Consequences

I find the consequence afforded to various characters at the end of the novel very interesting. Besides Dorian, the characters of James Vane, Lord Henry, and Alan Campbell all meet interesting ends.

James is shot by accident while hiding in the bushes. I feel that this parallels his role in Sibyl's death. In standing in the sidelines and in not playing an active role in her association with Dorian, she kills herself. His inaction leads to his depression at the death of his sister. His inaction to kill Dorian is equally rewarded.

Lord Henry's wife runs away with another man and his divorce has become a scandal. He properly followed his own advice and left a scandal "to give an interest to one's old age" (71). Not only is the divorce a result of his own ambiguous nature towards matrimony, but it is also a pre-meditated social play for Henry. He seems undisturbed by it and yet mournful that his "bad habit" is gone.

Alan Campbell kills himself as does Dorian in the end. One can safely assume Alan committed suicide due to a pressing amount of guilt not only for whatever deed Dorian blackmailed him with but also for destroying Basil's body. Alan's death foreshadows Dorian's own demise and I wonder what significance his suicide holds for the meaning of the novel.