Dorian’s Characterizations in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray:

A Formalism and Psychoanalytical Reading

Aprillia Amail

121311233056

Student of English Department

Faculty of Humanity

Universitas Airlangga

2015

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 ABSTRACT

Using formalism and psychoanalysis theory, this paper intends to analyze the characteristics
brought by Dorian Gray in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The objectives are to describe
the characterizations and psychological characteristic of Dorian Gray. This article use formalism
and psychoanalytical perspectives or criticism for its theoretical framework. For psychoanalytical
theory, the analyst applies the concept of defense mechanism as its specification. The method used is
descriptive qualitative. The data for this analysis are taken from the events and dialogues within the
novel. The results show that the protagonist character in this novel, Dorian Gray, whose physical
appearance was eternal, has several different personalities before and after his mindset changes.
Before poisoned by the idea of the glorification of youth, he was an innocent, shy, and frightened
pretty boy. After changing, he was easy-swayed person, self-conscious, self-esteem, self-destructive,
perfectionist, cruel, coward-hearted person, hypocritical, hedonist, great art tester, and drug addict.
Some characteristics are collected through the analysis of Freud’s defense mechanism of repression,
sublimation, denial, and projection.

Keywords: Dorian Gray, characterizations, formalist, psychoanalytical criticism, defense

mechanism

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND

To make a story – both fiction and non-fiction – alive, an author must create a
character – or characters – that has different traits and behaviors to distinguish one character
from other characters. Character plays a vital role in giving the story’s various nuances that
often impacts to character’s personal traits while facing some complex events in their life.
Moreover, it will be more salient for through the characters, we can analyze the plot on how
the story is going on and ending up. Therefore, the study of character’s characterization often
becomes an interesting object for the analyst of literary studies.

Identifying a character in novel, drama, short story, and other literary works is as the
same as understanding various fascinating people’s traits in our real life. As Mario (2013)
stated, human beings are interesting to be identified and analyzed due to their different
characteristics or personalities that distinct them from one to each other. Furthermore, Fatah
in Analisis Sintagmatik dan Paradigmatik Novel A Passage to India Karya E.M. Forster
argues that understanding human’s nature, ideas, existence, essence, and self-consciousness
will give us some positive contributions when solving our problems of life. We are going to
gain many advantages, for example sharpening our analytical thinking, by analyzing one’s
character in a literary work such as The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde.

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 The Picture of Dorian Gray that had been revised for several times is one of British
author’s masterpiece named Oscar Wilde who was very well-known in the late of nineteenth
century. He was also an academician and sent to Trinity College and Magdalen College for
studying reading classics and ancient history. During his life, he had produced many literary
works including novels, short stories, poems, and plays. Due to his outstanding works, Wilde
was awarded Newdigate Prize for poetry in Oxford and was given a double first from Oxford
University. The Picture of Dorian Gray brought his name popularly.

This novel tells us about an innocent and graceful Victorian young man named Dorian
Gray who gradually entered into his corrupted soul period and hedonistic lifestyle after being
poisoned by her colleague, Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian whose extraordinary beauty was
portrayed on Basil Hallward’s – an artist – magnificent portrait refused to be older and loose
his beautiful youth by making pact with his own portrait. He wanted to remain beauty while
the picture will display his aging signs. His wish was granted, and once Dorian realized that
the picture bore his aging and even his sins and corrupted soul after being committed in Sybil
Vane’s – his fiancée – death. He spent several years with drugs, hedonism, and causing some
his friend’s death and submerged condition without worrying his action because his eternal
youth and innocent face protect him from some people’s condemnations. When the burden of
his sins got clearly bigger, Dorian wiped out the portrait, thus ended his own life.

Dorian’s lifestyle and personality changings interested me as the analyst for this
paper to identify more about his characteristics and psychological characters through the
theory of formalism and psychoanalytic.

FORMALISM

The theory of formalism has been widely utilized by many formalists and analysts
such as William Carlos. In a book written by Robert DiYanni (2000), this theory stresses the
form of a literary work to determine its meaning by focusing on literary elements such as
plot, character, setting, diction, imagery. Formalism concerns on the work itself rather than
the literary history. DiYanni extends that its main method is close reading with identifying
the large- scale structures of longer works: “The primary method of formalism is a close
reading ….. In addition formalist critics analyze the large-scale structures of longer works,
looking for patterns, and relationships among scenes, actions, and characters” (2000, p.1356).
This theory will be used to examine Dorian’s characters regarding physical appearance, and
socio-culture background.

