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.