Table of Contents
Why does Dorian decide to destroy the painting at the end of the novel essay?
He was trying to hide his sins and destroy the thing that would give him away. He thought without the painting he might be able to avoid facing the ugly truth of his actions, of what he really was. He believes that destroying the picture will destroy the evidence of all his wrongdoing.
Why does Dorian stab Basil?
He begs Dorian to kneel and pray for forgiveness, but Dorian claims it is too late. Glancing at his picture, Dorian feels hatred welling up within him. He seizes a knife and stabs Basil repeatedly. The servant reports that Basil has been to visit, and Dorian says he is sorry to have missed him.
Why does Dorian hide the painting?
Dorian seals his commitment to a life of vanity and debauchery when he hides and locks the portrait in the attic schoolroom. He rationalizes that he might, in fact, become more virtuous and reverse the moral decay reflected in the picture, but even he seems to know that will never happen.
How does Dorian Gray destroy the painting?
In the novel’s powerful final paragraphs, Dorian, in effect, commits suicide. He despises the figure in the portrait, but that is who he has become. When he slashes at the painting with the knife, appropriately the same knife that killed Basil, Dorian kills himself.
Who does Dorian Gray fall in love with?
Sibyl
Men do have relationships with women in the novel—Dorian falls in love with Sibyl and Lord Henry himself is married—but the novel’s heterosexual relationships prove to be rather superficial and short-lived. If the novel is homoerotic, it is also misogynistic.
Why does Dorian Gray reveal the portrait’s secret?
His decision at the end of the chapter to hide the painting reveals his commitment to a life of vanity and self-gratification. Wilde also shows the reader the tension that Dorian feels about keeping his pact a secret.
Why does basil want to destroy the painting?
Influenced by Lord Henry’s words on youth and beauty, he is terrified of aging. Basil accuses Lord Henry of causing all this turmoil, but Lord Henry says that he has merely brought forth the true Dorian. Basil decides to destroy the portrait rather than have it upset the lives of the three men, but Dorian stops him.
Where does Dorian decide to hide the painting?
Where does Dorian Gray decide to hide the painting? Dorian decides to move the painting into an old schoolroom at the top of his house and keep the painting under lock and key.
What happened in The Picture of Dorian Gray?
The Picture of Dorian Gray is the story of one beautiful, innocent young man’s seduction, moral corruption, and eventual downfall. Basil finishes his portrait of Dorian, and gives it to the young man, who keeps it in his home, where he can admire his own beauty.
How is Dorian Gray rich?
Dorian Gray is a wealthy gentleman who has gained immortality by having his soul trapped within a painting. He is well known for his extravagance and debauchery.