Table of contentsIntroductionThe influence of Basil and Lord Henry on Dorian GrayConclusionReferencesIntroductionIn Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the concept of influence is reflected clearly in two different characters and in two different forms, and juxtaposes them through the main character and his reaction to the two conflicting ideologies projected onto him throughout the novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray, first published in 1890 by famed author Oscar Wilde, follows the protagonist, the young and stunningly handsome Dorian Gray, through the stages of his young adult life and culminates as he matures into adulthood at the end of the novel. The novel is a manifestation of Wilde's own ideas and attitudes of the time, his admiration for art and expression, while rejecting much of art and expression, generating a complex personal position on the concept and a supremacy complex, projected in the character of Dorian Gray. Through Wilde's attitudes and experiences, the character of Dorian comes to life and is used as a tool to spread his ideas to the world. The book embraces and rejects many values ​​of the upper-class Victorian society from which it emerged, such as the importance of art and the supremacy of youth, however rejecting the strict religious beliefs of the time and the notion of severe punishment for crimes. Dorian's final ideology in the novel is influenced and somewhat controlled by two men with whom he spends a lot of time, while he is young and impressionable, Lord Henry Wotton, a nobleman who takes Dorian under his wing, and Basil Hallward , a contract painter. to capture its transcendent beauty. So, to determine the influence of Basil and Lord Henry on Dorian Gray, this essay will analyze the characters of Lord Henry and Basil and their role in the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe influence of Basil and Lord Henry on Dorian GrayLord Henry appears in The Picture of Dorian Gray as a mentor and could be considered as a father figure to the young and touchy Dorian, however, unlike Basil, Henry appears almost entirely as a negative influence in Dorian's life, causing him to live a morally bad life. Henry's influence on Dorian stems entirely from the values ​​of upper-class Victorian English society, placing great importance on art and youth/beauty and caring little for the struggles of others, placing himself on a level superior and living a hedonistic life. Henry tells Dorian "People like you - life's willing sunshine - don't commit crimes, Dorian" and says "Oh, she's better than good - she's beautiful", while discussing Sibyl Vane with Basil , both revealing its lack. of morality and superficiality regarding important aspects of his life. The power of using metaphor to describe Dorian, as a "sunshine of life", is incredibly significant in assessing the power and influence Henry exerts over Dorian, being able to convince him to do, say and to think seemingly anything. Henry has completely influenced Dorian's life in terms of his ability to make Dorian think what he wants, and imposed on him the idea that beauty and youth will conquer morality and that they outweigh morality. of being a good person, thus making Henry an instrument of sin in Dorian's life. In direct contrast to Lord Henry's negative influence on Dorian's life, Basil appears to Dorian as a beacon of light and morality, emerging at a time in Dorian's life when hewas perhaps too immersed in the influence of Lord Henry, however Basil's influence on Dorian is evident as the novel continues. Basil is a physical representation of the softer concept of aestheticism, in the sense that it values ​​art and the more expressive features of life rather than the more political or theoretical features, but the power of youth, of beauty, art and hedonism was not consumed in the same way that Lord Henry was, and later in the same way that Dorian is consumed by the Yellow Book. Where Henry's influence and adoration for Dorian relates to his perfection due to his beauty and youth, Basil's influence and adoration for Dorian arises from his beauty but is magnified by his personality and Basil's opinion of the beauty of his soul, as evidenced by his speech "Dorian, from the moment I met you, your personality had a most extraordinary influence on me. I was dominated, soul , brains and power, by you The amplification of Basil's dialogue, extending Dorian's power over him from obsession to magnificent-sounding worship, has an incredible effect on Dorian, hearing Basil's love for him, of an astonishing and perhaps homoerotic nature Basil is in this way attempting to make his influence on Dorian a positive one of emotional growth and connectedness rather than a life of hedonism as Henry is trying to influence him in this way. Basil is arguably a good influence on Dorian, promoting love and kindness rather than coldness and selfishness. Contrary to previous statements that Henry was representative of the concept of evil, Henry genuinely cares about Dorian and tries to improve Dorian's life by expressing his opinions and guiding him. Without a predominant father figure in his life (his father having been killed in a duel and then raised by his grandfather when his mother died), it is likely that Dorian reached out to Henry due to the lack of a father figure , with only his "wicked" grandfather to guide us, and without any textual evidence of a strong relationship between them, it is likely that Lord Henry was closer to Dorian than his grandfather. In Henry's eyes, friendship is less about loyalty and more about pleasure: "'Always!' It's a terrible word. It makes me shiver when I hear it. Women love using it so much. They ruin every romance by trying to make it last forever. It is also a meaningless word. The only difference between a whim and a lifelong passion is that the whim lasts a little longer. "The analogy that Henry makes with the concept of "always" being like a whim is one that sparks great thought in Dorian and pushes him to accept Lord Henry's idea of ​​reasoning and living for the moment, which, according to Henry, would lead to a pleasant and much less painful life, leaving Dorian with no expectations of people to always stay or live up to their promises and instead take each day and situation as they see fit. he is making the most of his life. This departs from the idea that Lord Henry is only a negative influence in Dorian's life and encourages the idea that perhaps Lord Henry was incredibly misguided. in his leadership of Dorian from Lord Henry's influence, Basil also presents a negative influence on Dorian, feeding his vanity and then later complaining about it to Dorian's accusation that Basil only taught Dorian to be vain. is true to some extent, for Basil openly and often gloated over Dorian. while he was painting Dorian and after the painting was finished. Dorian's defense of Henry; “I owe Harry a lot, Basil”, (…) “more than I owe you.” Does not reflect)