"He could see no change, save that in the eyes there was a look of cunning, and in the mouth the curved wrinkle of the hypocrite... and the scarlet dew that spotted the hands seemed vrighter, and more like blood newly spilled" (227).
Dorian does not think very much about his actions. Letting go of Hetty was vain of him. Keeping her to love him would have been good, because, as Sibyl said, "'to be in love is to surpass one's self'" (71). Dorian probably wanted to do a good deed, not save someone. Like what we talked about in theology when you pat yourself on the back for a good deed, it fuels pride. For Dorian, that is a hard thing not to to, because he is so accustomed to feeling that pride for everything he does. For the fresh blood, it is because of, "'Alan Campbell's suicide'" (217). Whatever caused Alan to shoot himself over was because of the blackmail Dorian held over him and the disposing of Basil's body. He probably felt terrible, and that was all, indirectly or not, because of Dorian, which means he is responsible now for at least three deaths. It is possible Hetty killed herself, because "'she was quite beautiful, and wonderfully like Sibyl Vane'" (215). If she did happen to kill herself, then that would bring the death count to four. I think this might have happened, because Henry goes on a long tangent about her future, which would distract Dorian from wondering about any alternative end. If he thought Hetty had killed herself, Dorian would be so depressed. He is trying to change, but it is all happening very slowly and very erroneously: "Through vanity he had spared her. In hypocrisy he had worn the mask of goodness. For curiosity's sake he had tried the denial of self. He recognized that now" (228). If it had taken Dorian that long to see all of that, it means he was truly trying to change into a better person.
"Did it mean that he was to confess? To give himself up, and be put to death?... He felt that idea was monstrous. Besides, even if he did confess, who would believe him?... Yet it was his duty to confess. There was a God who called upon men to tell their sins to earth as well as heaven. Nothing that he could do would cleanse him till he had told his own sin... Was he always to be burdened by his past? Was he really to confess? Never" (228).
Like when he was harshly rejecting Sibyl, Dorian seems to be putting everything together and slowly coming to an answer. He toys with the idea of a confession, but comes to the logical conclusion that no one would believe him. And no one would. Only Basil and Henry can believe him, because only those two saw the picture before it changed. Anyone else would think Dorian as being insane: "The world would simply say that he was mad. They would shut him up if her persisted in his story" (228). The only problem is that if Henry were to confirm his story, he would be put in jail. He consoles himself with ignoring that and thinking that he would be put into an asylum and no good would come out of it. He is left to figure out what both The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter were trying to figure out: is it better to publicly or privately bear sins? He leans towards publicly then snaps back like an elastic to privately, which would save himself. He decides to free himself and start over, which is a nice theory but would be impossible to practice, because the painting, "had been like a conscience to him. Yes, it had been a conscience. He would destroy it" (228). To get rid of the conscience gets rid of the shame, and that would end any hopes of changing for Dorian. He was so Hellenistic that he thought that destroying the painting that upheld his beauty would save him: "As it had killed the painter, so it would kill the painter's work, and all that that meant. It would kill the past, and when that was dead he would be free. It would kill the monstrous soul-life, and without its hideous warnings he would be at peace" (228-229). Dorian only comforted himself with the thoughts of being good, without any real intention of becoming so.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Character description 2- Sibyl Vane
Sibyl Vane is a beautiful actress who naively fell in love and killed herself because of the results of that love.
Sibyl is a very sweet girl who just wants to be freed from her prison of acting. She is signed with a contract to act, and she must stay there until her time is up. She is engaged to Dorian and says cheerfully, “’I love him because he is what Love himself should be’” (Wilde 65). Sibyl thinks that Dorian is a great man who will come and sweep her off of her feet, and so she is so excited to be with him, calling him the personification of Love. However, when Dorian leaves her, “her little hands stretched blindly out, and appeared to be seeking for him” (92). Instead of growing angry, “she wept silently, and made no answer, but crept nearer” (92). Dorian had hurt her so badly, she was like, “a trampled flower” (92). Before this had happened, she had been a cheerful girl. She had been so in love with Dorian that, “her love was trembling in laughter on her lips” (69). She loved Dorian and needed him so much that she killed herself rid be rid of the pain he had inflicted upon her.
Sibyl is a flower. With her gentle beauty and sweet personality, she seems to open, like the first day of spring, each day. She takes in the world like flowers take in the sunlight, and glows. With the anger of Dorian, her defenses fall like petals in the snow, and she died like the brown stems flowers become when the cold comes.
Sibyl Vane is like the original Little Mermaid, who kills herself to save the one she loves because, in strange way, she saved Dorian from being tied down in marriage.
Sibyl is a very sweet girl who just wants to be freed from her prison of acting. She is signed with a contract to act, and she must stay there until her time is up. She is engaged to Dorian and says cheerfully, “’I love him because he is what Love himself should be’” (Wilde 65). Sibyl thinks that Dorian is a great man who will come and sweep her off of her feet, and so she is so excited to be with him, calling him the personification of Love. However, when Dorian leaves her, “her little hands stretched blindly out, and appeared to be seeking for him” (92). Instead of growing angry, “she wept silently, and made no answer, but crept nearer” (92). Dorian had hurt her so badly, she was like, “a trampled flower” (92). Before this had happened, she had been a cheerful girl. She had been so in love with Dorian that, “her love was trembling in laughter on her lips” (69). She loved Dorian and needed him so much that she killed herself rid be rid of the pain he had inflicted upon her.
Sibyl is a flower. With her gentle beauty and sweet personality, she seems to open, like the first day of spring, each day. She takes in the world like flowers take in the sunlight, and glows. With the anger of Dorian, her defenses fall like petals in the snow, and she died like the brown stems flowers become when the cold comes.
Sibyl Vane is like the original Little Mermaid, who kills herself to save the one she loves because, in strange way, she saved Dorian from being tied down in marriage.
Character description 1- Lord Henry
Lord Henry is a man who talks in confident and influential paradox but always understands both sides of the argument.
