Your so Vain, You Probably Think This Book Is About You. OR The Scumbag Thinks He's Hot.

I am writing this with a hope that everyone reading has a full understanding of the story so I don't have to explain every aspect.

              The consequences of vanity is the biggest theme in The Picture of Dorian Grey. What is the first thought that corrupts dorian? His corruption starts when he realizes he is beautiful and that beauty and pleasure is the only thing worth living for. His friend Basil would tell him all the time about his wonderful youth, but he would ignore. When he finally meets Lord Henry, and is told again about his beauty, he is corrupted. Then he sees the picture Basil paints and again realizes how beautiful he is. Then, after a few years, the scumbag Dorian becomes a horrible person (with a beautiful face) who has a horrible influence on everyone he meets. Up until the last scene, Dorian is enjoying the pleasures of life, even though they are destroying him in front of his eyes. In the end Dorian cant handle his own corruption and stabs the picture that, as you know, entraps  his soul on a canvas. Then he dies. In the end he pays for his wrongs and the wrongs came from his vanity. Therefore the biggest theme is the consequences of vanity.

"There comes a time when you into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors."
~Tennessee williams

The Pleasures of Life

I think the story of Dorian Gray is about the pleasures of art and in Dorian's case the art of his life.

Dorian lived his life believing that art only existed to be beautiful, and that life was the same way.

Life to Dorian was supposed to be lived to the most of its possibility, to enjoy everything about life

pleasurable, moral or unmoral. If what he believed were true it could be said that there is no

morality in the world, but this is not true. The attitude of Dorian could be blamed on Lord Henry as

he started him on this way of life. The theme becomes more obvious as the picture of Dorian

becomes the sum of all his sins and his ageing. This is caused by his vain attempt to keep his youth.

The painting shows him the error of his ways and in his attempt to destroy the painting he kills

himself. This is a vary strange Twilight Zone ending to a dark creepy book.

Dorian + Vanity

After reading and discussing "The Picture of Dorian Gray", the central theme of vanity and its repercussions has become known. Not only was the seed of self-admiration planted by Dorian himself, there were others in his life who nurtured it as well. Lord Henry and Basil Hallward for example fitted the roles as "gardeners" in this case. Lord Henry was always the one to tell Dorian "when your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will discover that there are no triumphs left for you" (28), or that "...youth is the one thing worth having" (29). Lord Henry was a huge influence on Dorian Gray. Not a positive one at that. Basil Hallward also urged Dorian's vain lifestyle on by consistently complimenting his appearance. Such words helped mold Dorian Gray into the vain man that he was. However, Dorian himself let it happen. He could have avoided these influences in his life that would have made a major difference in the conceited fellow he turned out to be.

One of the Themes in Dorian Gray

     One of the central themes in The Picture of Dorian Gray is vanity and its consequences.  Dorian's life unraveled before him because of Lord Henry, Basil Hallward, and, most of all, Dorian himself.  Each of them did something to encourage his shameful way of life.
     Lord Henry played a major role in the preparation of Dorian's new life.  He planted the seed of conceitedness when he told him that, "...youth is the one thing worth having"(32).  He goes on to tell him that, "we will never get back our youth"(33) and, "when your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you..."(32).  These statements stirred within Dorian's mind.
     Basil Hallward encouraged Dorian's vain ways as well.  He lavishly complimented Dorian's beauty.  He worshipped him.  He commented that, "what the invention of oil-painting was to the Venetians, the face of Antinous was to late Greek sculpture, and the face of Dorian Gray will someday be to me"(20).  Basil also said that, "...without intending it, I have put into it [the painting] some expression of all this curious artistic idolatry..."(21).  All of Basil's compliments to Dorian "seemed to him to be merely the charming exaggeration of friendship"(35).  The compliments would take on a new meaning after the painting was revealed.
     After the revealing of the painting, all that Lord Henry and Basil said to Dorian came to life.  "The sense of beauty came on him like a revelation"(35).  Beauty was everything to him now.  His epiphany would change his life for the worse.
     Dorian's vanity led to other bad traits.  He became very shallow.  When Sybil Vane decided to stop acting, Dorian decided not to love her.  He loved her because she "had genius and intellect"(102) and because she "gave shape and substance to the shadows of art"(102).  He told her that "without your art, you are nothing"(102).  Dorian also became consumed in revenge.  When he saw Basil Hallward again, he decided to show him the grotesque picture.  Basil, who was absolutely horrified, saw how Dorian was driven to a mad state.  He tried to get him to repent, but was killed with a knife instead.
     Vanity is the root of other bad qualities.  Dorian's vanity was later accompanied by cruelty, hypocrisy, revenge, selfishness, pride, depression, and near, if not, insanity.  He was so absorbed in himself that he did anything that would please him, no matter what effect it had on others.  The push he received from Basil Hallward and Lord Henry was all he needed to live a self-centered, destructive life.

