First Dorian Gray Discussion
For those of you who did not have a chance to share your thoughts about the first two chapters of Dorian Gray, now's your chance. Let the blogging begin! Even if you did engage in today's discussion, feel free to share additional insights on this post.
posted by mferrill at
12:06 PM
7 Comments:
I just wanted to finish my comment from Friday. Everyone else seemed to agree that Dorian had something else besides his beauty, whether it be his innocence, or some sort of intelligence. I disagree with that because if Dorian had any of these of qualities, he would have made them known the either Lord Henry or Basil. This is shown when Lord Henry is discussing temptations, Dorian replies,
"Stop! You bewilder me. I don't know what to say. There is some answer to you, but I cannot find it." Although Dorian requests silence to come up with some response to Lord Henry, he never attempts to answer Lord Henry. The only time when he presents an opinion of his own is when the threesome is discussing the portrait. Dorian can add to this conversation because they are discussing the one thing he knows: beauty. Whenever the conversation moves away from this topic, Dorian becomes "bewildered", as he says himself. Because of this I would argue that Lord Henry has done nothing wrong by questioning Dorian. Dorian is unique in that he has no opinions, no thoughts, and is thus more vulnerable than anyone Lord Henry has ever encountered before. So, Lord Henry probably has the same discussions with most people he meets, but they just happen to affect Dorian more drastically then other people. I think that Lord Henry is not malicious, he is just associating with people in the same way he always does.
By
Amanda W., at January 27, 2008 1:43 PM
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Emilee P, at January 27, 2008 3:10 PM
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Emilee P, at January 27, 2008 3:11 PM
I agree with Amanda, but because he lacks intelligence, which lasts longer than beauty, Dorian is vulnerable to outside influences. It's this vulnerability which allows Lord Henry's words to affect him so much, as Amanda commented. I see Dorian as a blank canvas, however Henry is the artist not Basil. Page 27 demonstrates Dorian's drastic change, as he ponders his unfaithful beauty, "Yes, there would be a day when his face would be wrinkled and wizen, his eyes dim and colorless, the grace of his figure broken and deformed." If Henry can change Dorian so much in less than a day, imagine what he can do if the friendship lasts...!
By
allison n, at January 28, 2008 4:28 PM
I question the fact that Dorian even has beauty...Yes, he did have his impressionable innocence, but after his encounter with Lord Henry, he became no longer innocent. He started "experiencing", and L. Henry's own thoughts and ideas were put into Dorian's head. He looses his innocence; so therefore, does he not loose his beauty as well? Turning him into an ugly person inside and out just, as L. Henry had said would happen as result of his being impressed upon by people all through life?
(Later we see this truly happening, through his changing portrait on the wall.)
By
katie_r, at January 28, 2008 7:13 PM
There is a song out there entitled, 'Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen.' In the modern context it seems to really sum up a lot of what Lord Henry tries to explain to Dorian and Basil. "Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked." This seems to summarize Dorian's revelation about his image after talking to Lord Henry. To paraphrase pages 28 and 29, Dorian criticizes Basil for his painting because he finds it to be mocking in the future when Dorian is left with nothing (his good looks having faded.) To sum up, I agree and support Amanda's point, that Dorian is only skin deep and has nothing else to add personality wise. This also supports the time period, "art for arts sake." Dorian is just art because he is art. Now, whether or not this is a positive in the society that Wilde writes about is most likely determined by the socialized perspective of the reader. Could it also be foreshadowing a main purpose or point, if there is one, from the rest of the story?
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jessica m, at January 28, 2008 7:51 PM
I agree with Allison in that it is possible for Dorian to change significantly under Lord Henry's influence. The end of Chapter 2 already foreshadows Dorian's corruption by showing how easily Dorian blows off Basil for a chance to spend time with Lord Henry. He's so innocent, but that innocence allows Dorian to follow Lord Henry in everything he does.
I also agree with Allison's statement of Dorian being a blank canvas. Lord Henry can make Dorian into anything that he wants him to be. Lord Henry is so intrigued by Dorian because Dorian will do whatever Lord Henry tells him to, as well as picking up Lord Henry's opinions and making them into the things he believes. Will Dorian become his own person under Lord Henry's influence, or will he just become a younger version of Lord Henry?
By
Kaity M., at January 28, 2008 9:13 PM
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