive in life in its entirety. Granted this wealth, Dorian may have greater access to food,

hygiene, clothing, etc. All of this is a contribution to his eventual adulthood because the

foundation of his life was built with the catalyst of currency seen in the beginning of his tale.

Others in the victorian Era did not have the same advantages as he, we see this from his lover

Sibyl Vane,Poor? What does that matter? When poverty creeps in at the door, love flies in

through the window(59). She had not the same advantages as Dorian and was quite beautiful in
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his eyes, but it wasnt her appearance that intrigued a reader, it was her devotion and selflessness

that is expressed when she falls for Dorian. She is raised in a state of poverty and at the first

chance of possibly becoming rich, she merely uses his wealth as an excuse to please her mother,

Sibyl claims Dorian is,A Prince! she cried,What more do you want?(59). Although he is

not a literal prince, she uses his stability and physical attraction to appeal to her family and

convince them of the marriages appropriateness. Her and Dorian have a similar physical beauty

yet Dorian is incredibly shallow. Although, it is very obvious both of them have this mentality of

aesthetically appealing over psychological compatibility, Dorian is in a way objective. When he

discovers she has quit acting he dumps her as if she is as disposable as a piece of trash,You

have spoiled the romance of my life. How little you can know of love, if you say it mars your art!

Without your art, you are nothing. I would have made you famous, splendid, magnificent. The

world would have worshipped you, and you would have borne my name. What are you now? A

third-rate actress with a pretty face.(74). The fact that he was so in love with her acting and

physical stature, not the person she was, reveals a vivid image of aesthetics over ethics. These

two individuals come from polar social classes yet Dorian treats her with the utmost disrespect.

Caring only for physical beauty may have resulted from him being a duller individual himself,

when conflicting emotions about Sibyls acting arises, Henry asks,We will smoke cigarettes and

drink to the beauty of Sibyl Vane. She is beautiful. What more can you want?(72). This lower

standard of education may blind him to the importance of intelligence, making him completely

unaware and perhaps even uncaring of any psychological strengths, making him focus entirely

on an aesthetically appealing partner.

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Furthermore, Sibyl Vane casts an influential shadow on Dorian spreading his ethical

imbalance like rust on a scrap of steel. She has an important role to provide a reader with more

surface area of Dorian's personality so one can truly see more traits he holds. His love for Sibyl

lies in her acting in which he is in love with,Why should I not love her? [...] Night after night I

go to see her play [...] I have seen her in every age and in every costume. Ordinary women never

appeal to one's imagination. They are limited to their century. [...] But an actress! How different

an actress is.(pp. 50-51). His love for her is tailored with beautiful artificial components. This

longing for someone that puts on a mask every night is symbolic for Dorians lust. Dorian wants

something that is idealistic and aesthetically appealing, this desire has a detrimental

consequence on his moral being. This influence Sibyl has is indirect and she is actually

completely unaware of her impression on Dorian, in a way it was only Dorian furthering his

attributes by interacting with her. However, Basil had a large impact on Dorian earlier in the

novel. Wilde provides a sense of conflict in which Basil is a christ-like character whereas Henry

may be seen as a devil-like model. Basil worshipped Dorian to extents that a reader may be

concerned with the obsession-like relation. He found a deeper beauty in Dorian but through his

soul rather than body,I knew that I had come face to face with some one 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.(10). Basil found great beauty in Dorians moral being when he

was untouched by experience and not only had a soft face, but heart as well. Basil painted him as

he was, pure in both mind and body, this painting represented him throughout the entire novel.

