Dorian Grey is portrayed as an immoral and sinful individual many times throughout the book. Whether portrayed through the literal morphing within his own portrait as the book progresses, or during Basil’s intense confrontation of Dorian in Chapter 12 the reader is constantly reminded that Dorian is infected with an immoral conscious that forces him to commit evil acts. In chapter 12 Basil states, “They say that you corrupt every one with whom you become intimate, and that it is quite sufficient for you to enter a house, for shame of some kind to follow after. I don’t know whether it is so or not” (145). The reader discovers Basil’s own conflicting feelings surrounding his friend Dorian yet, the reader is also given a window into Basil’s misconceptions surrounding Dorian and his “vices” which one cannot conceal, “I can’t believe them when I see you. Sin is a thing that writes itself on its face. It cannot be concealed” (143). Basil firmly states that had Dorian actually been a man of sin he would’ve been able to see it upon his friend’s face. However, unbeknownst to Basil the reader is aware that Dorian’s face has been changing accordingly to his immoral actions, yet it is not his physical face but rather a representation of Dorian and not the real person of Dorian. Dorian’s “representation” just as Basil’s discussion of his reputation in chapter 12 is extremely tarnished heavily due to his literal actions yet I think they may stem from Dorian’s surroundings and those who project their beliefs surrounding Dorian as “immoral” to which Dorian then wholly agrees with because he can’t break out of a societal ideal surrounding him as evil. Relating this idea back to class and our discussion surrounding how much the artist is within the art, or the artist within the text, I wonder how much of the “art” is able to transform to its “audience”. What I mean to say in relation to Dorian Grey is to what extent do those surrounding Dorian Grey morph him into their own preconceptions surrounding his being?
Upon Dorian’s murder of Basil the reader is left with feelings of horror. Undoubtedly one finds it difficult to observe Dorian as an individual other than sinful and evil. Yet Wilde refuses to leave the reader solely with these feelings as he strangely enough is able to create sympathy for his character Dorian. This sympathy is achieved in chapter 14 as the reader observes Dorian reflecting upon his violent actions towards Basil, “It was a thing to be driven out of the mind, to be drugged with poppies, to be strangled lest it might strangle one itself” (156). In this instance Basil cannot think of the murder or it will end up killing him. Dorian is then seen trying to comprehend his emotions as he reads a poem which only leads him to further degradations, “Poor Basil! what a horrible way to die!” (157) Dorian is regretful and isn’t void of compassion for Basil unlike how one would associate an immoral person of his kind to be. Rather than Dorian’s immorality stemming from something innately within his person, it is rooted within an outer source that I believe to be society and he has absorbed the idea surrounding him as immoral which causes his immoral actions.
This is a really interesting concept, especially when one takes into account the fact that Oscar Wilde was, himself, a homosexual – also, Dorian Gray’s sexuality is not entirely clear either. The relationship between Dorian and Basil has evident homo-erotic elements, and Dorian’s relationship with Sibyl is not entirely “real” in the sense that it is purely aesthetic, not emotional – Dorian never fully falls in love with Sibyl the person, only Sibyl the actress, because she is a creator of art. Taking this into account, I think it would be interesting to interpret the role of society in the “immoralizing” of Dorian – do they refuse him because of sodomy, or because he actually commits immortal acts?