Lord Henry is fond of thinking on all sorts of subjects and sharing his thoughts with any audience he can find. He is always very proud of his witticisms: “And Lord Henry… began to smoke a cigarette with a self-conscious and satisfied air, as if he had summed u the world in a phrase” (Wilde 14), When Basil is telling Henry that Dorian treats what Basil had given Dorian of himself as, “an ornament for a summer’s day” (14), Henry retorts with a literal, “days in summer, Basil, are apt to linger” (14). His speeches are often influential because of the confident way in which he speaks. Harry’s influences over people, especially Dorian, grow as time goes on: “For years Dorian Gray could not free himself from the influence of this [Henry’s] book; or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he never sought to free himself from it” (130). Everything Henry says changes people a little. He spouts things whether he believes in them or not just to see the results they have on people, without any regard of the person.
Lord Henry is like a vampire. With his witticisms armed like sharp fangs, he can seduce anyone into following his every ideal just by biting them and allowing his ideas to run through their veins like venom. This changes them from the innocent they once were to a vampire themselves, biting others and spiraling their lives into ruins.
Lord Henry is like Renge from Ouran High School Host Club because of the way they meddle with people without any care or connections to the ends.
Lord Henry is fond of thinking on all sorts of subjects and sharing his thoughts with any audience he can find. He is always very proud of his witticisms: “And Lord Henry… began to smoke a cigarette with a self-conscious and satisfied air, as if he had summed u the world in a phrase” (Wilde 14), When Basil is telling Henry that Dorian treats what Basil had given Dorian of himself as, “an ornament for a summer’s day” (14), Henry retorts with a literal, “days in summer, Basil, are apt to linger” (14). His speeches are often influential because of the confident way in which he speaks. Harry’s influences over people, especially Dorian, grow as time goes on: “For years Dorian Gray could not free himself from the influence of this [Henry’s] book; or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he never sought to free himself from it” (130). Everything Henry says changes people a little. He spouts things whether he believes in them or not just to see the results they have on people, without any regard of the person.
Lord Henry is like a vampire. With his witticisms armed like sharp fangs, he can seduce anyone into following his every ideal just by biting them and allowing his ideas to run through their veins like venom. This changes them from the innocent they once were to a vampire themselves, biting others and spiraling their lives into ruins.
Lord Henry is like Renge from Ouran High School Host Club because of the way they meddle with people without any care or connections to the ends.
Prince Paradox Witticisms
1. I never in my life would hate a person for their offenses against me. Pure hate destroys all the character there is in stubborn dislike.
2. There is not a soul on this earth that hates art, for art is the only thing on this earth with a soul.
3. Common sense is far too rare to be common and far too much of a habit to be sensible.
4. Love and marriage have never made any sense. The eternal love that creates a marriage rots and destroys it.
5. What pleases the senses pleases the soul; just as what is pleasing to the gods does not please us humans.
6. To say dogs are the best companions of man is a lie. I have had plenty of fine human friends, and not one has ever begged for my food.
7. Eternity is quite short when placed with the word love. Humans very rarely live on eternally.
8. The bright beauty of the sun pales in comparison to the quiet light of the moon and stars.
9. I have been praised as a wonderful chef to those who seem to be full each time I cook another meal.
10. There is no pleasure in being bored. The senses lay dormant, and the soul sleeps with them. Being bored is the same as being dead.
2. There is not a soul on this earth that hates art, for art is the only thing on this earth with a soul.
3. Common sense is far too rare to be common and far too much of a habit to be sensible.
4. Love and marriage have never made any sense. The eternal love that creates a marriage rots and destroys it.
5. What pleases the senses pleases the soul; just as what is pleasing to the gods does not please us humans.
6. To say dogs are the best companions of man is a lie. I have had plenty of fine human friends, and not one has ever begged for my food.
7. Eternity is quite short when placed with the word love. Humans very rarely live on eternally.
8. The bright beauty of the sun pales in comparison to the quiet light of the moon and stars.
9. I have been praised as a wonderful chef to those who seem to be full each time I cook another meal.
10. There is no pleasure in being bored. The senses lay dormant, and the soul sleeps with them. Being bored is the same as being dead.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
TPoDG ch. 16-18
"His meeting with Adrian Singleton had strangely moved him, and he wondered in the ruin of the young life was really to be laid at his door, as Basil Hallward had said to him with such infamy of insult.He bit his lip, and for a few seconds his eyes grew sad. Yet, after all, what did it matter to him? One's days were too brief to take the burden of another's errors on one's shoulders. Each man lived his own life, and paid his own price for living it" (194).
Dorian is really conflicted with the idea that maybe he was the one at fault for ruining people. It is really strange that he accepts it to some degree, but then gets rid of the notion immediately. The picture "held the secret of his life, and told his story" (95). This should be enough proof of Dorian's influence over others. Each time he hurts someone, the picture changes. Should that not show that he has superb powers of manipulation? But he does not realize it, and that is both because he can not see it and because he does not want to see it. He tries to hide it from himself, but he is also blind to it. He had "that indefinable attraction that Dorian seemed to be able to exercise whenever he wished, and indeed exercised often without being conscious of it" (170). He could lure people in and change them, and he does not want to admit that to neither himself nor anyone else, and so he lets out his frustration when people call him out on it by doing terrible things, like when he killed Basil.
"He was dominated by the carelessness of happiness, by the high indifference of joy" (207).
At first it seems as if Dorian has turned over a new leaf; as though he has decided to be a better person. I believe he has only suddenly become so attentive to such happy things because he was afraid of death. He was terrified of being killed by Jim, who had realized that Dorian really was the one who led to Sibyl's death: "'They say he has sold himself to the devil for a pretty face. It's nigh on eighteen years since I met him'" (197). Jim, filled with hatred for his sister's killer, has come back to get Dorian. He thinks his death is coming, and, like all people who feel their death is coming, changes. Dorian was feeling, "sick with a wild terror of dying, and yet indifferent to life itself" (205). He did not care much for life, which is Harry's influence, and yet he did not want to die, which seems to be a lingering influence of Basil. Basil's death, in its own way, was good for Dorian, and has made him more in tune with life, and the want to continue living.
Dorian is really conflicted with the idea that maybe he was the one at fault for ruining people. It is really strange that he accepts it to some degree, but then gets rid of the notion immediately. The picture "held the secret of his life, and told his story" (95). This should be enough proof of Dorian's influence over others. Each time he hurts someone, the picture changes. Should that not show that he has superb powers of manipulation? But he does not realize it, and that is both because he can not see it and because he does not want to see it. He tries to hide it from himself, but he is also blind to it. He had "that indefinable attraction that Dorian seemed to be able to exercise whenever he wished, and indeed exercised often without being conscious of it" (170). He could lure people in and change them, and he does not want to admit that to neither himself nor anyone else, and so he lets out his frustration when people call him out on it by doing terrible things, like when he killed Basil.