His influences created himself and this change may appear on not him or his bodily being but on

the painting. This isolation from physical consequence furthered his actions because all Dorian
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truly cared for was his youthful face. The observation of the painting and deterrent onto it,

influenced him moreso, withdrawing himself from any concern possibly resulting in a physical

corruption, all while his moral being was being degenerated. There are many situations that

consist of an aesthetic and moral experience but what one must understand is that where one is

there is the other, they are two faces to the same coin. As Philip Cohen has said,Rather than

denying a place for ethics within an aesthetic experience (the either/or choice), it instead denied

primacy to conventional value systems and bluntly asserted the validity of alternative moralities

(the both/and alternative). The idea of morality is subjective, as stated before, so to say that they

work inversely is a narrow sighted statement of a much larger picture. Not all morals are the

same, however, Dorian was aware of the negative impact he was experiencing and did indeed

believe his actions were unjust. For example, when Dorian killed Basil he knew that it was not

right, but this was not until it was too late. Of course he was conscious of the evil he was going

to commit but he had selfish intentions to free himself from his mental prison, in reality, it only

shackled him further. These alternative moral values show a face when introduced to Henry

Hallward, who in manys eyes, was Dorians largest influential role model. When talking to

Dorian, Henry exclaims,Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you.

Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing [...] A new Hedonism--that is what

our century wants. You might be its visible symbol. With your personality there is nothing you

could not do. The world belongs to you for a season(22). Henry tells Dorian to utilize his

beautiful youth because it is short lived and will not be there forever, he guides him to a path of

what he sees as a prevention of regret. Henry installs the first sense of moral challenge in Dorian,

and Dorian actually begins to adopt this new ideology. Valuing aesthetics over morality has been
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a quite frequent pattern in Dorians journey, one he has not regret of until later on when he

realizes that when his picture changes, it is in direct response of his moral being slowly

corrupting. Michael Gillespie has stated in his article, Ethics and Aesthetics in The Picture of

Dorian Gray, art represents the supreme value because it stands as self-sufficient and has no

aim beyond its own perfection. Art serving as a supreme beauty is quite ironic because of

Dorian's painting showing the exact opposite, it only reveals and brings to picture the moral

deterioration. However, this idea that art is meant to show absolute beauty works inversely in

this novel just as aesthetics and morals tend to do. There is an elegant fluidity in the universe that

whatever happens, happens, and whatever will, will. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, hence,

its subjective to the individual. The idea that art is serves only to express supreme beauty bows

to the purpose of aestheticism, however it may also portray moral innocence. The fact is, art is

the only thing that may contain both so strongly, yet it works in complete reverse in Wildes

novel. Morality is controversial as well, but what cannot be denied is that individuals gain it from

experience, and with this, it may alter their interpretation of art. The relationship between all of

these variables are strong in Wildes novel, most specifically in Dorian's painting.

Lastly, in addition to the influences of his peers, Dorians vigorous physical shape is one

stepping stone to the moral journey he completes. Dorian worships his own being, this love for

his aesthetic appearance forms an aspect of narcissism and selfishness, all being fortified from

his interactions with Lord Henry. His appearance as Henry said in his early years was,made out

of ivory and rose-leaves(7). His youth exists throughout the novel but as it endured, his moral

decay proceeded. Readers see this later on when he looks at his own painting and realizes the

misfortune he has suffered, was the red stain larger than it had bee? It seemed to have crept like
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a horrible disease over the wrinkled fingers. There was blood on the painted feet, as though the

thing had dripped-blood even on the hand that had not held the knife(182). At this point, Dorian

has realised that he had compromised his true image at the cost of his artificial. His physical

shape was so unyielding throughout the story that even upon meeting James Vane, the brother of

the woman that had killed herself over Dorian and left Dorian with no remorse, confronted him

in attempts to kill him, was tricked by his almost unrealistic aestheticism over the duration of so

many years. Upon discovering the body as James Vanes, Dorian,stood there for some minutes

looking at the dead body. As he rode home, his eyes were full of tears, for he knew he was

safe(172). Dorian has cheated age and now death, however, he cannot escape his own guilt and

his corruption that shows itself every time he looks at his painting. However, he did attempt to

make amends with himself after realising he could not save himself any other way. Dorian told

Lord Henry that he has,done too many dreadful things in my life. I am not going to do any

more (209). The problem is that he expected one act to reverse the motion of all others,

resulting in greater disappointment and anger when it proved ineffective. Dorian told Henry

another encounter with an innocent girl,I spared somebody. It sounds vain, but you understand

what I mean. She was quite beautiful, and wonderfully like Sibyl Vane. I think it was that which

first attracted me to her(173). His last second hopes of repense had no effect on the picture but

only made his situation worse. The result was Dorian Gray stabbing the painting with the same

knife he had stabbed Basil with, in turn killing himself.