The Central Theme of "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

      In "The Picture of Dorian Gray" the central theme is beauty and selfishness. Being lead to believe that youth and beauty are of the highest importance can be a very dangerous thing. Lord Henry told Dorian, "'you have the most marvelous youth, and youth is the only thing worth having'"(32). After telling him this, he also tells him that youth and beauty will fade. Because of Dorian's fear of losing his beauty, he makes a wish that would forever change him. Throughout his life he is faced with temptations that force him to choose between right or wrong. As he falls deeper in sin, he begins to realize the impact of the mistake he had made as it shows on the face of his portrait. His life becomes so filled with sin that he could no longer even stand to look at himself. He decided to try to begin again only to find that there was no turning back. His selfish ways had ruined his life.

Homework this week

Congratulations on finishing Dorian Gray! I was very pleased with how well the class responded to this reading. We'll take a brief sojourn into the textbook and then start a poetry unit!

This week-

-Do all the work in chapter 9 through page 109. In other words, all the work including the short story, but do not start the work that is AFTER the short story.
-Remember to read the story 3 times and annotate.
-Blog- what is one of the central themes in Dorian Gray and why?

Symbols.

     Obviously the main symbol in The Picture of Dorian Gray is the painting. I think the painting is a symbol of memories.  Because what actually drove Dorian to destroy the painting was the fact that he could not escape his past.  Every time he viewed it he remembered the murder of Basil from the bloody hand and the suicide of Sylva from the sly smirk.  It also spares Dorian from the consequences of his actions.  So virtually he should be able to live a perfect, carefree life, except for the fact that his conscience eventualy caught up to him.  Another symbol that I was not completely sure about was the yellow book.  I think since the author was not a Christian he might of been using that as a symbol for the Bible and its "corrupt" views that eventually corrupted Dorian.  One other thing I think the painting could resemble is fate and how if you try to work outside of it your life will become a disaster. The symbols in this book were very hidden and hard to seek out which I really enjoyed.

The Main Symbol

    The main symbol of The Picture of Dorian Gray is obviously the flowers.  They are repeatedly

mentioned.  The flowers represent Dorian Gray's charm, cuteness, or whatever one calls it.  Youth

and innocence are Gray's strongest asset.  He eventually smolders it by killing his fiancé, 

by killing his friend, and by smoking opium, which are extracted seeds from a type of flower.  As

Gray starts killing people, the mention of flowers, the representative of beauty, slowly fades away.

Gray's corruptive life represents a withering flower.  Like a flower that had been snipped during its

time of blossom was Gray's wish for his beauty to remain constant and for the portrait to bear his

sins.  The portrait did bear his sins.  As a consequence, his soul was dead long before he had

been killed. 

The Wages of Sin is Death

Oscar Wilde filled The Picture of Dorian Grey with many different symbols. However, I believe the main symbol in Dorian Grey was not the picture itself but rather aging portraying sin. I do not mean simply physically aging but instead aging as in growing closer to death. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death”. In the book every time Dorian commits a wicked deed the painting grows older. Over the span of the book the painting should not have aged as much as it did from just the simple passing of time. When Dorian shows Basil the painting Basil begs him to repent which leads you to believe that if Dorian had repented the painting would have been made young again. Had he asked for forgiveness and the painting changed to its original form it would have been a result of his soul being cleansed not a reverse of time or aging. Also, when Grey is found dead at the end of the story the painting is beautiful once again symbolizing that his soul is no longer in this world but passed on to the afterlife. All of these various instances in story point to a deeper meaning and symbol in the work rather than it simply being about the painting itself. 

