Friday December 12th

"...-she acted badly because she had known the reality of love. When she knew its unreality, she died, as Juliet might have died. She passed again into the sphere of art. There is something of the martyr about her. Her death has all the pathetic uselessness of martyrdom, all its wasted beauty."

This passage is significant because it shows the completed change of Dorian's character. Lord Henry is Dorian's biggest influence, although he is a man of corruption and shallow views. He is now spitting out Lord Henry's words and personifying his ideals. In this passage Dorian is putting down the death of a girl he once loved and now cares little for because her acting went awry. It stresses Dorian's newfound need for society's approval and appearances while simultaneously changing many views on the novel’s protagonist.

Wilde mainly uses condescending diction in this passage to emphasize Dorian's change. Wilde also creates an air of pretentiousness around Dorian by having him reason that Sybil’s existence was metaphorical and therefore her death was meaningless and inconsequential. This mood affects the reader’s opinion of Dorian, changing it from empathy to shock and loathing. Wilde’s word choice in ‘wasted beauty’ also highlights his motif of appearances, beauty, youth and acceptance in society. The fact that Dorian describes it as a waste is further evidence that his values have changed.