Quote: "How quickly it had all been done! He felt strangely calm, and, walking over to the window, opened it, and stepped out on the balcony" (Wilde 163).
Explanation: Dorian has just killed Basil and is now conveying his serene state of mind, as if nothing had happened. He seems to have no remorse and no regret for killing one of his closest friends. The reader can thus take this as a symbol of how far Dorian has been corrupted. He has gone to the point where he indulges every pleasure he feels: "Dorian Gray 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 [...] He rushed at him, and dug the knife into the great vein [...] crushing the mans head down on the table" (162).
Quote: "Years ago, when I was a boy [...] you met me, flattered me, and taught me to be vain of my good looks. One day you introduced me to a friend of yours, who explained to me the wonder of beauty" (160-161).
Explanation: Here Dorian is addressing Basil and the fact that he first became aware of his beauty and met Henry a man of bad influence. He is acknowledging his vanity and is also linking it to Basil, claiming that Basil is the reason why he is so vain. His argument is that he first introduced him to the idea of his beauty and introduced him to people with bad ideas that corrupted him. This may be a motive for why Dorian had killed Basil.
Debauchery: excessive indulgence in sensual pleasure
"Did I teach the one his vice and the other his debauchery" (155).
Ignoble: not honorable in character or purpose
"It was some foul parody, some infamous, ignoble satire" (160).
No comments:
Post a Comment