A theme analysis for the picture of dorian gray

Literature – Project
Date : June 28^th, 2016

'Horrible Influence Creates Terrible life's Story'
A THEME ANALYSIS FOR THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY,
THE ONE AND ONLY NOVEL
BY OSCAR WILDE

I Gusti Ayu Laksmi Sawitri

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A novel entitled The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) by Oscar Wilde is a novel which critics about the existing of "drunkenness, stupidity, and immorality" as the special property to all of the people in that era (The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 1:15). Generally, this novel tells the story of a man, Dorian Gray, who is innocent and had a face that is very fascinated for everyone who saw him, as Oscar Wilde in his novel on page 159 "Men who talked grossly became silent when Dorian Gray entered the room". Although he had the nature of a sincere and innocent, Dorian Gray was affected by bad influences of Lord Henry, a friend he met at the studio of painting at the beginning of the novel, “You talk as if you had no heart, no pity in you. It is all Harry’s (Lord Henry) influence” (The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 7:128). As a result, after Dorian realized Lord Henry’s deed to him, he had absorbed too many influences from Lord Henry. His life had been devastated and too late to change this back. Based on the explanation above, the theme that I gave to this novel is 'Horrible Influence Creates Terrible life's Story' is more concerned towards the influences given by Lord Henry to Dorian. Here is the analysis that supports the theme seen from the other elements of the novel.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that has a forward-plot. This novel does not have any flashback sentence. As a note, this novel has changed several times from the author, Oscar Wilde. For some reason the original novel that has 20 Chapters is summarized back and had been cut into 13 Chapters. First novel was published in Monthly Magazine: Lippincott's Magazine, July 1890.
The story in the novel revolves around a man named Dorian Gray's charming who lives in a mansion inherited from an uncle who had died in London (Chapter 1: 2). Dorian had a friend named Basil Hallward, an artist who is known for his paintings. Basil made Dorian Gray as a model in one of his paintings which he called a "masterpiece". At the same time, Dorian also met one of his friends, Lord Henry Wotton. Although had been warned by Basil by saying "He has a very bad influence over all his friends, with the exception of myself" (Chapter 1:27), Dorian did not care of it. As a result, after had a deep conversation with Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian had changed into a bad person quickly.
One result of such influences when he saw a portrait of himself, Dorian said a strange thing about ‘youth and the beauty of being youth’ in front of his picture. He talked about how sad he was if the picture would always remain young, “I shall grow old, and horrid”, “If it was I who were to be always young, and the picture that were to grow old” (Chapter 2:42). His utterances became a prayer. This is one of the effects of Lord Henry influences, just as Basil said to Lord Henry after Dorian said something unusual in front of his picture, “This is your doing Harry (Lord Henry)” said Hallward bitterly (Chapter 2:43). From the explanation above, it is so obvious that the reason Dorian had already change so quick because of the influences from Lord Henry Wotton, so the theme ‘Horrible Influence Creates Terrible Life’s Story’ is matched with the plot of the story. The plot structure is attached in the back of this paper.
Characters and Characterized as the elements also support the theme chosen. As the major characters are Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, and Lord Henry Wotton. The description of the characters in the novel is directly explained from the narrator. The proven is from the quotation "Yes, the lad (Dorian) was premature and innocent", "She was so shy and so gentle" (Chapter 3: 64&71). Dorian Gray, from the beginning of his appearance in the story he was described as a round character. Meanwhile two other main characters, Basil and Lord Henry had the role of flat characters. Originally, Dorian was the protagonist same as Basil, meanwhile Lord Henry was the antagonist character. So when Dorian found with the figure of Lord Henry, Dorian became the antagonist character (described as a round character). This changed was brought about by the bad influences from Lord Henry, so the result is Dorian’s life became destroyed.
