What Is The Evil In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Everyone has a moral compass in them from common thieves to even the Pope, but even a paragon of society has some evil lurking in them. In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian tells Basil after he reveals his altered painting, ”Each of us has heaven and hell in him, Basil,” (Wilde, 122). The statement functions as a recurring theme in the novel whereas the righteousness, represented by Basil Hallward, struggles with immorality, represented by Lord Henry Wotton, for dominance. Although there are many characters that can relate to the statement, the three main characters that strengthen the theme as a whole are Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, along with lord Henry Wotton. Dorian Gray is a prime example of the statement because he is as easily manipulated as a child is. He acts as a good Christian child at the beginning of the novel, but turns to a life of immorality and ecstasy. Mr. Gray’s two main influences are Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton. He is praised and guided through life as a sitter for Mr. Hallward’s artistic
He corrupts Dorian from the start and leads as an objectionable dastardly example for Dorian to follow. Lord Henry explores the world’s society through careless psychological experiments that bother, and sometimes change the object of the experiment in a negative way. He can be argued as an untraditional villain as he does not act wicked, but he does indirectly ruin society. Michael Caine once said, “...Some men just want to watch the world burn.” Lord Henry did not influence Dorian because he could get something out of it. He influenced Dorian because he could watch it tear him down. The psychological power that Lord Henry Wotton has over Basil Hallward is phenomenal. Dorian’s true defence against Lord Henry is his unconditional love for Sibyl Vane. His feelings were the only thing that kept him on a good path despite Lord Henry’s