In a Time when Owls Scream and Crickets Cry, a Hero will Rise...

and a kingdom will fall....
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Literary Devices in The Picture of Dorian Gray

Allusion

"He felt as if he had come to look for Miranda and had been met by Caliban."

(95)

Dramatic Irony

“‘Besides, what on earth could happen to you, Dorian? You have everything in the world that a man can want. There is no one who would not be delighted to change places with you.’”

(215)

Sir Geoffrey’s reassuring words to Dorian’s fears are ironic because the audience is fully aware of Dorian’s cruelty which contributed to Sibyl Vane’s suicide and led him to murder his good friend Basil Hallward. The horrific effect that this evil has on Dorian’s soul and conscience is revealed to the audience through the aging of Dorian’s portrait but is unknown to most characters in the novel including Sir Geoffrey.

Foil

The contrast between Basil Hallward’s sincere care for Dorian and Lord Henry’s ill-motivated friendship with Dorian emphasizes Basil’s kind nature and Lord Henry’s slyness. This is clearly revealed in their differing reactions to news that Dorian has been engaged to a Sibyl Vane, a young actress. Basil expresses his concerns of the quickness of this engagement and the affect it may have on Dorian’s reputation while Lord Henry is merely amused as, to him, Dorian is a “subject made to his hand [that]…seemed to promise rich and fruitful results” (73).

Foreshadowing

“‘Oh, if it were only the other way! If the picture could change, and I could be always what I am now! Why did you paint it? It will mock me some day – mock me horribly!’”

(43)

Hyperbole

“During the three terrible hours that the play had lasted, he had lived centuries of pain, aeon upon aeon of torture.”

(105)

Litotes

"…my nerves are dreadfully out of order. That is all.”

(26)

Metonymy

“‘Why, man, it's nigh on eighteen years since Prince Charming made me what I am.’”

(203)

Personification

“Gradually the events of the preceding night crept with silent, blood-stained feet into his brain and reconstructed themselves there with terrible distinctness.”

(174)

Paradox

“It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”

(39)

Simile

“The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ.”

(9)

Building Upon a Foundation

Although the basis of one’s morality is innate, changes in this code of ethics do occur throughout an individual’s life as a result of external factors. This is proven specifically through the implications of the theory of natural selection and the degree of influence which societal norms have on different morals.

The theory of natural selection suggests that those with traits that allow them to better survive are more likely to reproduce and therefore, pass these survival traits onto the next generation. As societal and environmental changes occur, those who are able to adapt to better survive are, again, more likely to have children to which they will pass on these traits. Therefore, all are born with a certain instincts that allow for their survival. These instincts, however, are not always necessarily selfish or immoral as often believed to be; due to the growing trend of selflessness being rewarded in today’s global society, altruistic actions and self sacrifice often contribute to greater benefits that lead to better survival in the long term. In modern society, this concept is exemplified by certain reasons for which some youth choose to volunteer such as to appear like a better individual to employers or university application reviewers. These individuals do indeed help others but their reasons for doing so are less for the greater good, but rather for personal benefit, better opportunities in the future and ultimately, increased ease of survival. In this way, the theory of natural selection supports the argument that humans are born with both moral and immoral dispositions.

The balance between moral and immoral innate beliefs obviously varies depending on the individual and the genetic makeup of their parents. However, the degree to which these beliefs are ultimately developed and engrained into an individual’s code of ethics relies heavily upon the societal and cultural norms which this individual is exposed to. Morals such as that it is wrong to steal or cheat are learned from the consequences that exist if such actions are committed, consequences which are part of the laws and rules which allow for order in society; at times when there are no consequences for these actions, however, such as during disasters when chaos ensues and individuals can loot stores without being caught, even normally law abiding citizens often choose to steal. This proves that the reason why humans deter from acts such as stealing are more a result of the consequences that society associates with them and less a result of predisposed morals. On the other hand, more universal morals such as those that involve the life or death of individuals are less influenced by society. Killing, for example, is condemned in all the holy books of major religions that may have significantly different viewpoints on other issues. 

In conclusion, predisposed instincts are the basis for an individual’s morality; therefore, if their innate beliefs are equally good and bad, societal norms will be the sole cause for a person’s morality or immorality. However, since this is not the case and the balance between the good and bad in the predisposed beliefs of individuals varies, the degree to which a person’s morality is innate or learned ultimately depends on the individual. 

Fear: A Never-Ending Cycle

Death and war are rational fears, but I do not fear them as I have yet to encounter them. My greatest fears are those that I must face regularly, those that are always in my thoughts and recur in a perpetual cycle. I am afraid of public speaking, of getting bad grades, and of disappointing my parents. These fears are all essentially rooted in my greatest fear: that of making mistakes.

Speaking to a group exposes the speaker to the vulnerability of being ridiculed for making a mistake: saying or doing something unexpected, strange, or “wrong.” In a practiced presentation, it is not the content that makes me vulnerable, but rather my tendency to stray from my practiced “perfection” by making an error in my speech, especially under the pressure of expectant eyes and ears. Contrastingly, spontaneous public speaking exposes me both to the mistakes mentioned above as well as to expressing an illogical idea that has not been well thought out. Evidently, the latter form of public speaking poses a greater fear to me, but both are in essence the fear of making a mistake.

