This was the start of the moral decline of Dorian Gray. He offered his soul to the devil in a Faustian pact. Lord Henry has a considerable amount of help in the downfall of Dorian Gray. Lord Henry has found never used devices in Dorian Grays brain and is teasing them with suggestions. Dorian and Lord Henry meet frequently after their first consultation. He goes on to persuade him not to do his usual charitable events and instead live life to the full. He introduces him to new ways of living, ways that provide one with pleasure. “I will tell you, Harry; but you mustn’t be unsympathetic about it. After all, it never would have happened if I had not met you. You filled me with a wild desire to know everything about life.” Lord Henry has many deep feelings for Dorian Gray and is passionate about him. He influences Dorian to look for sensations in the East-End the grubbiest part of London. Lord Henry is a diabolical character, although he may not realise his own dastardly convincing attitude towards other people. Lord Henry pollutes Dorian’s mind by encouraging him to think primarily about oneself. He influences Dorian to pleasure and please himself at regular intervals.
Dorian Gray’s moral decline started to occur as he travelled to the grubbiest part of London, the East-End. Dorian sees a play involving a woman with whom he falls madly in love with, her name is Sibyl Vane. Dorian would never have engaged in a relationship with Sibyl Vane if he had not become acquainted with Lord Henry. A man from the aristocracy would never participate in a relationship with a character like Sibyl Vane. This shows Dorian’s moral decline has already begun. This also shows that Lord Henry is influencing Dorian to mix with filthy and uncivilised women. Lord Henry is passing on his views on the world and making Dorian feel the same way, he suggests Dorian live life to the full. Dorian now wants to experience every aspect of life, even lowlife activities.
Near the end of the Novel Dorian Gray kills Basil Hallward. The chapter is about Dorian Gray revealing his secret to Basil Hallward and then Basil is horrified as the disfigured picture conjures in front of his suspicious face. Dorian then stabs Basil, thinking that the portrait would return to its original condition, a beautiful painting of Dorian Gray. “His eye fell on it. He knew what it was. It was a knife that he had brought up, some days before, to cut a piece of cord, and had forgotten to take away with him. He moved slowly towards it’ passing Hallward as he did so. As soon as he got behind him, he seized it, and turned around. Hallward stirred in his chair as if he was going to rise. 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.” Dorian is shocked and disgusted by his actions, he can’t really see the crimes that he has just committed as he paces up and down his study room for half and hour contemplating what procedures and measures he should take next.
After Dorian kills Basil Hallward the next day he seems normal, as if nothing has happened. “Dorian was sleeping quite peacefully, lying on his right side, with one hand underneath his cheek. He looked like a boy who had been tired out with play, or study” He has just killed one of his best friends and he seems as if he has been sleeping wonderfully. He just looks forward to the day ahead of him and thinks of how everything will be okay that life will resume as normal. No-one has died to him, nothing has happened. He just wants to enjoy life and follow Lord Henry’s advice to pursue pleasure. Lord Henry’s influence has corrupted Dorian to a certain extent that he was willing to kill a dear friend.
Dorian kills Basil maybe because Basil painted the picture and Dorian thought that it was Basil’s fault for the hideous morphing of the picture. It makes sense as Basil painted the picture. Dorian may have killed Basil because he didn’t want Basil to reveal his secret to anyone. The only person who knew was Basil who had just recently discovered the hideousness of the picture, of Dorian Gray. “Dorian glanced at the picture, and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward came over him as though it had been suggested to him by the image on the canvas, whispered into his ear by those grinning lips.” Lord Henry’s advice to Dorian is present, Dorian is merely thinking about himself.
Dorian’s solution towards the body of Basil Hallward is Alan Campbell. Dorian ask’s Alan Campbell to pay Dorian a visit by writing to him and saying the matter was of utmost importance. Alan Campbell visits Dorian thus finding out the terrible deeds Dorian has committed. As Alan Campbell was an experienced chemist, Dorian asks him to dispose of the body. The man refuses then Dorian says“I have no choice” and produces a letter and places it upon a small coffee table in front of the confused man. He opens it and reads of the way he treated Dorian whilst they were in a deep relationship. Dorian had every intention of blackmailing this man if he did not dispose of the body. This shows that corruption and private affairs in Dorian Grays society are kept very quiet at all times. Dorian Gray is corrupt, he is blackmailing Alan Campbell. This shows how corrupt and unpleasant the society Dorian Gray is living in is. This shows Dorian’s moral decline, in the beginning, care and consideration but now he resorts to blackmail and corruption. This shows Dorian’s downfall at its peak. Again Lord Henry’s influence for only caring about oneself is shown here.
Dorian Gray is most responsible for his own moral decline, however Lord Henry is closely related to Dorian Gray’s moral decline. Lord Henry suggested to Dorian he should go for a more pleasurable approach to his lifestyle. Dorian took up Lord Henry’s suggestion and started travelling down the road of corruption. Dorian’s search for pleasure in the East-End leads to Dorian falling in love with Sibyl Vane who then commits suicide. Dorian is heartbroken by the tragic death of Sibyl Vane and couldn’t believe Sibyl Vane had actually taken her own life. Dorian’s pursuit for pleasure also lures him into smoking heavily tainted opium cigarettes. Dorian’s moral decline is heavily in progress. The peak of Dorian’s moral decline is the murder of Basil Hallward and the meeting with Alan Campbell. These episodes show the reader how Dorian Gray has totally lost control of himself, he has completely broken down. Dorian’s own interests cause him to kill Basil Hallward; to black mail Alan Campbell; to smoke tainted opium and Sibyl Vane to commit suicide.
This is the “Picture of Dorian Gray.”