"He was dominated by the carelessness of happiness, by the high indifference of joy" (207).
At first it seems as if Dorian has turned over a new leaf; as though he has decided to be a better person. I believe he has only suddenly become so attentive to such happy things because he was afraid of death. He was terrified of being killed by Jim, who had realized that Dorian really was the one who led to Sibyl's death: "'They say he has sold himself to the devil for a pretty face. It's nigh on eighteen years since I met him'" (197). Jim, filled with hatred for his sister's killer, has come back to get Dorian. He thinks his death is coming, and, like all people who feel their death is coming, changes. Dorian was feeling, "sick with a wild terror of dying, and yet indifferent to life itself" (205). He did not care much for life, which is Harry's influence, and yet he did not want to die, which seems to be a lingering influence of Basil. Basil's death, in its own way, was good for Dorian, and has made him more in tune with life, and the want to continue living.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
TPoDG ch. 15
"As Dorian Gray drove back to his own house, he was conscious the the sense of terror he thought he had strangled had come back to him. Lord Henry's casual questioning had made him lose his nerve for the moment, and he wanted his nerves still" (187).
One day after killing one of Henry's closest friends, Dorian believes that it is ok to hang out with him, deceiving him. Dorian tries to act normal at first: "he felt wildly excited, but his manner as he bent over his hostess's hand was as easy and graceful as ever. Perhaps one never seems so much at one's ease as when one has a part to play" (179). However, as the night goes on, he seems to be losing his ability to pretend to be calm: "But at dinner he could not eat anything. Plate after plate went away untasted" (181). Dorian is not able to uphold his part as well as he should to avoid suspicion. Harry innocently asks, "'Are you better, my dear fellow?... You seemed rather out of sorts at dinner'" (185). Dorian has already shown himself to be terribly paranoid, and so it is not a safe thing for his nerves here to arouse even the most indifferent form of suspicion. Trying to defend himself against a small question by Harry he says, "I had left my latch-key at home, and my servant had to let me in. If you want any corroborative evidence on the subject you can ask him" (186). It is surprising that Harry did not pick up on the terror Dorian was letting out in his court-like speech. Harry shrugs it off instead. It was strange, because Harry seems to notice everything, and Dorian is rarely as jumpy as he was there. He is usually more personable and casual.
"Between two of the windows stood a large Florentine cabinet... and, having unlocked it, touched some hidden spring. A triangular door passed slowly out. His fingers... closed on something. It was a Chinese box... Inside was a green paste, waxy in luster, the odor curiously heavy and persistent" (187-188).
I am curious as to what this is. The footnote claims it is a poison, and what worried me for a moment was that it would be used on Lord Henry. But Dorian would not kill Lord Henry. Harry's death would ultimately lead to his own death, because Harry and Dorian have become so much the same person. Without one, the other cannot exist, or cannot exist fully as what they were when both were alive. Whatever is in that box is not for Harry, but it is probably going to cause the end of some poor person who may just know too much of Dorian. Possible Campbell? He knows Dorian's biggest secret, and with a temper such as Dorian Gray's, that might just be a reason for someone to die. Although Campbell is a chemist, so he would know what that is, or have a general idea, and would never take it. Dorian seemed a little crazy when he first had the idea to use this strange chemical: "Suddenly he started. His eyes grew strangely bright, and he gnawed nervously at his under-lip... A mad craving came over him. He lit a cigarette, and then threw it away" (187). Obviously something about this has him very excited. He probably thinks it will solve all of his problems, but I am sure it will just cause more.
One day after killing one of Henry's closest friends, Dorian believes that it is ok to hang out with him, deceiving him. Dorian tries to act normal at first: "he felt wildly excited, but his manner as he bent over his hostess's hand was as easy and graceful as ever. Perhaps one never seems so much at one's ease as when one has a part to play" (179). However, as the night goes on, he seems to be losing his ability to pretend to be calm: "But at dinner he could not eat anything. Plate after plate went away untasted" (181). Dorian is not able to uphold his part as well as he should to avoid suspicion. Harry innocently asks, "'Are you better, my dear fellow?... You seemed rather out of sorts at dinner'" (185). Dorian has already shown himself to be terribly paranoid, and so it is not a safe thing for his nerves here to arouse even the most indifferent form of suspicion. Trying to defend himself against a small question by Harry he says, "I had left my latch-key at home, and my servant had to let me in. If you want any corroborative evidence on the subject you can ask him" (186). It is surprising that Harry did not pick up on the terror Dorian was letting out in his court-like speech. Harry shrugs it off instead. It was strange, because Harry seems to notice everything, and Dorian is rarely as jumpy as he was there. He is usually more personable and casual.
"Between two of the windows stood a large Florentine cabinet... and, having unlocked it, touched some hidden spring. A triangular door passed slowly out. His fingers... closed on something. It was a Chinese box... Inside was a green paste, waxy in luster, the odor curiously heavy and persistent" (187-188).
I am curious as to what this is. The footnote claims it is a poison, and what worried me for a moment was that it would be used on Lord Henry. But Dorian would not kill Lord Henry. Harry's death would ultimately lead to his own death, because Harry and Dorian have become so much the same person. Without one, the other cannot exist, or cannot exist fully as what they were when both were alive. Whatever is in that box is not for Harry, but it is probably going to cause the end of some poor person who may just know too much of Dorian. Possible Campbell? He knows Dorian's biggest secret, and with a temper such as Dorian Gray's, that might just be a reason for someone to die. Although Campbell is a chemist, so he would know what that is, or have a general idea, and would never take it. Dorian seemed a little crazy when he first had the idea to use this strange chemical: "Suddenly he started. His eyes grew strangely bright, and he gnawed nervously at his under-lip... A mad craving came over him. He lit a cigarette, and then threw it away" (187). Obviously something about this has him very excited. He probably thinks it will solve all of his problems, but I am sure it will just cause more.
Monday, March 22, 2010
TPoDG ch. 14
"'Your life? Good heavens! what a life that is! You have gone from corruption to corruption, and now you have culminated in crime. In doing what I am going to do, what you force me to do, it is not of your life that I am thinking'" (176).
