Dorian Gray's Lack of Enlightenment

The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a young man willing to sacrifice his soul to remain young forever, while a portrait of him ages. While sacrificing his soul, Dorian’s portrait does more than age; it becomes a manifestation of what his soul has become. In the beginning of the movie Dorian’s character is likable and well-tempered. After he wishes to remain young forever, in-exchange for his soul, his character begins to change, though not evident to those around him. The only indication of his changing personality is the portrait and a few choice scenes where he deeply affects those around him. His first love, Sybil, kills herself after Dorian snubs her and calls off their engagement. Shortly after that, other minor characters Dorian knows also kill themselves. Dorian even kills his old friend Basil, who painted the portrait of Dorian. No one puts all of these coincidences together because Dorian has always been the kind of man who is well respected and friendly, not the cause of someone’s angst. As the movie progresses, the picture becomes more and more disfigured and covered in blood as Dorian spills the blood of those around him. He even blames Basil for this change in the portrait and uses that as justification of killing Basil. In the end of the movie, Dorian attempts to destroy the portrait, but instead of destroying the portrait, he completes his downward spiral and destroys himself. Overall, the story is of a man who is willing to sacrifice his soul to retain eternal youth, but the message goes deeper than that. I believe the movie tries to convey the message that outward appearance and actions do not necessarily reflect the inner turmoil and ugliness of a person.

When Dorian kills Basil in the upstairs room, Dorian’s character and transformation become apparent. This scene happens closer to the end of the film, when the portrait of Dorian transforms into a disgusting and disturbing version of him. This scene was interesting to me because in it, Dorian blames Basil for the transformation of the painting and uses his logic to justify murdering his dear friend. After murdering Basil, there is a point when the swinging lamp illuminates Dorian off and on, and shows the stark change in Dorian. He went from being good and pure, the light, and transformed into the darkness. The lighting also makes him appear very ominous and frightening. This are all very different from the characteristics introduced in the beginning of the movie, when Dorian was well loved and respected, not feared. While Dorian appears to be friendly and kind on the outside, when posed with a situation, his inner turmoil and angst come out, again showing how physical appearance and attitude do not always dictate who a person truly is. This scene is an interesting point in Dorian’s life, because he still does not see his transformation being his own fault. He continues to blame other people’s actions for his portrait changing. He has not reached any enlightenment, and ultimately, I don’t think he really does.

He is given the opportunity to remain young, travel, learn, and yet he does none of this. He could gain insight into life and travel to faraway lands, but instead, he remains where he has always lived, becoming less and less wise. The reoccurring themes of Buddhism and Christianity and Egyptian religion offer many insights into life, and he takes on none of them. The constant reference to good men is lost on Dorian, who is more concerned with remaining young, than sacrificing anything to gain any true knowledge or wisdom.