Kevin McAdam

AP English 11/ Mr. George

3/30/10

Dorian Gray Character Analysis #1

Dorian Gray

Dorian is a naïve, selfish character who lived for his beauty with no regard for others.

In society, we believe beauty to be a wonderful gift that can be very beneficial to a person. Dorian realized his beauty and the advantages that came with it, but not without the help of Lord Henry. Beauty can bring one power and allow one to influence others solely based on their appearance alone. Dorian understood this fact and longed to have eternal beauty, hence gaining eternal power. Dorian’s goal to preserve his own beauty at all costs led him to a lifetime of selfishness. Unfortunately, Dorian’s egotism allowed him to take the wonders of his beauty and turn them into a terrible hindrance that lingered over his own head. His naiveté blinded him from witnessing his own immorality, which led him to committing more horrible acts, eventually resulting in his own demise. Dorian used his beauty to gain power and influence, but Lord Henry rightly begged the question: “What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose … his own soul” (Wilde 220).

Dorian is like bum on the street. Dorian’s beauty is his existence on earth, and like a homeless person, Dorian will do whatever is necessary to maintain his existence. Neither has any sense of morality in reaching their goals either. Also, both accept themselves as how they are and do nothing to try and change their lives for the better.

A modern day example of Dorian would be Terrell Owens because of the way he uses his flamboyant character to gain attention, positively or negatively, reluctant to change, and without any care for what is said about himself.

Kevin McAdam

AP English 11/ Mr. George

3/30/10

Dorian Gray Character Analysis #2

Lord Henry

Lord Henry is a cunning convincing man who influences others through his articulate speeches.

Throughout the text, Lord Henry continually expressed believable statements that had no true meaning or emotion behind them. Dorian was especially hooked into Lord Henry as, “there was something in his low, languid voice that was absolutely fascinating” (Wilde 23), making him a perfect subject for Lord Henry to influence. Lord Henry never had a direct goal in his relationship with Dorian because Lord Henry always conducted himself in a position of indifference. Without the hindrance of being biased, Lord Henry was able to spout off any theory that popped into his mind and let people like Dorian carry it out. Lord Henry’s fantastic witticisms captivated his listeners and influenced them to do some foolish things, painting him in a negative light.

Lord Henry is like an everyday scientist. He must not be confused with a mad scientist because a mad scientist works towards an evil goal while a normal scientist searches for greater understanding. Like Lord Henry, a scientist works in a position of complete indifference. Lord Henry influenced Dorian so that he could observe the way he acted in regards to the information Lord Henry spread to him, not to improve his soul. They are both only interested in the result of their experiment and not in the well-being of the test subject.

Lord Henry is like Hitler because they both influenced innocent human lives and were indifferent to their well-being; only the well-being of the cause was important.