Conflict and Influence in The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay

influences

Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray shows many themes, including conflict and influence. In this novel, Lord Henry creates a conflict with the ingenuous and innocent Dorian Gray by influencing and mentally corrupting him. Under this influence, Dorian becomes a hedonist, always pursuing pleasure and eternal beauty. This conflict, where Lord Henry almost completely controls Dorian's emotions, is the cause for Dorian's downfall and death.

It is amazing the influence that someone can make over another person, in this case that influence is shown over Dorian. Being influenced by others it is a reality, everyday you could be influenced in some way by society. The main and critical point here is the limit of that influence. An important person imposing his radical theories of life to Dorian, manupulating and corrupting him is Lord Henry. In the beginning of the book, when he meets Dorian, he states: "Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him. His sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of some one else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him. The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for". It is the beginning, he tells how to alters someones personality and character. In my opinion, you can not let other people wash your brain and act upon you. You must have your own criteria and personality, make decisions by yourself avoiding any evil influence. However Dorian, naive and innocent, keeps hearing Lord Henry and this situation leads him to the worst scenario.

There are stages throughout your life where you are vulnerable and are not able to have an own criteria, for example when you are a kid. In this case the responsability falls into the parents. They will have to be smart and wise educating his son and having the limit of influence. It is crucial on a kids behavior how is the model of a person that his parents have been showing through his life. When a kid became adult it becomes really difficult to modify his manners acquired during youth. If we want to create a better world in the future we must take care and educate correctly our kids.

In reference to the novel, influence is obvious and present at all times. We contemplate how Lord Henry has corrupted Dorian Gray with his dangerous theories of life to the point where he is like an addicting drug to Dorian who has to go talk to him every now and then. Every time Dorian confesses his thoughts to Lord Henry, Lord Henry would change them right away by simply pronouncing a few words to convince Dorian. Since Lord Henry is like a drug to Dorian, he does what most of the drugs do after a while: he destroys Dorian. With this review I want to show where it could reach the limits of influence. You could become a part of another person, being ruled by the other, having no criteria to make decisions.