The Painting of Dorian Gray

In The Picture of Dorian Gray the main symbol or theme is the painting (or picture of Dorian Gray). The picture is a symbol of Dorian’s soul. In the beginning of the story, Dorian wishes that he would stay young forever and the picture instead would grow old and dreadful. Slowly, as his life progresses and his many sins begin to pile up; the picture becomes old and wrinkled. It changes with the thoughts of his heart. The more evil and wicked he became, the uglier the picture changed. Finally, in the end when Dorian can bear the portrait no longer, he slashes it with a knife. Of course, the painting representing his soul is not harmed but instead returns to its original form. Leaving Dorian slumped below it with a dagger sunk deep into his sinful heart.

Scum of the Earth Dirt Bag

              If you are trying to hurt your brain, then instead of reading Dorian Grey, just watch a documentary on the history of documentaries and hit yourself with a hammer. It will be twice as fast and four times less painful. The symbol in the picture of Dorian grey is really quite simple, it is the picture of Dorian grey himself. In the beginning a friend paints a wonderful picture for Dorian. It symbolizes him so well that Dorian becomes jealous of its undying beauty. So Dorian exclaims how he wishes the picture would symbolize his body and that his body be forever beautiful like the picture. He doesn’t see the full affect of his wish until he is a dirt bag to an actress. Right after, he looks at the picture it has a look of cruelty. Then he commits worse and worse crimes while still having an innocent face of youth. Slowly he realizes the picture doesn’t only resemble his body but his very soul. One night he brings his friend (the artist) to see the painting. The artist sees how grotesque it is and wills Dorian to pray for repentance. Instead Dorian stabs him repeatedly (bag of dirt).  In the end, after Dorian has had his fill of the horrifying picture. He stabs it. Later someone walks in to see a beautiful picture on the wall and a (scum-of-the-earth dirt bag) disgusting man named Dorian on the ground with a knife in him. The symbol is Dorian’s picture and it represents his soul.


With all of its misspelled words and bags of dirt, i gladly announce this as my paper
Liam Searcy

Soul Symbol

In The Picture of Dorian Gray the major symbol is the picture alone. This portrait wasn't just a canvas with paint brushed across it. As Wilde stated in the preface, "all art is at once surface and symbol.Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril" (4). This entails that the picture in the book had a deeper meaning - it was a symbol... After speaking harsh, harsh words against Sibyl Vane, Dorian returned home to his painting only to notice "the face appeared to him to be a little changed" (80). It was as if there was a "touch of cruelty in the mouth" (80). Following this strange observation, it left Dorian feeling puzzled. However, he came to realize that the aging portrait was symbolizing his own soul. How he had, overtime, become a poor and apathetic man. The picture of Dorian Gray: a symbol of the corruption of his own soul.

Ther perccher erv Dererern Grer

The main symbol represented in The Picture Of Dorian Gray is the ill-fated portrait itself. It symbolizes Dorian's soul and as it starts out with Dorian himself being spotless and with flower like beauty, so does the painting. But as Gray's soul darkens and is beaten to a pulp, so is the inebriating beauty of the portrait. First he notices a 'touch of cruelty twisted about the mouth'  (105) after he rejects and breaks down Sybl Vane's being and the glowing beauty on the canvas deteriorates more and more with the pace of  his own soul while his body stays beautiful. The painting symbolized Dorian Gray's own soul that he continued to be haunted by when it got filthier and filthier with his follies. He never attains release from the torture until he takes his own life.

