The Killing Game

The Killing Game

Dorian Gray, the main character in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, can be considered as someone with a weak moral as Lord Henry and his Hedonism beliefs easily corrupt him. It only takes a conversation in a garden to transform the pure Dorian into a Dark Vader of Victorian times. In a way, the reader can find him pitiable, as it is not his fault if he felt into Lord Henry's game, but he cannot help himself to detest Dorian more because of his shameful acts, which are composed of deaths, corruption, and blackmail.

The first time Dorian acts wrongly is when he drives Sybil Vane to suicide, and he does not even feel one ounce of remorse for it: he just goes to the opera with Henry and enjoys his evening, just considering his love with Sybil an experience, like the Hedonism doctrine, encourages to think. He acts so terribly that the portrait that reflects his soul even depicts it by making his smirk look evil. Gray is detestable for this action as it is his fault if Sybil dies heartbroken and alone. True, Dorian starts to write a letter for her to pardon him, but he just ends up going out to enjoy himself like Lord Henry tells him to. It is despicable as Dorian does not even regret his action, and even Basil is horrified by it when they come to talk about Sybil. The artist can barely recognize the real friend he first met but instead sees him degrading and it is hard for him to believe it as Dorian still has that angelic face. However, by also ruining Sybil's life, he destroys her brother's, James Vane. For years, James tries to find out who is that ‘Prince Charming' who caused his sister's misery, just to end up killed by a lost bullet during a hunting game. When Dorian discovers his body, he is not horrifying, but glad to see that man dead as he does not have to worry about someone wanting to kill him anymore. This reaction is repulsive as the reader has the impression that Dorian does not realize that people die because of him. And if he is aware, he can be considered as one of the most horrible men for not caring.

Another time Dorian acts like a drama queen who does not care about his actions is when he murders the innocent Basil. Basil is a rational man, an artist, who can let his feelings and thoughts reflect on a simple blank canvas, and he is falsely murdered for trying to help his corrupt friend. All he does was to try reasoning with Dorian Gray to repent for his sins, but as a reward, he gets the blade of betrayal piercing his flesh, touching his vital organs, letting the river of innocence flood before slowly drying… and then everything comes to a stop, and everything is silent: death. The reader is shocked when reading the words, and he needs to process the information twice before admitting that they are real: Dorian kills Basil just because he tries to lead him out of his nightmare. And then the reader throws the book because he just cannot believe it. Dorian's action makes him more despicable because he first kills him out of impulsive anger as Basil keeps pointing out his sins. However, it gets worse as he does not even regret this murder, as he wakes up smiling in his bed, ready to drink his English breakfast tea with some toasts, when Basil's body is just rotting above his head. Basil's death seems unfair, as he is an innocent, who first tried to prevent Lord Henry from corrupting Dorian, and

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