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Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton, The portrait :, INFLUENCE
The power of…
Dorian Gray
Basil Hallward
B. arrives upset about S.'s death and concerned for. D.
D. echos L.H. by calling Sybil's death "one of the greatest romantic tragedies of the age" and B. is astonished about D.'s indifference, accuses D. of having no heart and blames his change on L. H..
The first influence mentioned in the book is that of Dorian on Basil. As soon as Basil lays his eyes on Dorian, he becomes dependent on him. Basil's attraction to Dorian is both professional and personal. Dorian inspires him a new vision of art. Basil doesn't want Lord Henry to meet Dorian because he doesn't want him to influence the young man.
Time goes by and B. meets D. again. B. is worried about Dorian's reputation. Basil heard a lot of gossips about him but like everyone when he sees his innocent face, he discards/dismesses the rumors. This reflects Platone 's theory in the "Simposio" according to which people associate a beautiful man with a good heart. While ugly appearances are associated with an evil nature.
Many young men admire him because he's a well known dandy who lives surrounded by beauty like D'annunzio's Andrea Sperelli. Dorian's friendship ruins them (one commits suicide, one is forced to leave England, one loses his career and one his social standing). He "filled them with madness for pleasure" but doesn't feel responsibile for the flaws of his acquaintances.
Sybil Vane
Dorian's quest for adventures leads to an East End theatre where he falls in love with an actress called Sybil Vane. But while her joy and love are pure, his are not. He has fallen in love with her performances and he identifies Sybil with the shakespearian characters she plays. Under Dorian's influence, she changes and her acting becomes artificial. S. expects D. to understand that she can no longer act because she has found true love in real life. Dorian accuses her of having killed his love, he finds her shallow and stupid and leaves her.
Alan Campbell
To destroy B.’s corpse, D. exploits the influence he has over Alan Campbell who will later kill himself. He's happy to have exceeded his mentor with his manipulative skills.
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Lord Henry Wotton
Yellow Book
L. H gives it to D. because he knew the effects it would have had on D. In fact, D. is engrossed by it, enthralled by the story and adopts it as a guideline for his life of debauchery. It becomes D.'s Bible and poisons his soul even more.
In the first scene of the book we see Lord Henry picking a daisy and pulling it apart. This symbolises his role as a destroyer of beauty for his own amusement. He enjoys manipulating people and when he spots Dorian's vulnerability, he goes to work.
L. H. says “there is no such thing as good influence. All influence is immoral” because it corrupts one's soul. This marks an ironic contrast between his words and his actions. In fact, he really intends to influence D. and to play him like a violin. He even compares his influence on D. to a sculptor's shaping of a statue. In L. H. 's opinion, Dorian's background makes him a romantic and tragic figure worth studying. L.H. tells D. to make the best of his beauty and youth because they will quickly fade. D. is touched by L. H. 's speech and when he sees the finished portrait, he becomes aware of his beauty and like Narcissus he falls in love with his image. He wishes the portrait would age instead of him. We can compare Dorian to Faust who gave up his soul for knowledge and power. In Dorian's downfall, L. H plays the devil's role.
When Sybil kills herself, Dorian struggles briefly with his conscience but L.H. advises to regard the whole matter as if he were a spectator at the theatre and to consider Sybil's death as “a wonderful ending to a wonderful play”. Under the influence of L.H., D. throws away his last scraps of conscience and becomes a totally selfish being. He vows to dedicate himself to the pursue of pleasure and sin (hedonistic life).
The portrait :
Complelled by the portrait, D. kills Basil, the only real friend he has and the only chance to redeem himself.
Dorian is influenced by the portrait. When he realizes his wish has been fulfilled/granted and sees the portrait recording all his sins and corruption, he vows from time to time to behave. He also thinks about confessing his secret to Basil and asking for his help to save him from L.H's influence.
INFLUENCE
The power of one to affect another is a pervasive theme in the novel. This is a scheme about who influences whom.