The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde (1856 - 1900) Essays

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1856 - 1900) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1856 - 1900) Type of Work: Fantasy novel Setting London, England; late nineteenth century Principal Characters Dorian Gray, an extremely handsome young man Basil Hallward, Dorian's older friend, a portrait artist Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian's vile tempter Sibyl Vane, Dorian's actress-lover James Vane, Sibyl's brother Story Overveiw As Basil Hallward artfully put the finishing touches on his full-length portrait of an extraordiiiarily beautiful young man, Lord Henr Wotton paid him a call. Lord Henry mucn admired the painting and desired to meet the subject. The artist objected, knowing the poisonous influence of which Lord Henry was capable; young Dorian Gray was his ideal of purity and had inspired Basil to the most expressive art of his life. Just then, in walked Dorian Gray. Against Hallward's wishes, the two met, and Dorian was immediately taken by Lord Henry's fascinating words, presence and wittiness. Henry flattered Dorian with his comments on the virtues of beauty, the charms of youth, and expressed his sadness at the thought that such youth should fade into the ugliness of age. This caused Dorian to plummet into melancholy. Seeing his portrait for the first time, Dorian gasped at his own beauty. He lamented that the picture would mock him his entire life; age would indeed steal his color and grace: "I know, now, that when one loses one's good looks, whatever they may be, one loses everything ... Lord Henry Wotton is perfectly right. Youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing old, I shall kill myself." Then he wished instead that the picture might grow old while he remained forever young: "I would give everything. I would give my soul for that!" Alarmed by these passions in the young man, Hallward attempted to destroy the painting, but Dorian stopped him and had it taken home that very evening. After that first meeting, Dorian and Lord Henry became fast friends and frequent partners at local theatres. Henry presented Dorian with a gift - a book about a young man's passions, sins and vileness. Dorian became captivated by its plot. For years he leafed through its pages - anct the book became an entrenched, tragic guide in the life of Dorian Gray. Dorian met and fell madly in love with Sibyl Vane, a beautiful and talented actress who was portraying Juliet in a cheap theatrical troupe. But the night Dorian invited Lord fienry and Basil Hallward to meet his new love, her performance was lifeless. She was hissed and booed by even the uneducated audience. Afterward, she joyfully explained to the disappointed Dorian that her love for her "Prince Charming," - as she knew him - had transformed her from a mere actress into a real woman. Dorian coldly shunned her, admitting that his love for her had been killed, and vowed that he would see her no more. On returning home, he was surprised to notice that the face in his painting had changed. A touch of cruelty now lined the mouth. His wish that the painting might be seared with suffering and guilt while his own face was left untarnished, had been granted! But now he pitied the portrait and resolved to live a pure life. He would return to Sibyl and marry her. He would see no more of the selfish Lord Henry. Dorian wrote Sibyl a passionate letter and fell asleep, confident that he would make amends to Sybil the following day. However, that next morning Lord Henry brought bad news: in grief, Sibyl had killed herself during the night. Lord Henry charmed the devastated youth, urging him to imagine the tragedy as a drama, with Juliet or Ophelia the victims, not the flesh-and-blood Sibyl. No, she will never come to life. She has played her last part ... To you at least she was always a dream, a phantom that flitted through Shakespeare's plays ... But don't waste your tears over Sibyl Vatic. She was less real than they are. Now Dorian forgot his good resolutions. If fate would deal unjustly with him, he, in turn, determined to give himself up to a life of pleasure and let the portrait bear the burden of his corrupting soul. Eternal youth, wild joys, infinite passion would be his. Horrified at Dorian's lack of remorse and feeling, Basil Hallward tried to reason with him. But Dorian was unmoved. He continued to guard the secret of the portrait from Basil, first covering it a with a sheet, and later moving it to an upstairs room, unopened since his grandfather had died mere five

Essay RenadA ENG3UR U2L7a1

Essay RenadA ENG3UR U2L7a1 Essay RenadA ENG3UR U2L7a1 Lord of the Flies Literary Essay Symbolism is a very important element that is used in many novels. In William Goldings Lord of the Flies, the use of symbolism is very present and is shown through objects and characters. In Lord of the Flies, Simon symbolises the natural goodness in a human being. He is compassionate towards other people's feelings which shows true kindness. He helps other people out without needing any reasons for doing so, and he also is the only boy on the island that finds out the real truth about the beast. Even though Simon didn't really fit in well with the other boys on the island, he still remained very wise and tried his best to make a difference in other people's lives and his too. In the novel, Simon was described as a "skinny, vivid little boy...," (24) showing that he might have been weaker than the others physically, but not mentally. Despite his size, he still tried to help other people out on the island as best as he could. When the littluns could n ot reach the fruit, "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands." (56) He also was the only person that helped Ralph build shelters, while everybody else was doing their own thing, and having fun. Ralph said, "...I work all day with nothing but Simon...," (54) which shows that even though Simon could be doing his own thing like everybody else was, he stayed and helped Ralph out just for the good of it. The other boys on the island thought of Simon as "..queer...funny," (55) because he was rather odd, always going away in the forest alone for long periods of time. Every time Simon tried to talk to the other boys, his "effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless in his seat." (89) Even though he was considered an outcast by the other boys, he still thought of other people's feelings, even though they didn't think of his. In the end, he was trying more to tell the boys what he knew, but they just thought he was weird. He told Ralph, 'You'll get back alright.';(111) Ralph's response was only that he thought Simon was 'batty.'; In another instance, he went to tell the others that he found out what the beast really was (the parachutist), but got caught in their bestial dance. They heard him 'crying something about a body on the hill,'; (152) but it was too late. In the darkness, he had been mistaken for the beast and was killed. Although Simon's life was a short one and he did not have the time to go through much change, he proved that there was hope for being rescued. He may have been an outcast and slightly weird, but he knew that everything would be just fine. Had he lived through the assault that took his life, the other boys would have seen that he was not as strange as they thought he was. It always seems that the children who know the most are mistaken for something else and are automatically sing led out. Finally, the good or moral person should be someone who stands up for what is right regardless of what others think, is willing to sacrifice for the greater good and is a very rational person. In the novel, Simon is the character who is shown as the good that exists in our society. First, Simon openly admits that he does not believe in the beast. Regardless of what the other boys think of him, he stands his ground. Secondly, Simon sacrifices his free time to help Ralph build shelter for all the boys. Although this involves much labour and hard work, he is willing to do anything he can to help out. Lastly, Simon is one of the only boys who does not jump to conclusions when rumors and stories of the beast begin to surface. Simon is the morally good boy. His selflessness and goodness comes from within. He is kind to the little boys, and helps the outcasts. For example, when none of the boys want to give Piggy meat from the first pig, Simon steps up and takes