The Picture of Dorian Gray paints the story of a troubled young man who gets thoroughly (and unfortunately) caught up in his pursuit of pleasure. The story begins with a gentleman named Basil painting an elaborate picture of a respectable-looking Dorian; in response, Dorian remarks that he longs to remain young forever. Dorian later meets a charming, beautiful young songstress named Cybil, with whom he quickly falls in love. Dorian decides that he will propose to her, cheerfully telling Basil and Lord Henry about the exciting news. However, shortly afterward, he abruptly decides to end his relationship with Cybil, writing a letter to her and explaining that mere pleasure is the only joy he seeks in his life. Cybil is so devastated by his departure that she takes her own life.
Mr. Gray, meanwhile, begins to notice that Basil’s painting of him has started to take on a negative, vindictive appearance. Dorian places the tainted painting inside a classroom to which only he has the key, so that others could not encounter the warping image. As he sinks deeper into his depravity, people begin to avoid and shun him. One day, Basil confronts Dorian about some of the “hideous” stories he has heard about him, and he tries to convince Dorian to reveal his true soul. Therefore, Dorian leads Basil up to where the picture, now grotesque and repulsive, lies. Out of his impulsive hatred for Basil, Dorian brutally kills him, and the painting is additionally tarnished with the stain of blood.
After Dorian proposes to Gladys, the niece of Basil, she accepts, not realizing he was her uncle’s killer. However, Dorian eventually removes himself from her life as well to spare her from his evil, as he states, “This is the only good thing I have ever done.” Dorian finally cracks under the pressure of his malevolence and stabs the grotesque portrait in the heart. In his dead shell, Dorian physically takes on the wretched appearance of the painting, while the painting returns to its original state. The message of the plot plainly explains how one’s pursuit of pleasure and wickedness leads him to his own demise. This story undoubtedly illustrates Shakespeare’s statement that “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” The disgusting, ghastly morphing of Dorian’s portrait metaphorically depicts the corruption and filth of one’s soul who pursues base self-gratification.
One scene that is particularly vital to the premise of the story occurs about a quarter of the way into the film, when Dorian initially notices that his portrait is tainted by his evil. His youthful innocence in the picture is beginning to quickly fade away. As the narrator explains, “There appeared to be a touch of cruelty around his mouth.” His formerly charming appearance now looks malicious and callous in the picture. Although the first change is slight, it manages to completely alter Dorian’s appearance in the image. Dorian is so heavily disturbed by the changed appearance that he begins to think he is hallucinating, and he returns the next day to see that the painting is still contaminated with his iniquities. The scene unarguably sets the whole premise for the rest of the storyline, as the painting progressively warps and becomes more hideous with “signs of sin and signs of age,” as the narrator later states. When Dorian is about to die, the painting is not only portraying the advancement of his years, but also the continual building-up of his transgressions. Dorian Gray serves as an example to the reader of where a life of corruption and selfishness can lead an individual.
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