This is a good example of how former friends of Dorian have turned against him. Campbell is so angry towards him, though that is understandable since he has been threatened with some unknown terrible thing. This makes sense as to Campbell's anger, as shown when Dorian yelled at Basil, "'it is because I know everything about his life, not because he knows everything about mine'" (155). This is how dramatically people who once loved Dorian now hate him. It is not totally clear why, other than that he gets to know too much about people and they feel threatened. However, friends often know each other's secrets. Unless they know nothing of Dorian, then their sudden hatred of him does not make sense. Friend do not suddenly hate friends because of some scandal they are involved in. They live with it and accept them. There is no way to real explanation yet as to why Dorian's friends turn so much away from him as to snap at him and say, "I had intended never to enter your house again, Gray" (171). The use of his last name shows how Campbell is trying to distance himself. But the real question is why? What did Dorian do to him?
"What was that loathsome red dew that gleamed, wet and glistening, on one of the hands, as though the canvas had sweated blood? How horrible it was!- more horrible, it seemed to him for the moment, than the silent thing that he knew was stretched across the table, the thing whose grotesque, misshappen shadow on the spotted carpet showed him that it had not stirred, but was still there, as he had left it" (178).
That is very typical of Dorian to think that the blood on his hands was more terrible than the body of his murdered friend and admirer. He even describes his friend as grotesque, which is not usually the way a person would describe even such a bloody corpse that had once been their friend. He does not see Basil as a friend. Dorian probably will hate Basil more now because he caused the blood on the picture's hands, and that picture is very precious to him. The soiled picture will probably be blamed on Basil, as everything is blamed on Basil, because Henry is too influential to be blamed.
This is a good example of how former friends of Dorian have turned against him. Campbell is so angry towards him, though that is understandable since he has been threatened with some unknown terrible thing. This makes sense as to Campbell's anger, as shown when Dorian yelled at Basil, "'it is because I know everything about his life, not because he knows everything about mine'" (155). This is how dramatically people who once loved Dorian now hate him. It is not totally clear why, other than that he gets to know too much about people and they feel threatened. However, friends often know each other's secrets. Unless they know nothing of Dorian, then their sudden hatred of him does not make sense. Friend do not suddenly hate friends because of some scandal they are involved in. They live with it and accept them. There is no way to real explanation yet as to why Dorian's friends turn so much away from him as to snap at him and say, "I had intended never to enter your house again, Gray" (171). The use of his last name shows how Campbell is trying to distance himself. But the real question is why? What did Dorian do to him?
"What was that loathsome red dew that gleamed, wet and glistening, on one of the hands, as though the canvas had sweated blood? How horrible it was!- more horrible, it seemed to him for the moment, than the silent thing that he knew was stretched across the table, the thing whose grotesque, misshappen shadow on the spotted carpet showed him that it had not stirred, but was still there, as he had left it" (178).
That is very typical of Dorian to think that the blood on his hands was more terrible than the body of his murdered friend and admirer. He even describes his friend as grotesque, which is not usually the way a person would describe even such a bloody corpse that had once been their friend. He does not see Basil as a friend. Dorian probably will hate Basil more now because he caused the blood on the picture's hands, and that picture is very precious to him. The soiled picture will probably be blamed on Basil, as everything is blamed on Basil, because Henry is too influential to be blamed.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
TPoDG ch. 11-12
"'I told him that it was absurd- that I knew you thoroughly, and that you were incapable of anything of the kind. Know you? I wonder do I know you? Before I could answer that I should have to see your soul.' 'To see my soul!' muttered Dorian Gray, starting up from the sofa and turning almost white with fear" (156).
Basil knows know that he has totally lost Dorian. When he had walked by Dorian in the fog, he had still had a naive hope that Dorian was still who he used to be. This is shown in the eagerness he portrays while he speaks to Dorian: "'Dorian! What an extraordinary piece of luck!'" (151). He sounds so happy to see Dorian, and later he is so disappointed in what he sees. It is no longer his friend Dorian, or even the Dorian he knew after the seeds of Henry's influence had begun taking root in his mind. The Dorian that Basil met on that fateful night of his death was the Dorian who not only housed the great garden of Henry's influence, but had also become his own person, separate from Henry, but just as evil as all of the Lord's wildest fantasies. That begs the question, does Dorian know that Henry is toying with him, feeding him with unrealistic passion? Especially with the murder- something Henry would never, ever do- especially to Basil: "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). Henry would never go that far. Dorian has become a monster.
"The friend who had painted the fatal portrait to which all his misery had been due had gone out of his life. That was enough" (164).
Dorian has grown into the type of person who can not put the blame on himself. He must blame another, and that person, sadly, became Basil. He stabbed him to death in hopes that his misery would go away. Basil was his only hope of redemption. He cried as Basil tried to redeem him: "Dorian Gray turned slowly around, and looked at him with tear-dimmed eyes. 'It is too late, Basil,' he faltered" (162). What Dorian wants is just to live out his sins. He has gotten too used to them to stop, and he is too ashamed of them to want to face them. He is afraid of what he has become, as shown in his tears. He keeps hearing Basil speak of forgiveness, "'it is never too late, Dorian. Let us kneel down and try if we can not remember a prayer" (162). Basil's words fill him with a small feeling of hope, but his love of sin and fear of facing himself turn him violently against seeking redemption. Seeking it would be to accept the monster he has become, and also promise him a life of moderate self-denial most people live in. Because of that, he had to get away from the source of both of his pains, Basil.
Basil knows know that he has totally lost Dorian. When he had walked by Dorian in the fog, he had still had a naive hope that Dorian was still who he used to be. This is shown in the eagerness he portrays while he speaks to Dorian: "'Dorian! What an extraordinary piece of luck!'" (151). He sounds so happy to see Dorian, and later he is so disappointed in what he sees. It is no longer his friend Dorian, or even the Dorian he knew after the seeds of Henry's influence had begun taking root in his mind. The Dorian that Basil met on that fateful night of his death was the Dorian who not only housed the great garden of Henry's influence, but had also become his own person, separate from Henry, but just as evil as all of the Lord's wildest fantasies. That begs the question, does Dorian know that Henry is toying with him, feeding him with unrealistic passion? Especially with the murder- something Henry would never, ever do- especially to Basil: "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). Henry would never go that far. Dorian has become a monster.
"The friend who had painted the fatal portrait to which all his misery had been due had gone out of his life. That was enough" (164).