The support for the theme ‘Horrible Influence Creates Terrible Life’s Story’ becomes so obvious, if we can prove it from the setting of the time. The first evidence is from the habit of Dorian Gray that always came late at night and wake up too late, “It was long past noon when he awoke”, “And (he) had wondered what made his young master sleep too late” (Chapter 6:103). In the story, Lord Henry always asked Dorian to go to the party at club in the evening, “You must come and dine with me, and afterwards we will look in at the opera until midnight”, and Lord Henry always influence Dorian to go to the club “come round tomorrow, I am going to ride at eleven, and we might go together” (Chapter 13:242).
Other evidence is placed on the setting of time when the influence of the portrait occurred. The Portrait had been cursed. Dorian said something unusual because of Lord Henry’s influences, “This is your doing Harry (Lord Henry)” said Hallward bitterly (Chapter 1:43). As the result, his charming face and his beauty couldn’t be changed, “Summer followed summer, and the yellow jonquils bloomed and died many times, and night of horror repeated the story of their shame, but he was unchanged” (Chapter 9, 175). As the result of his age corruption, many young men or even old men always whispered ear to ear about the secret of his age. Dorian had never changed since he celebrated his 23^rd birthday, “You remind me of the day I saw you first…you have changed of course, but not in appearance” (Chapter 13:238). Besides being so influenced by Lord Henry and the Curse Portrait, a yellow novel that given from Lord Henry also very poisonous, “Yet you poisoned me with a book once, I should never forgive that, it does harm” (Chapter 13:242). It can be proven by the states, “For years, Dorian Gray could not free himself from the memory of this book” (Chapter 9:158). In many years, Dorian Gray had trapped in his own imagination. Wondered it was him at the book being told. “The hero of the dangerous novel that had so influenced novel that had so influenced his life had himself had this curious fancy” (Chapter 9:186).
Same as the setting of the time, the place is also support the theme was given. Before he knew Lord Henry, Dorian Gray always go to the place that made him looked very good and innocent, “ She (Lady Agatha) told me that she had discovered a wonderful young man, who was going to help her in the East End, and that his name was Dorian Gray” (Chapter 1:22). After knowing Lord Henry Wotton, he became wilder than before, “You must come and dine with me, and afterwards we will look in at the opera until midnight” (Chapter 13:242).
As the overview of the book entitled The Anatomy of Prose Fiction, the point of view that really related with the story in this novel is from Francis Connolly (1955:8). The point of view of this novel is a third person with unlimited range or the omniscient point of view. As the narrator is not the character but know everything about feeling or such a God-Like. It can be proven by the states “Lord Henry watched him (Dorian) with a subtle sense of pleasure” (Chapter 3:66). Although this novel mostly uses the third-person point of view, one short sentence in page 183, Chapter 9 “Is insincerity such a terrible thing? I think not”, the sentence is using a first-person point of view. The perfect point of view for this novel is from Dube, Franson, Parins, and Murphy (1983:96) that states “The omniscient point of view is third-person pronouns he, she mostly; first point of view pronouns rarely”. Then the point of view in this novel is Omniscient.
Dorian thought it was too late to change the past, after his indirectly deed to Sibyl Vane, Allan Campbell, and directly killed his one of friends, Basil Hallward. So the question is, will he get out from the bad influence during his life? The answer is yes, because the final chapter talked about a good thing of Dorian Gray. After killed Basil Hallward, Dorian went out to the country his self without Lord Henry beside him. In a certain village, he found a girl named Hetty Merton who he had in love with. But, he thought it would be better if he leaves her and lets her meet another man. Another good thing, he told Lord Henry about his bad influences during his life, especially about the yellow book. Then he went home and stabbed a knife to the portrait of himself, finally he realized that he should killed an evil in the canvas although he must die.
From the essay above, we can conclude that the theme 'Horrible Influence Creates Terrible life's Story' is matched with the story because all the elements are support the theme. The bad influence always gives a bad result and produces a bad ending for someone’s life, especially for Dorian Gray in the novel. Although it is just a novel and does not real, the story has taught us about the lesson principle. Without any principle, we cannot stand by our own foot. Once someone push us, it will be easy to fall.

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