Dorian Gray Blog 4

On page 122, Wilde employs figurative language as well as strong diction in order to portray the way in which Dorian has grown to be a far more self aware character than he was before as well as to tie together Dorian's portrait to his soul. In the beginning of the novel, Dorian was a very innocent, docile character but with the influence of Lord Henry, he has blossomed into a far more confident person. Wilde's use of symbolism shows the reader how Dorian has taken control of his life. When Dorian "put(s) the key in his pocket" (122), he is taking ownership of his sins and knowingly hiding them where no one else may find them. The key is like his portrait, he will keep it hidden yet close. It is very symbolic of the power Dorian now possesses over his own emotions and his future. Wilde goes on to compare the "corruptions"(122), of what the painting portrays as being "worse than the corruption of death itself" (122). This strong comparison puts the severity of Dorian's actions in perspective for the audience. By calling the corruptions manifested in the painting worse than those of death, Wilde is stressing the fact that Dorian must now live with what he has done throughout his life. Wilde further strengthens his message of the severity of Dorian's actions to the plot by forming the analogy "what the worm is to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image"(122). This analogy shows that his sins will eat away both at the tangible representation of his soul, as well as the one within him. The more Dorian sins, the more the sins will "defile (the painting) and make it shameful" (122), and by doing so, "mar (his) beauty and eat away (his) grace"(122). Through this passage, Wilde forever ties Dorian's portrait with his soul and brings to surface Dorian's new found knowledge of what he does.