The Main Symbol in The Picture of Dorian Gray

     The main symbol in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was the picture itself.  It symbolized Dorian Gray's life.  Every one of his decisions, qualities, and secrets was brushed on the gentle, innocent face.
     Dorian's harshness towards Sybil Vane was one of the decisions that scarred his portrait.  The result was "a touch of cruelty" (105) around his mouth.  A dark secret revealed itself upon the painting as "loathsome red dew... on one of the hands" (193).  The blood stood for the murder of Basil Hallward.  Facial expressions exhibited Dorian's traits.  He noticed that "in the mouth [of the portrait]... curved [the] wrinkle of the hypocrite" (245).  The painting governed his mind.  Dorian sought to escape the painting, but failed in doing so.  The painting symbolized his soul and guarded his darkest secrets.  He was terrified at the thought of someone else looking at it.  It controlled him until the night he mistakingly took his own life.

What is the symbol...

      The main symbol in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is the portrait. In the story, the portrait represents Dorian's soul. As he is faced with multiple temptations, evil grows stronger in him. Because of the wish that he had made, the portrait takes the punishments of his sins while he remains youthful and unchanged. The connection between Dorian and his portrait is hinted at throughout the second chapter. For example, after Dorian disapproves of the painting, Basil is insulted. He then threatens to tear the canvas when Dorian stops him saying that to destroy the painting would be murder. Following this scene Dorian explains that the portrait is a part of him, also implying a connection between the two. After the second chapter it becomes evident that the portrait is changing as he changes. It is not until the end however that the reader fully understands how powerful the connection was.

This week's assignment!

This week

-Finish reading Dorian Gray and prepare for the in class essay.

-Blog
What is the primary symbol in Dorian Gray? What does it symbolize?
(remember 10 sentences)

Good Luck!

The Disappointing Views of Oscar Wilde

As my title suggests I do not like this book. Honestly I feel justified in my view of this book, because

it is missing a sense of moral standard, however this is not what the book is about. I found I the

beginning of the book was a preface which better answers the prompt then my guessing. This says

that Wilde believes the purpose of art is to reveal itself and conceal the artist. In the book there are

several characters who see art differently. In my opinion art is the expression of an artists feelings

and thoughts, they are there to inspire us. The story has no inspiration, it just seems depressing.

Art

     When we look at art, we give it value because we associate ourselves with the art.  We will either see that art is ugly or beautiful.  Either perspective will reflect our inner self.  “”Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming” (3).  “Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated” (3).  Basically, one is suppose to consider the whole world and everything inside of it to be beautiful or else the person is corrupt.   If someone is holding a flower, the cultivated will consider it to be beautiful and the corrupt will not.  Art is a mere reflection of oneself.  All we can do is simply enjoy the art.  “If the contemplation of a work of art is followed by activity of any kind, the work is either of a very second-rate order, or the spectator has failed to realise the complete artistic impression.”

Art is Useless

     In the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde seems to believe that art is just a form of expression. But He states that "To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.".  I believe he means is that if you put too much of yourself in something and it gets criticized it will be like you are getting criticized. "All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril." Wilde is stating that everyone should take art for what it is. They should not dissect it to the point of where it cannot be enjoyed. "It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.", Wilde is saying that overall, when it comes down to it, you could paint the most beautiful picture in the world, but if someone does not enjoy it its not a bad painting. It is their perception of the painting that is wrong. "The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely." what Wilde believes that even though art has no functionality, it can be marveled at without being "useful".  Because in the end, "All art is quite useless."

'Art' You ready!???

     Oscar Wilde's opinion on art is diverse. One would sense that he believes art is 

used to determine the character of an individual. 'Those who find ugly meanings in

 beautiful things are corrupt without being charming' (1) and 'Those who find beautiful 

meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated.' (1) So the knowledge of art, it's translation 

and it's effect on the soul is a defining quality of a person. Oscar Wilde takes         

a standpoint that 'It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.' (2) and that art is 

only useless if it is uninspiring and not heavily admired. Or the uselessness can be 

forgiven if, indeed, it is heavily admired. Wilde states that 'The artist is the creator of 

beautiful things' and Connoisseurs of the medium ponder under the symbols and surface

 at their own peril, not over thinking it and that art is a powerful source of beauty or idiocy, revealing the 

artist, with every stroke rather than the receiver. He employs wry humour in the end of the preface by blandly adding, 'All art is quite useless.' (2) after drilling on a paragraph and a half of the aspects of art and it's purposes of beauty and perils. 

