Billy Richmond

Essay Outline
Theme Pair: Beauty/ Ugliness Thesis: In the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the importance of beauty is explored from the beginning. The vivid descriptions of the physical beauty of inanimate objects and people are a major theme running throughout. It is shown, however, that external beauty is only superficial , exposure to a corrupt environment brings internal ugliness and that morality is true beauty. Organizing Principles: External Beauty is superficial The Painting Exposure to a corrupt environment brings internal ugliness The painting Morality is true beauty

1. (Page 175)Ugliness that had once been hateful to him because it made things real, became dear to him now for that very reason. Ugliness was the one reality. The coarse brawl, the loathsome den, the crude violence of disordered life, the very vileness of thief and outcast, were more vivid, in their intense actuality of impression, than all the gracious shapes of art, the dreamy shadows of song. Dorian Gray recognizes that ugliness is true reality and with ugliness, you are able to experience more realistic things in your lifetime. At the same time, he realizes that just because your beautiful physically, it does not mean that you are truly beautiful because ugliness is true reality, not beauty. 2. (Page 82)She is very lovely, and if she knows as little about life as she does about acting, she will be a delightful experience. Lord Henry says this to Dorian Gray as Sibyl Vane is performing terribly on stage. Lord Henry believes that true beauty is just physical appearances, but Dorian does not accept this, instead Dorian recognizes that true beauty is not just physical experiences but more than that, which is why Dorian is upset at Sibyl while Lord Henry is absolutely impressed. 3. (Page 83)To-night, for the first time in my life, I saw through the hollowness, the sham, the silliness of the empty pageant in which I had always played. To-night, for the first time, I became conscious that the Romeo was hideous, and old, and painted, that the moonlight in the orchard was false, that the scenery was vulgar, and that the words I had to speak were unreal, were not my words, were not what I wanted to say.

Once Sibyl had become influenced by Dorian Gray, she no longer appreciated herself for what she had been, and instead became shallower as to only caring about her physical appearances and thought that, that was enough to satisfy Dorian. What she had not realized was that Dorian Gray not only her physical appearances but also her true talents as a person. 4. "Years ago, when I was a boy," said Dorian Gray, crushing the flower in his hand, "you met me, flattered me, and taught me to be vain of my good looks. One day you introduced me to a friend of yours, who explained to me the wonder of youth, and you finished a portrait of me that revealed to me the wonder of beauty. In a mad moment that, even now, I don't know whether I regret or not, I made a wish, perhaps you would call it a prayer. . . ."

1.

(Page 79)If this girl can give a soul to those who have lived without one, if she can create the sense of beauty in people whose lives have been sordid and ugly, if she can strip them of their selfishness and lend them tears for sorrows that are not their own, she is worthy of all your adoration, worthy of the adoration of the world. Basil Howard is a very different person compared to Lord Henry, he believes that morality is true beauty, and that the person themselves is caring and benevolent, then they are truly beautiful, even without physical beauty. This is why Basil tells Dorian this, in order to make sure he understands true beauty.

1. (Page 93)I cant bear the idea of my soul being hideous. Even though Dorian was taught to appreciate physical beauty by Lord Henry, he still realized that true beauty is not only physical but the beauty inside of you as well. When he mentioned his soul, he was stating that his innocence is just as valuable as his physical appearances, therefore, his innocence cannot be hideous as well. 1. (Page 209)But this murder--was it to dog him all his life? Was he always to be burdened by his past? Was he really to confess? Never. There was only one bit of evidence left against him. The picture itself-- that was evidence. He would destroy it. Why had he kept it so long? Once it had given him pleasure to watch it changing and growing old. Of late he had felt no such pleasure. 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 passions. Its mere memory had marred many moments of joy. It had been like conscience to him. Yes, it had been conscience. He would destroy it. In this quotation, Dorian Gray basically stated that all the experiences of his life had been stored into the painting, and now it was the only evidence that stopped him from starting a new life. Though this is not truly outlined in the quote, we realize that as Dorian destroyed the painting, he became an old man and died. A careful analysis of this quotation shows that by destroying this painting that kept a part of his soul, he had released all his experiences within the painting,

and as we know, through all the experiences, the painting itself became ugly, now that it was released, it had all gone back into Dorian and made his true form ugly as well. 2. (Page 6-7)"How sad it is!" murmured Dorian Gray with his eyes still fixed upon his own portrait. "How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June. . . . If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that--for that--I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!" After being spoken to by Lord Henry about physical beauty, Dorian realizes that the older he grows, the uglier he will become. Not only because of age, since the painting will also age, but because of the experiences that be felt by him and not the painting. 3. (Page 24)"No, you don't feel it now. Some day, when you are old and wrinkled and ugly, when thought has seared your forehead with its lines, and passion branded your lips with its hideous fires, you will feel it, you will feel it terribly. Now, wherever you go, you charm the world. Will it always be so? . . . You have a wonderfully beautiful face, Mr. Gray. Don't frown. You have. And beauty is a form of genius-- is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts of the world, like sunlight, or spring-time, or the reflection in dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon. It cannot be questioned. It has its divine right of sovereignty. It makes princes of those who have it. You smile? Ah! when you have lost it you won't smile. . . . People say sometimes that beauty is only superficial. That may be so, but at least it is not so superficial as thought is. To me, beauty is the wonder of wonders. It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. . . . Yes, Mr. Gray, the gods have been good to you. But what the gods give they quickly take away. You have only a few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully. When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you, or have to content yourself with those mean triumphs that the memory of your past will make more bitter than defeats. Every month as it wanes brings you nearer to something dreadful. Time is jealous of you, and wars against your lilies and your roses. You will become sallow, and hollow-cheeked, and dull-eyed. You will suffer horribly.... Ah! realize your youth while you have it. Lord Henry sees physical beauty as one of the most important wonders in life, and he is telling Dorian that through age his beauty will disappear so he should make the most of it while he still has it. He also says that as your youth disperses, so will your beauty, this means that soon after your youth, the experiences gained will affect your beauty and eventually make you ugly.