Dorian has grown into the type of person who can not put the blame on himself. He must blame another, and that person, sadly, became Basil. He stabbed him to death in hopes that his misery would go away. Basil was his only hope of redemption. He cried as Basil tried to redeem him: "Dorian Gray turned slowly around, and looked at him with tear-dimmed eyes. 'It is too late, Basil,' he faltered" (162). What Dorian wants is just to live out his sins. He has gotten too used to them to stop, and he is too ashamed of them to want to face them. He is afraid of what he has become, as shown in his tears. He keeps hearing Basil speak of forgiveness, "'it is never too late, Dorian. Let us kneel down and try if we can not remember a prayer" (162). Basil's words fill him with a small feeling of hope, but his love of sin and fear of facing himself turn him violently against seeking redemption. Seeking it would be to accept the monster he has become, and also promise him a life of moderate self-denial most people live in. Because of that, he had to get away from the source of both of his pains, Basil.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
TPoDG ch. 10
"Perhaps some day the cruel look would have passed away from the scarlet sensitive mouth, and he might show to the world Basil Hallward's masterpiece. No; that was impossible. Hour by hour week by week the thing upon the canvas was growing old. It might escape the hideousness of sin, but the hideousness of age was in store for it" (126).
This realization really makes Dorian paranoid. He starts to think everyone wants to see the picture: "He felt ready to leap upon [Mr. Hubbard] and fling him to the ground if he dared lift the gorgeous hanging that concealed the secret of his life" (126). Dorian believes everyone is out to get him now. There is nothing good in holding back this kind of a secret! He even begins to suspect Victor, his servant, of wanting to deceive him: "Perhaps some night he might find [Victor] creeping up-stairs and trying to force the door of the room" (127). Dorian is losing trust in people quickly and becoming very defensive. He is going to lose is mind while the painting ages.
"'Yes? I thought you would like it,' replied the host, rising from his chair.
'I didn't say I liked it, Harry. I said it fascinated me. There is a great difference.'
'Ah, so you have discovered that?' murmured Lord Henry"(129).
I feel bad for Lord Henry! Dorian says that you do not necessarily need to like something that fascinates you. Something can fascinate you, and when it ceases to fascinate you, you may stop liking it. That is what Lord Henry is to Dorian. Henry is simply something that fascinates Dorian; he is not something Dorian necessarily likes. Henry is boring without his outrageous theories. Without his theories, he is nothing more than a loner who has no interest in the world. Without his theories, Dorian would have no reason to spend time with him.
This realization really makes Dorian paranoid. He starts to think everyone wants to see the picture: "He felt ready to leap upon [Mr. Hubbard] and fling him to the ground if he dared lift the gorgeous hanging that concealed the secret of his life" (126). Dorian believes everyone is out to get him now. There is nothing good in holding back this kind of a secret! He even begins to suspect Victor, his servant, of wanting to deceive him: "Perhaps some night he might find [Victor] creeping up-stairs and trying to force the door of the room" (127). Dorian is losing trust in people quickly and becoming very defensive. He is going to lose is mind while the painting ages.
"'Yes? I thought you would like it,' replied the host, rising from his chair.
'I didn't say I liked it, Harry. I said it fascinated me. There is a great difference.'
'Ah, so you have discovered that?' murmured Lord Henry"(129).
I feel bad for Lord Henry! Dorian says that you do not necessarily need to like something that fascinates you. Something can fascinate you, and when it ceases to fascinate you, you may stop liking it. That is what Lord Henry is to Dorian. Henry is simply something that fascinates Dorian; he is not something Dorian necessarily likes. Henry is boring without his outrageous theories. Without his theories, he is nothing more than a loner who has no interest in the world. Without his theories, Dorian would have no reason to spend time with him.
TPoDG ch. 9
"'I know you are surprised at me talking to you like this. You have not realized how I have developed. I was a schoolboy when you knew me. I am a man now. I have new passions, new thoughts, new ideas. I am different, but you must not like me less... Don't leave me, Basil, and don't quarrel with me. I am what I am. There is nothing more to be said'" (114).
Poor Basil. He's such a sweet guy, and here Dorian goes, being an ass who took Harry too seriously. Dorian tries to make it seem like he's so mature, but he is still a schoolboy! One moment he is against Harry and his influence: "He would not see Lord Henry any more- would not, at any rate, listen to those subtle, poisonous theories that in Basil Hallward's garden had first stirred within him the passion for impossible things" (96). Within twenty pages, his mind changes drastically: "'I owe a great deal to Harry, Basil... more than I owe to you. You only taught me to be vain'" (112). That is not true. Dorian would never have been vain without Henry poking the thoughts into him: "Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!" (25). Dorian is still a schoolboy in his mind.
"Was the world going to be shown his secret? Were people to gape at the mystery of his life? That was impossible. Something- he did not know what- had to be done at once" (116).
This is just like what we have been talking about in theology (I think it was theology and not English). If everyone in the world knew the worst thing you had done, how would you feel? Here, Dorian is literally face-to-face with this problem. He knows that the expression of the portrait is very different than the one that was originally painted; that it looks cruel and unwelcoming, very different than what he used to be. He does not want the world to know his true nature, and even gets mad at Basil: "A cry of horror broke from Dorian Gray's lips, and he rushed between the painter and the screen. 'Basil,' he said, looking very pale, 'you must not look at it. I don't wish you to'" (115). Why would you want to hide who you are from the world, when they'll probably just piece it together anyway? I guess Dorian doesn't want the world to see because he has not become as detached from the world as Harry is yet. He still has a piece of him left in the real world that he wants to mask, like all people want to mask their faults, personality wise or aesthetic wise, and since he has no problems with his looks, he may try twice as hard to cover up his personality until Henry's influence takes him over completely.
Poor Basil. He's such a sweet guy, and here Dorian goes, being an ass who took Harry too seriously. Dorian tries to make it seem like he's so mature, but he is still a schoolboy! One moment he is against Harry and his influence: "He would not see Lord Henry any more- would not, at any rate, listen to those subtle, poisonous theories that in Basil Hallward's garden had first stirred within him the passion for impossible things" (96). Within twenty pages, his mind changes drastically: "'I owe a great deal to Harry, Basil... more than I owe to you. You only taught me to be vain'" (112). That is not true. Dorian would never have been vain without Henry poking the thoughts into him: "Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!" (25). Dorian is still a schoolboy in his mind.