My fear for public speaking is based in the fear of making a mistake in front of others; this could be an audience of classmates, but could also be a group of strangers. In the case of the latter, this fear may be slightly irrational in that the minor mistake of stuttering or pronouncing a word incorrectly would leave an insignificant impression on a stranger who I may never meet again or at the least, would unlikely be significant to my future. Contrastingly, grades are known not only to my parents and me, but also to scholarship granters, and more importantly, university application reviewers. The significance of university to me, therefore, makes my fear of receiving unsatisfactory grades extremely rational. Being wrong on tests or assignments results in lower grades; even the smallest mistake has an impact on marks. The lower my grade falls, the greater my fear is of making more mistakes. Therefore, my fear of making mistakes and of receiving poor grades are reciprocal in that either one causes the other.

Mistakes that cost future opportunities, such as attending my desired university, are terrifying. But in some instances, the fear of making mistakes that disappoint my parents, who work so hard to help me succeed, is even greater. The fact that I have never received a grade low enough for them to express their disappointment makes me worry about the consequences of this were to occur. Being the cause of disappointment is a greater burden than being the receiver of disappointment; from the rare cases when I have disappointed my parents, not for the reason of grades, I know that disappointing them demoralizes me. However, I would deem this fear as slightly irrational because I know that my success is not the only reason for the hard work they have put into me; they must genuinely care about me and want to see me happy. Despite the slight irrationality of my fear of disappointing my parents, it is still justified by the simple fact that I want to see my parents happy and disappointing them would surely counter that desire.

I am truly afraid of making mistakes; although my reasons are not always justified, the rational reasons I have ultimately outweigh the irrational. Consequentially, the fear is more of a cause than an inhibitor of my success. My lack of public speaking skills is surely the worst consequence of my fear, but the beneficial results include my constant strive for perfection which results in better grades and greater success in all my endeavours. This desire for perfection is then also a cause for my fear of making mistakes. The cyclical nature of this desire and this fear is essentially the basis for my success; therefore, I do not foresee nor wish for my deep-seated fear of making mistakes to ever go away.

Dorian Gray Revealed

            In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde uses irony as a means of foreshadowing Dorian’s change and illustrating deeper meanings. The sardonic nature of the plot is well suited to the use of irony, which, in three significant examples, reveals a bitter reality, a menacing fate and a collection of negative personality traits which the protagonist possesses.

            The optimism of Basil Hallward, the painter of Dorian’s portrait, provides a positive contrast to Lord Henry’s cynical theories about life. However, even into Basil’s words, Wilde weaves dark irony that serves to expose a disturbing truth about human nature. Basil revels in his apparent epiphany that “‘we in our madness have separated [soul and body] and have invented a realism that is vulgar, an ideality that is void’” (11). Basil thinks that he can overcome this “madness” by painting not just of one’s appearance, but also of their soul, therein creating a magnificent work that is better than any portrait ever painted (11). The portrait of Dorian does at first seem beautiful, fully capturing the vicarious youth and innocence of the young man; however, it soon takes on a cruel smile that reflects Dorian’s soul while his body remains forever a reflection of his youthful appearance. This is exactly the “madness” of separating the soul and body which Basil describes and believes that he can overcome by simply acknowledging the foolishness (11). However, this separation is not a result of “madness” but is rather a truth that cannot be overcome (11). The fact that Dorian’s soul and body remain separate despite Basil’s effort in harmonizing the two illustrates the reality that the nature of one’s appearance and one’s personality are not always the same; soul and body cannot always be harmonized. This central theme of the novel, therefore, is revealed by the deep-seated irony in Basil’s epiphany.  

          In contrast to the inconspicuous significance of Basil’s words, Lord Henry uses a simile to describe Dorian that explicitly foreshadows his eventual suffering and his dire fate:

It was no matter how it all ended, or was destined to end. He was like one of those gracious figures in a pageant or a play, whose joys seem to be remote from one, but whose sorrows stir one’s sense of beauty, and whose wounds are like red roses (65).

There is, again, irony in that the “gracious figures” which Dorian is compared to initially appear to reveal a positive trait (65). However, this is clearly not true once the simile is further developed. The word “destined” immediately suggests the significant role of fate in Dorian’s future (65). The simile then reveals this fate – brief happiness and long lasting, heavy sorrow. Dorian’s eternal beauty will only satisfy him at a superficial level, but his cruel nature will forever be embedded in the painting that will only grow increasingly sinister. The horrible reflection of his soul will “stir [his] sense of beauty,” make him feel ugly despite his aesthetic beauty (65). His “wounds,” the constant tormenting that he will experience from seeing the painting evolve, will make his soul more and more hideous, just as “red roses” will only wilt (65). In this single significant simile, Lord Henry captures the bitterness in Dorian’s future which will only grow with time.

            Although the speech of others reveals a significant amount about Dorian, his own thoughts ultimately serve to expose the most about himself. In pondering what effects the evolving painting would have, Dorian decides that “he would be safe. That was everything” (120). Dorian’s conclusion epitomizes his egotistical, shallow, and selfish yet naïve personality. Again, there is a bitter irony in that Dorian believes that by letting the painting change and age instead of his own appearance, “he would be safe” (120). However, the way the cruel expression on the painting torments Dorian foreshadows that the harm induced on him by this torment will eventually outweigh that of seeing himself age physically. Therefore, Dorian’s simple thought serves to not only reveal his shallow nature that explains the reason for his wish for eternal youth, but also foreshadows increasing suffering for Dorian as his portrait evolves.

            In conclusion, the theme of the novel and much of Dorian’s fate as well as his personality is revealed through irony. Interpretation of the aforementioned quotes, especially, provides a thorough understanding of the themes of the novel as well as an indication of Dorian’s hideous personality and his ominous future.