Dorian’s Manipulations

As Dorian grows increasingly depraved, one trait that remains is his ability to manipulate others in his interactions. The most shocking instance so far is Dorian’s murder of Basil, an act that comes only seconds after Basil reassures Dorian that any sin is forgivable. Dorian’s emotional change is sudden, (hardly a new act for him), but the cause of this change is worth further consideration. Wilde describes the feeling of loathing possessing Dorian, “as though it had been suggested to him by the image on the canvas, whispered into his ear by those grinning lips” (157).

To what extent can an ‘evil’ desire overtake a person if it comes from the image/idea created of them?

It is an interesting thought that Wilde suggests, implying the social construction of a person (with Dorian’s picture as a literal embodiment of this construction) has a potential power of corruption over that person. I’m interested to see if this type of power continues to surface toward the end of the novel, (as it arguably appears in a similar form in Dorian’s encounter with Sibyl’s brother). I see this as a sort of defense from Wilde that attempts to explain the choices of the aesthetic lifestyle while also highlighting the way those seemingly detached from a person’s life can have a major influence on their self-perception.