"Was the world going to be shown his secret? Were people to gape at the mystery of his life? That was impossible. Something- he did not know what- had to be done at once" (116).
This is just like what we have been talking about in theology (I think it was theology and not English). If everyone in the world knew the worst thing you had done, how would you feel? Here, Dorian is literally face-to-face with this problem. He knows that the expression of the portrait is very different than the one that was originally painted; that it looks cruel and unwelcoming, very different than what he used to be. He does not want the world to know his true nature, and even gets mad at Basil: "A cry of horror broke from Dorian Gray's lips, and he rushed between the painter and the screen. 'Basil,' he said, looking very pale, 'you must not look at it. I don't wish you to'" (115). Why would you want to hide who you are from the world, when they'll probably just piece it together anyway? I guess Dorian doesn't want the world to see because he has not become as detached from the world as Harry is yet. He still has a piece of him left in the real world that he wants to mask, like all people want to mask their faults, personality wise or aesthetic wise, and since he has no problems with his looks, he may try twice as hard to cover up his personality until Henry's influence takes him over completely.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
TPoDG ch. 8
"Besides, nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner. Conscience makes egoists of us all" (106).
If conscience makes one an egoist, then Dorian Gray has no chance left for himself. Now that he has realized the picture will reflect his own sins, he will have a visual conscience staring him back in the eyes every day. He even believes that "the picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the emblem of conscience"(96). He has this reminder of all of his sins, which will also remind him of his vices. Each day the picture does not change, he will realize he was good that day, which will add to his pride. Dorian's ego will balloon because of this.
"'Mourn for Ophelia, if you like. Put ashes on your head because Cordelia was strangled. Cry out against Heaven because the daughter of Brabantio died. But don't waste your tears over Sibyl Vane. She was less real then they are" (107).
Harsh, Harry, and also wrong. Maybe Sibyl was less real then the characters him, but not to Sibyl's mother or Jim, who both loved her very much. (Speaking of Jim, if he finds out, Dorian is in trouble). Sibyl had a personality and a character, and Henry, in an attempt to calm Dorian, and following his disconnected nature, tells the younger man that Sibyl wasn't real. That's wrong, and it disconnects Dorian from the world like Harry is. The apathy he feels is not healthy, and he is bringing Dorian down with him.
If conscience makes one an egoist, then Dorian Gray has no chance left for himself. Now that he has realized the picture will reflect his own sins, he will have a visual conscience staring him back in the eyes every day. He even believes that "the picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the emblem of conscience"(96). He has this reminder of all of his sins, which will also remind him of his vices. Each day the picture does not change, he will realize he was good that day, which will add to his pride. Dorian's ego will balloon because of this.
"'Mourn for Ophelia, if you like. Put ashes on your head because Cordelia was strangled. Cry out against Heaven because the daughter of Brabantio died. But don't waste your tears over Sibyl Vane. She was less real then they are" (107).
Harsh, Harry, and also wrong. Maybe Sibyl was less real then the characters him, but not to Sibyl's mother or Jim, who both loved her very much. (Speaking of Jim, if he finds out, Dorian is in trouble). Sibyl had a personality and a character, and Henry, in an attempt to calm Dorian, and following his disconnected nature, tells the younger man that Sibyl wasn't real. That's wrong, and it disconnects Dorian from the world like Harry is. The apathy he feels is not healthy, and he is bringing Dorian down with him.
TPoDG ch. 7
"'Yes,' he cried, 'you have killed my love! You used to stir my imagination. Now you do not even stir my curiosity. You simply produce no effect. I loved you because you were marvelous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid. My God! how mad I was to love you! What a fool I have been. You are nothing to me now'" (91).
So, Dorian is an ass. He was so mean! Poor Sibyl is such a sweet girl, and he goes and tells her he only loved her for her acting, and that without acting she is nothing. Because Dorian is so beautiful himself, he doesn't even care about the beauty she has. He only wants someone that interests him, and beauty does not hold that interest. Personality and talent does, and without that, all perfection he saw in Sibyl tarnished into something ugly.
"The picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscious. He would resist temptation. He would not see Lord Henry any more- would not, at any rate, listen to those subtle, poisonous theories that in Basil Hallward's garden had first stirred within him the passion for impossible things. He would go back to Sibyl Vane, make her amends, marry her, try to love her again... She must have suffered more than he had. Poor child! He had been selfish and cruel to her... His life with her would be beautiful and pure" (96).
This is a dramatic shift! He suddenly wants to be forgiven and save Sibyl from her torture. That's so narcissistic. The only reason he even realized he was an ass was because he noticed the imperfections in his portrait. If it had been an image of another person, he would not have even cared. He only wants to see himself perfect in all respects, even an artificial self such as one made of paint, so it makes him want to change.
So, Dorian is an ass. He was so mean! Poor Sibyl is such a sweet girl, and he goes and tells her he only loved her for her acting, and that without acting she is nothing. Because Dorian is so beautiful himself, he doesn't even care about the beauty she has. He only wants someone that interests him, and beauty does not hold that interest. Personality and talent does, and without that, all perfection he saw in Sibyl tarnished into something ugly.
"The picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscious. He would resist temptation. He would not see Lord Henry any more- would not, at any rate, listen to those subtle, poisonous theories that in Basil Hallward's garden had first stirred within him the passion for impossible things. He would go back to Sibyl Vane, make her amends, marry her, try to love her again... She must have suffered more than he had. Poor child! He had been selfish and cruel to her... His life with her would be beautiful and pure" (96).
This is a dramatic shift! He suddenly wants to be forgiven and save Sibyl from her torture. That's so narcissistic. The only reason he even realized he was an ass was because he noticed the imperfections in his portrait. If it had been an image of another person, he would not have even cared. He only wants to see himself perfect in all respects, even an artificial self such as one made of paint, so it makes him want to change.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
TPoDG 6
"'Her trust makes me faithful, her belief makes me good. When I am with her, I regret all that you have taught me... the mere touch of Sibyl Vane's hand makes me forget you and all your wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories" (82).
Ouch. That was harsh, Dorian. He sees through Henry; I was wrong. I really believed he was too naive to truly notice the influence Henry had over him, but it seems that he has ether just realized it because of his love for Sibyl, or he has truly always known it and simply never cared. I think that Dorian will never be able to break away from Henry, though, because of his platonic affections for him. Dorian seems attached to Henry's wonderful theories, and he will never be able to break away, no matter what kind of influence Sibyl has over him, and I believe that influence will fade with time.