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 THE THEORY OF PSYCHONALYTIC CRITISM:

DEFENSE MENCHANISM

Psychoanalytic was firstly introduced by Sigmund Freud in the mid of twentieth

century and parted into two elements; conscious and unconscious. Freud states the three parts
of psyche consisting id, superego, and ego. Abdulkareem (2011) describes id as the
unconscious. It is about desires and always follows instincts, but it is in conflict with the
superego. On the other hand, the superego stands outside the self. It is shaped under a father,
ideal model, religious institution, moral judgments and order. Superego controls what are
rights or wrongs. Ego is a conscious one and balancing id and superego. According to Mario
(2013), it is a form of one’s effort to complete their desire without neglecting the reality.

There are certain several processes in the defense of ego. These are defense
mechanism that consists of repression, sublimation, denial, reaction formation, isolation,
projection, regression, and intellectualization. This essay will focus on repression,
sublimation, denial, and projection. Defense mechanism will unveil the hidden thoughts,
motives, and inner struggles in the character’s conscious and unconscious minds. This will
reveal the character’s more-detailed portrayal and life destination by concerning their
motivations that strongly impact to Dorian’s attitude and personality changes during his life.

ANALYSIS OF DORIAN GRAY

DORIAN’S CHARACTERIZATIONS

In this novel, it is obviously described that Dorian is a protagonist. Physically, he was

an extraordinary man whose eternal youth and pretty-innocent face that symbolized purity are
adored by many British young men and women, including an artist named Basil Hallward,
during Victorian period. He had finely-curved scarlet lips, frank blue eyes, crisp gold hair,
and beautiful voice. Although he was getting older, 18 years older, but he still enjoyed his
wonderfully handsome like a twenty-year-old boy due to his granted wish – the portrait
would bear his aging, but he would not.

Lord Henry looked at him. Yes, he was certainly wonderfully handsome, with his
finely-curved scarlet lips, his frank blue eyes, his crisp gold hair. There was
something in his face that made one trust him at once. All the candor of youth was
there, as well as all youth’s passionate purity. One felt that he had kept himself

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 unspotted from the world. No wonder Basil Hallward worshipped him. He was made
to be worshipped (p.19).

And he had such a beautiful voice (p.20).

he answered, “… The man whose life I want must be nearly forty now. This one is
little more than a boy ..”

“.. They say he has sold himself to the devil for a pretty face. It’s nigh on eighteen
years since I met him …” (p.183).

Dorian came from upper class. His descents were pervasively known as upper class
family too, especially his grandfather, Lord Kelso. His status as British Victorian upper class
is portrayed in the setting of his house, what he used to wear, his fellowship, some invitations
he received, and some agenda he must hold or attend. Dorian liked to wear an elaborate
dressing gown of silk-embroidered cashmere wool and put on some rings in his fingers. He
had great sense of art because he really appreciated artworks such as painting, literature,
drama, and music. Therefore, he liked to watch theater, go to club, do parties, even conducted
such a music festival. His fellowships were dominated by British upper class or popular
figure such as duke, duchess, artist, and intellects. Hedonism lifestyle he done has demanded
him to look more luxurious in public sphere and sharpened his senses of art.

“… He should have a pot of money if Kelso did the right thing by him. His mother
had money too…”(p.35).

After about ten minutes he got up, and, throwing on an elaborate dressing-gown,
passed into the onyx-paved bathroom (p.91).

…turned over his letters…They contained the usual collection of cards, invitations to
dinner, tickets for private views, programmes of charity concerts, and the like, that
are showered on fashionable young men every morning during the season. There was
a rather heavy bill, for a chased silver Louis-Quinze toilet-set (p.91).

Once or twice every month during the winter, and on each Wednesday evening while
the season lasted, he would throw open to the world his beautiful house and have the
most celebrated musicians of the day to charm his gusts with the wonders of their art
(p.125).

