The Picture Of Dorian Gray Research Paper

Parts of the Psyche in The Picture of Dorian Gray
One of Sigmund Freud’s most prominent theories is how the psyche is split into three parts: the id, ego and superego, each of which contribute to a different set of behavior. The id is the primitive part, which focuses on our impulsive desires and how we can satisfy them, with no regard into the feelings of others, oneself or society’s expectations. The ego is the logical and reasoning part, which focuses on satisfying the same desires the id feels, yet looks for a more practical solution, while also avoiding hurting oneself. The superego is the moral part, which focuses on how one’s desires fit into societal norms and also controls our guilt (McLeod). In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian is
In Freud’s theory, the ego develops to keep the balance between the unrealistic nature of id and what is possible in the real world (McLeod). With the id becoming stronger when the pact is made and Dorian having nothing to lose, he no longer needs the ego to make realistic ways to conquer his desires. Instead, he can simply act on them, with no care as to how they may affect him, since he will not age. This can be seen when Dorian gets fed up with Basil criticizing the painting and how Dorian has no desire to seek repentance, and stabs him on a whim.
Dorian Gray glanced at the picture, and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward came over him...The mad passions of a hunted animal stirred within him, and he loathed the man who was seated at the table, more than in his whole life he had ever loathed anything... He rushed at him and dug the knife into the great vein that is behind the ear, crushing the man's head down on the table and stabbing again and again (Wilde
In the stabbing of Basil, Dorian does not think through the morality of his actions and how they break a basic human thought of not doing harm unto another. This lack of morality can also be seen when Dorian talks his way out of being killed. Shortly after the pact, Dorian’s words and actions push his ex-girlfriend, Sibyl Vane, to commit suicide. Yet later in the book, when her brother attacks Dorian for his actions, he lies about who he is and says that he never knew her, which breaks the moral belief that one should not lie. In this scene, Dorian also shows no guilt about his actions both in her death or in his current state. Both the lack of morality and guilt throughout the book can be attributed to a lack of superego. However in the ending scene of the book, Dorian regains some of his superego, as he begins to feel guilty for his actions and how they’ve hurt him and blames the painting for causing him to go mad. “Alan Campbell had shot himself one night in his laboratory,... He was perfectly safe there. Nor, indeed, was it the death of Basil Hallward that weighed most upon his mind. It was the living death of his own soul that troubled him” (Wilde 470). While Dorian begins to to feel guilt at this point, he does so in a very selfish manner, not caring about the deaths of others he has caused. Therefore, while Dorian begins to regain his