"The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colorless... Still, there are certain temperments thatmarriage makes more complex... I hope that Dorian Gray will make this girl his wife, passionately adore her for six months, and then suddenly become fascinated mby someone else. He would be a wonderful study.' 'You don't mean a single word of all that, Harry, you know you don't. If Dorian Gray's life were spoiled, no one would be sorrier than yourself'" (78-79).
These are two views of Henry's, and I do not know which one to believe more firmly in, because I trust they are both correct. He is undoubtable interested in what Dorian will do with his life. Henry is so curious about human life, and Dorian specifically since Dorian can life out his wildest desires because of his beauty. However, Henry cares for him very much. Henry wants him to be happy, or else he would not have influenced him so much to do whatever he wanted that would make him so. Henry would probably be very sad if Dorian felt ruined because of Henry's prodding. However, whether that is because his experiment would fail- If Dorian felt ruined because of Henry, he would never listen to him again- or because Dorian would be sad because of his choices, I am not yet sure.
Ouch. That was harsh, Dorian. He sees through Henry; I was wrong. I really believed he was too naive to truly notice the influence Henry had over him, but it seems that he has ether just realized it because of his love for Sibyl, or he has truly always known it and simply never cared. I think that Dorian will never be able to break away from Henry, though, because of his platonic affections for him. Dorian seems attached to Henry's wonderful theories, and he will never be able to break away, no matter what kind of influence Sibyl has over him, and I believe that influence will fade with time.
"The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colorless... Still, there are certain temperments thatmarriage makes more complex... I hope that Dorian Gray will make this girl his wife, passionately adore her for six months, and then suddenly become fascinated mby someone else. He would be a wonderful study.' 'You don't mean a single word of all that, Harry, you know you don't. If Dorian Gray's life were spoiled, no one would be sorrier than yourself'" (78-79).
These are two views of Henry's, and I do not know which one to believe more firmly in, because I trust they are both correct. He is undoubtable interested in what Dorian will do with his life. Henry is so curious about human life, and Dorian specifically since Dorian can life out his wildest desires because of his beauty. However, Henry cares for him very much. Henry wants him to be happy, or else he would not have influenced him so much to do whatever he wanted that would make him so. Henry would probably be very sad if Dorian felt ruined because of Henry's prodding. However, whether that is because his experiment would fail- If Dorian felt ruined because of Henry, he would never listen to him again- or because Dorian would be sad because of his choices, I am not yet sure.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
TPoDG ch. 5
"There was jealousy in the lad's heart, and a fierce, murderous hatred of the stranger who, as it seemed to him, had come between them... There were tears in his eyes as he went down stairs" (74).
Jim is capable of such strong emotion when it comes to Sibyl. He's a very soft person, although he has a really tough exterior which would come with having to be the man of the house since his father had died. He doesn't trust easily, "if he ever does you any wrong, I shall kill him" (73), and he doesn't really like people, "Jim frowned from time to time when he caught the inquisitive glance of some stranger" (69). He is the kind of character who needs to understand people to trust them, not the type to put blind trust in a person, like his sister does, loving a man whose name she does not know: "He is called Prince Charming. Don't you like the name?" (71).
"She felt that they would all laugh at it some day" (76).
The way this ended the chapter and the amount of seriousness that Dorian puts into his love for Sibyl makes it seem like there is really going to be a problem between Jim and Dorian. The two won't get along, not with Harry quickly becoming attached to Dorian at the hip, and I do not see Harry and Jim getting along at all. Jim's suspicious view of the world will reject Harry's manipulation, see through it, and despise it. That is my prediction. Also, I predict that there will be serious problems between Sibyl and Dorian. Dorian's quirk of wanting all pleasure all the time will probably end all possibilities for fidelity, especially since manipulative Henry already dropped his views on that matter: "Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect- simply a confession of failure"(53).
Jim is capable of such strong emotion when it comes to Sibyl. He's a very soft person, although he has a really tough exterior which would come with having to be the man of the house since his father had died. He doesn't trust easily, "if he ever does you any wrong, I shall kill him" (73), and he doesn't really like people, "Jim frowned from time to time when he caught the inquisitive glance of some stranger" (69). He is the kind of character who needs to understand people to trust them, not the type to put blind trust in a person, like his sister does, loving a man whose name she does not know: "He is called Prince Charming. Don't you like the name?" (71).
"She felt that they would all laugh at it some day" (76).
The way this ended the chapter and the amount of seriousness that Dorian puts into his love for Sibyl makes it seem like there is really going to be a problem between Jim and Dorian. The two won't get along, not with Harry quickly becoming attached to Dorian at the hip, and I do not see Harry and Jim getting along at all. Jim's suspicious view of the world will reject Harry's manipulation, see through it, and despise it. That is my prediction. Also, I predict that there will be serious problems between Sibyl and Dorian. Dorian's quirk of wanting all pleasure all the time will probably end all possibilities for fidelity, especially since manipulative Henry already dropped his views on that matter: "Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect- simply a confession of failure"(53).
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
TPoDG ch. 4
"'I wish now that I had not told you about Sibyl Vane.' 'You could not have helped telling me, Dorian. All through your life you will tell me everything you do.' 'Yes, Harry, I believe that is true. I cannot help telling you things. You have a curious influence over me'" (56).
Dorian has noticed this influence, but it is like he has not fully grasped it. The way he speaks of it is just like it's an arbitrary idea in his head that comes up and then goes away with the change of topic. Later Dorian says, "'I wonder if that is so, Harry?'...'it must be, if you say it' (60-61). He doesn't bring up being influenced again, so it is more evident that he really doesn't fully grasp the fact that he is being so dramatically influenced. It is shown that he still does not fully realize he is being influenced when Harry is alone thinking, "our weakest motives were those of whose nature we were conscious" (63). Dorian is not conscious of where his new ideas were coming from. He has no idea they are from Harry, or else he would not be so passionate about them.
"I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain" (59).
Here, Dorian is even starting to talk like Harry. He is using this figurative and flowy language unlike what he used before, but mostly like Harry's way of speaking. It's like he's taking on the whole new persona and soaking Harry in like a sponge. Before, Dorian never seemed like such a deep speaker, but he is changing as his time with Harry increases.