Wilde.

Oscar Wilde definitely stands firm in his opinion about art. Wilde believes art's purpose is solely to speak to the spectator. He exclaims, "it is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors" (4). So, basically what Wilde is stating is that the opinion the artist has on his own work is pointless considering the onlooker conforms that artwork into what he or she perceives it to be. "To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim" (3) sums up what Oscar Wilde states as one of art's purposes. Alongside those lines, he views art as having multiple layers, or meanings. For example, when Wilde says, "the critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things" (3). Wilde knows for a fact that people can either view art with a shallow intention or a deep intention by saying, "all art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril." Whatever the spectator desires to receive from the piece of art, he will gain. Oscar Wilde knows this very well.

Oscar Wilde's Take on Art

    According to the preface, Oscar Wilde believes that art is useless, but not without purpose. He implies that the purpose of art is to be adored by its beholder. He says that art mirrors its spectator, meaning that art is what the spectator makes of it. Prior to stating that all art is useless, he says that something that is useless can be excused if it is admired intensely. By this statement, he communicates that art's ultimate purpose is to evoke emotion. Art exists "to reveal art" (9), not "to prove anything" (9). Art exists to be admired for its beauty.
      He makes another point as well as the previous one. He says that art contains both surface and symbol. He warns that "those who go beneath this surface do so at their own peril" (9). He also warns that "those who read the symbol do so at their peril" (9). I believe he intends this as a caution to those who try to understand or analyze art. He warns that they are at danger of losing the simple beauty of the art.

Oscar Wilde's Belief About the Purpose of Art

     I think that Oscar Wilde believes that there are multiple purposes of art, one of those purposes being an outlet for the artist.  Wilde states that "the artist can express everything" (9) through art.  Another purpose for art is to connect with the viewers.  Art provokes thought and influences the viewer's perspective in a variety of ways.  Art is more than what is painted on the canvas.  It is many layers deep.  Wilde warns that viewers who "go beneath the surface" (9) or "read the symbol" (9) should do so at their own discretion. 
     Art has the capability to change an opinion on a small scale or it can change the whole way of thinking for a viewer.  According to Wilde's beliefs, art reflects on who the person is morally.  It reveals those who are "corrupt" (8) or "cultivated" (8) in the mind.  What the meaning becomes is entirely up to the beholder's own thoughts and morals.  Wilde comments that "diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital" (9). 
    
    

New Semester!!:)

Welcome back!

Updated blog information

- ten sentences minimum 

- answer the prompt

-correct grammar and spelling

-well developed thoughts

Comments 

- 2 to 3 sentences 

-constructive/well thought out

Homework this week

-read the first half of Picture of Dorian Gray

-Blog prompt:

according to the preface of Dorian Gray, what does Oscar Wilde believe about the purpose of Art?

-Annotate Dorian Gray

-Read Chapter 9 of Windows to the World 

Good Luck!

By Looking At The Morals That Shine Through This Blog I Say Oscar Wilde Had Very Wrong Ideas

Mallory, good job on the "freaking us out with this crazy book" part. This is my take on the preface.  "Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt....those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty."  I agree with him until he says "beautiful things mean only beauty." Is there nothing behind beauty?  "Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril." All we do in this class is read the symbols and pull things apart below the surface. Do symbols not represent something else? "It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors" He says there is nothing below the surface and the spectator sees what he wants to see and if people talk differently about the art and argue about its meaning then the artist has "new, complex, and vital" work. Oscar Wilde is very idealistic. He thinks artist cannot prove anything and I agree to an extent. I believe that if an artist should try to write a story with the idea of "I am going to prove a point" in his head, then he will have a horrible story that in the end is just propaganda. Although if he just tells a story, his morals, which Oscar believes don't exist, automatically shine through his words if he means them to or not. "We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he doesn't admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless" First we must define useless. In this case useless and useful come from utilitarianism where the idea is if it doesn't do anything then it is useless. If you can sit in a chair with no leather on it then the leather is useless. If art just sits on a wall then to Oscar Wilde it is quite useless and only beautiful, nothing beyond that, no morals just a picture.