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DORIAN’S PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATIONS: DEFENSE MECHANISM

Defense mechanism processes will reveal Dorian’s life destination followed by his
personality and behavior transformations. These processes point out how Dorian’s
psychological characteristics undergo some changes after being poisoned by Lord Henry
Wotton’s idea about the glorification of youth. The processes are:

A. REPRESSION

In her thesis, Abdulkareem (2011) explains Freudian repression as a process in which

unacceptable thoughts, instincts, and emotions that belonged to conscious mind are immersed
and inhibited in unconscious mind that then give impact upon one’s behaviors and actions.
Repression in Dorian is the starting point for the change in his life. For the first time, the
conversation between him and Lord Henry Wotton that happened in Basil Hallward’s art
studio has realized him about his marvelous beauty face, the pleasure of life, his passion of
life, his extraordinary youth, and how it would be if he lost his youth for several years later.
He began thinking how worthwhile the youth is and how the glorification of youth must be
retained in order to find his passion and the pleasure of life.

Yes, there would be a day when his face would be wrinkled and wizen, his eyes dim and
colourless, the grace of his figure broken and deformed. The scarlet would pass away
from his lips, and the gold steal from his hair. The life that was to make his soul would
mar his body. He would become dreadful, hideous, and uncouth (p.27)

His fear of losing his beauty after hearing Lord Henry statement about youth is a result of
repression. He wanted to escape from the reality when the world would not regard him as
beauty anymore when losing his youth and being wrinkled. Thus, he made the pact for the
picture; if the picture could bear all of his aging and if his youth could always be as beauty as
his face. Gradually, Dorian personal attitude was changing. He started to joy the pleasure of
life and regard life as a real art. His adherence to Lord Henry and his sudden mad love to
Sybil Vane – a talented girl who entailed in theaters – initiated his change. He rebuilt his
character from the shy, frightened boy to be more self-conscious.

Lord Henry watched him with a subtle sense of pleasure. How different he was now from
the shy, frightened boy he had met in Basil Hallward’s studio! (p.54).

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 Yes, the lad was premature. He was gathering his harvest while it was yet spring. The
pulse and passion of youth were in him, but he was becoming self-conscious (p.57).

From the process of repression, we also can infer that Dorian is a coward-hearted person
and easy to be swayed by the idea that could threat or harm the things he devotes – his
wonderfully handsome youth face. It can be said that he is perfectionist in appearance matter.

B. SUBLIMATION

Abdulkareem (2011) quoted Baumeister, Dale, and Sommer’s statement: “Sublimation

takes a fundamentally antisocial or unacceptable desire and channeling the energy into
socially valued activities” (p.20). On the other words, it is the process which the subordinated
and inhibited thought is transformed to something nobler and socially acceptable.
Sublimation in Dorian happens when he started reconstructing his identity and playing
dominant role in controlling other characters’ destinies.

By worshiping the sense and life, Dorian reconstructed his identity as a hedonist. He
involved more in hedonism after obtaining the yellow book titled The St James’s Gazette, a
novel of psychological study without plot with only one character who spent his life trying to
realize all the passions and modes of thought of world-spirit, from Lord Henry. That book
made him become intrigued about his passions, in consequence, once he studied perfume,
music, and jewelry. Everything attributed to him is luxurious. He showed his identity as
upper class and join upper class communities and parties. However, he also constructed his
identity as drug addict and this destructed his self.

Yes: there was to be, as Lord Henry had prophesied, a new Hedonism that was to
recreate life, and save it from that harsh, uncomely puritanism that is having, in our day,
its curious revival (p.126).

The hideous hunger of opium began to gnaw at him (p.177)

Dorian’s extraordinary beautiful face, richness, great sense of art, and eternal youth
always attracted more people to be his best fellowship. He elevated his interpersonal
communication skill. Along with those aspects, the influence of The St James’s Gazette had
made him to be the dominant controller of most of his friend’s destinies. Once found
someone’s something special, he would made him/her to be his friend, but if he found the
flaw of his friends, he would leave them and use the those flaws to intimidate them. He

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became the cause of every terrible thing his friends underwent. Many of his friends ended in
dreadful things, even committed suicide due to his threat and manipulative words. This
personal trait makes him regard as a cruel one – he just takes the benefit of friendship.

“…. They say that you corrupt everyone with whom you become intimate, and that it is
quite sufficient for you to enter a house, for shame of some kind of follow alter..” (p.145).