Dorian has noticed this influence, but it is like he has not fully grasped it. The way he speaks of it is just like it's an arbitrary idea in his head that comes up and then goes away with the change of topic. Later Dorian says, "'I wonder if that is so, Harry?'...'it must be, if you say it' (60-61). He doesn't bring up being influenced again, so it is more evident that he really doesn't fully grasp the fact that he is being so dramatically influenced. It is shown that he still does not fully realize he is being influenced when Harry is alone thinking, "our weakest motives were those of whose nature we were conscious" (63). Dorian is not conscious of where his new ideas were coming from. He has no idea they are from Harry, or else he would not be so passionate about them.
"I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter, and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain" (59).
Here, Dorian is even starting to talk like Harry. He is using this figurative and flowy language unlike what he used before, but mostly like Harry's way of speaking. It's like he's taking on the whole new persona and soaking Harry in like a sponge. Before, Dorian never seemed like such a deep speaker, but he is changing as his time with Harry increases.
Ch. 3
"Yes, he would try to be to Dorian Gray what, without knowing it, the lad was to the painter who had fashioned the wonderful portrait. He would seek to dominate him- had already, indeed, half done so. He would make that wonderful spirit his own. There was something fascinating in this son of Love and Death" (40).
Henry here is trying to make Dorian something like himself. Henry also believed that "there was something terribly enthralling in the excercise of influence... To project one's soul into some gracious form... to hear one's own intellectual views echoed back... to convey one's temperament to another... there was real joy in that" (39). Henry likes that Dorian is so easily molded because Dorian's views are yet to be matured. Henry wants to make an impression on him, something that he cannot do with Basil because Basil is not so impressionable, and often sees through his arguments. Also, more than just his impressionability, Dorian is a paradox, something Lord Henry is so fond of. Love and death are two very different things, but they become mixed together in Dorian's past, intriguing Henry to the point where he wants to be able to make Dorian into the type of person he views him as. This I do not view as homosexual, but more as Lord Henry's curiosity and meddlesome nature finding a playground in Dorian, who is too naive to notice he is being made as a plaything for Henry.
"'I can sympathize with everything, except suffering... I cannot sympathize with that. It is too ugly, too horrible, too distressing. There is something terribly morbid in the modern sympathy with pain. One should sympathize with the color, the beauty, the joy of life'" (43).
People always try to sympathize with pain. Pain is something people want other people to sympathize with, so that they do not feel alone in their suffering. However, here Henry says that no one should sympathize with pain, but instead with the beauty of life. While this is interesting, it seems so disconnected with the world. It would be easy to not sympathize with pain if there is no pain around you, but when there is, as there has always been, it is hard not to do so. Henry seems to be talking from a world apart from the one people live in. He seems to be living in a world without pain and full of beauty. This goes with his character, but it is a very extreme view.
Henry here is trying to make Dorian something like himself. Henry also believed that "there was something terribly enthralling in the excercise of influence... To project one's soul into some gracious form... to hear one's own intellectual views echoed back... to convey one's temperament to another... there was real joy in that" (39). Henry likes that Dorian is so easily molded because Dorian's views are yet to be matured. Henry wants to make an impression on him, something that he cannot do with Basil because Basil is not so impressionable, and often sees through his arguments. Also, more than just his impressionability, Dorian is a paradox, something Lord Henry is so fond of. Love and death are two very different things, but they become mixed together in Dorian's past, intriguing Henry to the point where he wants to be able to make Dorian into the type of person he views him as. This I do not view as homosexual, but more as Lord Henry's curiosity and meddlesome nature finding a playground in Dorian, who is too naive to notice he is being made as a plaything for Henry.
"'I can sympathize with everything, except suffering... I cannot sympathize with that. It is too ugly, too horrible, too distressing. There is something terribly morbid in the modern sympathy with pain. One should sympathize with the color, the beauty, the joy of life'" (43).
People always try to sympathize with pain. Pain is something people want other people to sympathize with, so that they do not feel alone in their suffering. However, here Henry says that no one should sympathize with pain, but instead with the beauty of life. While this is interesting, it seems so disconnected with the world. It would be easy to not sympathize with pain if there is no pain around you, but when there is, as there has always been, it is hard not to do so. Henry seems to be talking from a world apart from the one people live in. He seems to be living in a world without pain and full of beauty. This goes with his character, but it is a very extreme view.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Why Dorian and HENRY make sense. GET AT ME, SCOTT. >D (TPoDG ch. 1&2)
"And Beauty is a form of Genius- is higher, indeed. than Genius, as it needs no explanation... It cannot be questioned... To me, Beauty is the wonder of wonders... But what the gods give, they quickly take away... When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you, or have to content yourself with those mean triumphs that the memory of your past will make more bitter then defeats... Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!" (24-25).
Indifferent Lord Henry has an interesting obsession with youth. That obsession is what makes his instant attraction to Dorian make sense. Dorian's eternal beauty is something that Henry, a person in love with youth and a deep thinker, would be infatuated with. Dorian immediately took a liking to Henry also, and so their relationship will only continue to grow into something beautiful. Henry even said, "I choose my friends for their good looks" (10). Dorian is very good looking, and so he and Henry are destined to become very good friends.
Indifferent Lord Henry has an interesting obsession with youth. That obsession is what makes his instant attraction to Dorian make sense. Dorian's eternal beauty is something that Henry, a person in love with youth and a deep thinker, would be infatuated with. Dorian immediately took a liking to Henry also, and so their relationship will only continue to grow into something beautiful. Henry even said, "I choose my friends for their good looks" (10). Dorian is very good looking, and so he and Henry are destined to become very good friends.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I wish I could say something intelligent about this but all I got is "wtf?" so here's some bs
The artist is a person who can create something out of nothing. Art, in the case of books, are stories made through the mind of the author, and are whatever the author wants it to be. Books have so much purpose in the world. They entertain people and teach people, but people can be entertained and taught without books. This gives books no purpose. Essentially, everything has no purpose because humans would make due with whatever they have to fill in the spots of what they lack. Music can be replaced with poetry which can be replaced with fiction which can be replaced with plays, and so on. To some people, music is everything, but if music never existed, then maybe poetry would be everything to that person. One thing with a seemingly obvious meaning can be interpreted in many different ways. That is what I think Oscar Wilde is trying to say. That art can be made and destroyed by people, loved and hated by people, and so its meaning is very deep and unforgettable, but it is so meaningless because it can be replaced.
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