DG Ch. 19-20

"Yet it was his duty to confess, to suffer public shame, and to make public atonement. There was a God who called upon men to tell their sins to earth as well as to heaven. Nothing that he could do would cleanse him till he had told his own sin" (228)

Throughout all of the books we have read, all of the characters who gained redemption for their sins did so by bearing their sins publicly. They realized their flaws and tried to work on them to become more virtuous people. We see Dorian try this, but one act of kindness by Dorian cannot make up for years of wrongdoings. Dorian had continually tried to hide his sins from others so that he could live a more pleasurable life on earth. What he did not realize is that living a pleasurable life on earth does not always bring happiness. I think that, in a way, Dorian did bear his sins publicly, causing his death. Perhaps he did not know that stabbing the portrait would turn him into an old man and kill him, but the act of stabbing the painting proved that he wanted to cleanse himself and get rid of the secret he had been living with for most of his life.

“A cry of pain and indignation broke from him. He could see no change, save that in the eyes there was a look of cunning, and in the mouth the curved wrinkle of the hypocrite” (227)

The idea that we are dynamic individuals with the ability to change is something that Dorian relied on towards the end of the text. He realized the error of his ways and did what he could to fix it. As a result, the portrait basically laughed at him for believing he could ever be a good person. Dorian had followed a life of immorality for many years, turning him into a terrible person. After all of the things he had done, why would Dorian believe that his soul would be renewed just like that? I think hypocritical is a good way to put it because Dorian had lived a life so full of pleasure and selfishness, but suddenly decided to change his mind, throwing away everything he stood for. Dorian's selfish attitude lingered with him throughout the text, making it impossible for him to change his entire character after everything he did.