What Is The Narcissism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde proves within his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, that as one becomes more and more transfixed upon narcissistic commodities, such as beauty, they experience a moral digression.

Dorian Gray, at the beginning of the novel, is healthy and morally good. He retains his youth and innocence.
Lord Henry, however, alters Dorian’s view of beauty and how life should be spent.
Lord Henry terrifies Dorian of the aging process by telling him that, “ You only have a few good 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… Time is jealous of you, and wars against your lilies and your roses. You will become shallow, and hollow-cheeked, and dull-eyed.
After Basil has finished the portrait Dorian remarks, “ I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of that portrait you painted of me. Why should it keep what I must lose?” (Wilde 20). This illustrates the change of mindset. The narcissism takes over almost immediately and his morals have already digressed. His beauty is this most important thing, and he is more concerned about that than anything
Basil is shocked at the revelation, and Dorian suddenly received, “An uncontrollable feeling of hatred,” directed at Basil (Wilde 115). Gray then “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 stabbed again and again,” (Wilde 116). The hunt for beauty consumes people, and when it is found people will do whatever it takes to hold onto it, included murder a dear friend, just so they can protect themselves for a little bit