The largest of variables in Dorians equation of morality include his uprising

opportunities, his influential peers, and his physical stature. Understanding Dorian and his path

through moral corruption for aesthetic gain should not alter one's ethical standards but enhance
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current. His story merely provides an example of how one path of the symmetrical moral system

may follow. Dorian attempted to escape his actions and run from what he had become through

little attempt of repense but in the end he could never break free from the psychological bind he

had tethered. In the end, what does a man have if he hath gained the world but sold his soul in

the process?

This piece of art does not directly connect with the novel, however, it runs a parallel

being as it is also in the Victorian Era. Both novel and painting have a common idealistic goal,

and that is that art is meant to be beautiful. The vibrancy of this entire picture shows that it is

most powerful in aestheticism as opposed to morality. It relies entirely on the observer to find it

beautiful. The painting is a reflection of an ideal, this being one of which Dorian strived for until

the day he died, perfect beauty. Dorians story was a work of art, every experience was a elegant

brushstroke on the blank canvas of his previously innocent life. Although, Dorian himself was

not innocent in the end, in the beginning, yes, but he quickly turned his ethical being into a

wretched model.

La Ghirlandata (1873)

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-aesthetic-art-artworks.htm#pnt_2
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Works Cited

1. Wood, Naomi. "Creating the Sensual Child: Paterian Aesthetics, Pederasty, and

Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales." Children's Literature Review, edited by Tom Burns,

vol. 114, Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&u=eldorado&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C

H1420071769&it=r&asid=fcbf08acd2f6daf38f3d2e23a891abe4. Accessed 26

Apr. 2017. Originally published in Marvels and Tales: Journal of Fairy Tale

Studies, vol. 16, no. 2, 2002, pp. 156-170.

2. Cohen, Philip K. "The Crucible." Novels for Students, edited by Ira Mark Milne

and Timothy Sisler, vol. 20, Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&u=eldorado&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C

H1420060100&it=r&asid=e3cc47fe30a02a2c38b8295aac5989bd. Accessed 2

May 2017. Originally published in The Moral Vision of Oscar Wilde, Fairleigh

Dickinson University Press, 1978, pp. 123-127.

3. Gillespie, Michael Patrick. "Ethics and Aesthetics in The Picture of Dorian Gray."

Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Kathy D. Darrow, vol. 272, Gale,

2012. Literature Resource Center,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&u=eldorado&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C
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H1420110025&it=r&asid=84bfc85536bafa2e5ce656fdcd647500. Accessed 26

Apr. 2017. Originally published in Rediscovering Oscar Wilde, edited by C.

George Sandulescu, Colin Smythe, 1994, pp. 137-155.

4. Lesjak, Carolyn. "Oscar Wilde and the Art/Work of Atoms." Studies in the

Literary Imagination, vol. 43, no. 1, 2010, p. 1+. Literature Resource Center,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&u=eldorado&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C

A251001587&it=r&asid=5c20f16eaed707beb5f535709d373fff. Accessed 2 May

2017.

5. Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Second Edition, A Norton

Critical Edition

6. http://www.paradiselost.org/ (I used the section from our book)

7. http://www.theartstory.org/movement-aesthetic-art-artworks.htm#pnt_2

8. Wood, Naomi. "Creating the Sensual Child: Paterian Aesthetics, Pederasty, and

Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales." Children's Literature Review, edited by Tom Burns,

vol. 114, Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&u=eldorado&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C

H1420071769&it=r&asid=fcbf08acd2f6daf38f3d2e23a891abe4. Accessed 26

Apr. 2017. Originally published in Marvels and Tales: Journal of Fairy Tale

Studies, vol. 16, no. 2, 2002, pp. 156-170.