Essay on Picture of Dorian Gray: Art Cannot Substitute Life :: Picture Dorian Gray Essays

The encounter of Dorian canescent Art Cannot Substitute Life The Picture of Dorian hoar, by Oscar Wilde, is the story of moral corruption by the means of aestheticism. In the novel, the well meaning creative person common basil Hallward presets young Dorian Gray with a portrait of himself. After conversing with cynical churchman Henry Wotton, Dorian makes a wish that dreadfully affects his life forever. If it were I who was to be invariably young, and the picture that was to grow old For that I would give everything Yes, there is cipher in the whole world I would not give I would give my soul for that (Wilde 109). As it turns out, the devil that Dorian sells his soul to is Lord Henry Wotton, who exists not only as something external to Dorian, but as well as a voice within him (Bloom 107). Dorian continues to lead a life of sensuality which he learns about in a go for given to him by Lord Henry. Dorians unethical devotion to pleasure becomes his instruction of life. Th e novel underscores its disapproval of aestheticism which negatively impacts the main characters. Each of the three simple characters is an aesthete and meets some form of terrible personal doom. Basil Hallwards aestheticism is manifested in his dedication to his guileistic creations. He searches in the outside world for the perfect tense manifestation of his own soul, when he finds this object, he can create masterpieces by painting it (Bloom 109). He refuses to display the portrait of Dorian Gray with the invoice that, I have put too much of myself into it (Wilde 106). He encourage demonstrates the extent to which he holds this philosophy by later stating that, only the artist is truly reveled (109). Lord Henry Wotton criticizes Basil Hallward that, An artist should create beauteous things but should put nothing of his own life into them (Wilde 25). Ironically, the purpose of Basil Hallwards existence is that he is an aesthete striving to become one with his art (Eriksen 105 ). It is this very work of art which Basil refuses to display that provides Dorian Gray with the idea that there are no consequences to his actions. Dorian has this belief in mind when he murders Basil. Here we see that the artist is killed for his excessive sleep with of physical beauty the same art that he wished to merge with is the cook of his mortal downfall (Juan 64).