Book review
Why did Dorian demolish the Painting?
- Module
- Level
- Book
This is a short but powerful summary of how Dorian Gray demolished the painting, and what his reasoning behind it was.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
Boekverslag The Picture of Dorian Gray van Oscar Wilde
-
The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapter 1-4 Full Summary & Analysis
-
Complete Gothic Critical Appreciation Easy Revision Notes
Seller
Follow
elinaspam04
Content preview
Essay Dorian gray – Why did Dorian Gray destroy the painting?Reading Dorian Gray, the readers get to read a story that has morals and messages
hidden that are still relevant to this day and age. In the beginning, Dorian was very
smitten with the painting his friend Basil had made of a beautiful young man. Being
too involved and caught in the ideology of society to be pretty, Dorian decided to
trade his soul for the painting. He got the looks and immortality, and soon climbed
high up the social ladder. A lot of women and young girls were in love with him. In the
story, Dorian destroys the painting because he got tired of immortality and was done
with the evil the painting has caused him.
Immortality is a concept humanity has dreamed of for as long as it has existed.
Indeed, most religions are founded around fears of death and ideas of an
afterlife. We’re terrified of death – a throwback to the evolutionary extinct of staying
alive, which tends to come in useful from time to time.
Dorian gray was very tired of the immortality he had gotten. We could say that
immortality in The Picture of Dorian Gray has a negative connotation, more than a gift
it seems a curse. At the start, something like immortality feeds the satisfaction of
unlimited power. But, after so many years of experiencing every type of love, anger,
joy, sadness and other emotions life gets dull and boring. The only new thing in his life
he gets to experience every day is the killing of people and other bad choices he
makes. “If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow
old! For that… I’d give my soul for that.” His wish is miraculously granted, and Dorian
discovers that he has gained eternal youth while the portrait ages in his place. After
having his soul trapped within a painting, he also got to be immune to all the
illnesses, diseases, viruses and infections.
But the portrait not only ages, it also shows visible signs of Dorian’s sinful life of
corruption.
Furthermore, the incredible life Dorian was granted came with another downside. He
reflects on his life and feels nothing but regret and shame for everything he has done
in the past several years, and he seeks to purge the evil from his soul. After years of
unpunished cruelty, he is released from his frenzy and sees the truth of Lord Henry's
corruption and his own spiral into evil. When his friend Basil came to him in the attic,
Basil tried to tell Dorian that he needs to stop and what he is doing has caused a lot
of people their life. Dorian his reputation also down spiraled more and more in society
because of his wrong doings to other people for his own sake. Basil tells him to look
at the painting. When he does, he sees that the man is changed to a very ugly and
monstrous person. Dorian is shocked by the confrontation and gets enraged. He kills
Basil. After this, Dorian got so mentally drained he decided to kill the painting. It
makes sense as he tried to redeem himself and free the soul from this evil piece of
art. Perhaps it would have only made him gain the real physical appearance of an old
man again. However, considering it was his true soul captured, stabbing the painting
meant that he stabbed himself. Therefore, he collapsed to the ground with a knife in
his heart. His soul was free again but it did not last long. Dorian had killed himself. He
was an old man laying in the attic bleeding to his death.
So in conclusion, Dorian gray destroyed the painting in order to free himself from the
sorrow and pain he had gained from something that at first seemed like a blessing.
His immortality seemed like a power, but it led him to nothing but a life without
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller elinaspam04. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.54. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
52510 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now