friday january 16th

"He would examine with minute care,and sometimes with a monstrous and terrible delight, the hideous lines that seared the wrinkled forehead or crawled around the heavy sensual mouth, wondering sometimes which were more horrible, the signs of sin or the signs of age. He would place his white hands beside the coarse hands of the picture, and smile. He mocked the misshapen body and the failing limbs."

Page 110

I chose this quote because it completes Dorian's soul's manifestation into something hideous. It plays a vital role in the novel because it is the end of the gray area- there is no more pretending that Dorian is still good somewhere in his heart. He has become so vain and pretentious that he sees his former self as an object to be ridiculed. Dorian's obsession with youth and beauty has reached a peak and is no longer a curiosity, but an obsession- as seen with his intense observation of his body. Dorian's narcissism has bought to life a dangerous flirtation with the ideas of eternity and immortality.


Wilde uses diction and parallelism in order to convey his meaning. Because Dorian was described as 'perfection' his mockery of his former self is an insult to perfection, and therefore God- as he is considered the creator of all things. The gruesomely detailed diction Wilde uses sets a tone that portrays Dorian's cynicism and obsession with himself as well as relays the dark aura that now captures Dorian's essence.