C. DENIAL

Denial is a form of refusing certain facts, for instance when a person has failed on doing
something, he/she does not want to confess that she lacks ability or certain personal traits.
Phebe Cramer in Abdulkareem (2011) defines denial as ignorance of reality through the
psychological or physical withdrawal from painful events. Dorian’s anxiety about his
corrupted soul depicted in his picture is a denial. He then concealed his dreadful-becoming
picture in a dusty place because he did not want to care and witness his corrupted soul grew
more and more. He concealed it so that there is no one knew his black side and sins; he did
not want the world mock at him.

He sighed and touched the bell. The portrait must be hidden away at all costs. He could
not run such a risk of discovery again. It had been mad of him to have allowed the thing
to remain, even for an hour, in a room to which any of his friends had access (p.113).

This defense mechanism is also related to Dorian’s personality traits. He can be described
as a man of high self-esteem.

D. PROJECTION

Abdulkareem (2011) states that Cramer defines projection as an act of putting the blame
on others in order to avoid being mourned. Freud defines projection as attributing one’s own
traits and emotions to someone else. Projection goes to Dorian when he blamed Lord Henry
influence, Basil Hallward’s artwork – his picture, and the book Lord Henry had given as the
major factor of his personal behavior changes and corrupted soul. At last, he destroyed his
picture that resulted in his own death.

He shuddered,… Basil would have helped him to resist Lord Henry’s influence, and the
still more poisonous influences that come from his own temperament. (p.115)

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 … The picture itself – that was the evidence. He would destroy it. Why had he kept it so
long? … It had kept him awake at night. When he had been away, he had been filled with
terror lest other eyes should look upon it. It had brought melancholy across his passion.
Its mere memory had marred many moments of joy… (p.212).

“Yet you poisoned me with a book once. I should not forgive that. Harry, promise me that
you will never lend that book to anyone. It does harm.” (p.208)

This trait attributed to Dorian’s hypocritical and arrogant quality. He refused to be blamed
for his self-changes, whereas actually he received some Lord Henry’s poisonous influence
and could not stay away from it although sometime he realized that.

CONCLUSION

The analysis shows that an upper class member of British Victorian named Dorian
Gray who has extraordinary beauty face and eternal youth has different characteristics
between before and after his personality transformations. He was innocent, shy, and
frightened boy, but actually, from the process of repression, his character as perfectionist,
coward-hearted and easy-swayed person is revealed. He became more self-conscious after
undergoing repression stage.

Sublimation is another defense mechanism which follows repression in Dorian’s

characteristics. After his initial changes, his sublimation is presented by his identity
reconstruction. He got involved in more luxury life, or hedonism lifestyle, and consumed
drug. Thus, through sublimation, Dorian obtains the power and controlling other characters’
destinies. He corrupted everyone whom he became intimated. Sublimation unveils that
Dorian is self-destructive by consuming drug and following hedonism, and cruel due to his
bad trait toward his fellowship he became intimated.

Furthermore, Dorian’s anxiety about his corrupted soul depicted in his picture is a
form of denial process. He did not want to face the reality that he has done many sins. Thus,
he conceal the picture from everyone, from his sight. He wanted the world saw him as a
perfect man only. Denial has showed us how Dorian is a high self-esteem man. And the last
defense mechanism is projection which changed Dorian’s behavior concerning to seek
revenge. He blamed his picture, Lord Henry’s influence, and the yellow book for the mess
lives he has had. Projection uncovers his character as arrogant and hypocritical man.

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Works Cited
Abdulkareem, A. (2011). A Psychonalytical Reading of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.
Dalarna: Dalarna University.

DiYanni, R. (2000). Literature: Reading Ficiton, Poetry, and Drama. Singapore: Mc Graw
Hill.

Fatah, A. (n.d.). Analisis Sintagmatik dan Paradigmatik Novel 'A Passage to India' Karya
E.M. Forster. Surabaya: Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Universitas Airlangga.

Mario, G. (2013). A PSYCHOANALYSIS ON THE MAIN CHARACTER AND THE AUTHOR

OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN SCARLET . Jakarta: Bina Nusantara
University.

Wilde, O. (2001). The Picture of Dorian Gray. London: Penguin Books.

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