Dorian Gray Blog #7

Oscar Wilde insists on revealing that Dorian is a heartless and cold human being through Dorian's reactions to the deaths of both Basil Hallward and James Vane. In the case of Basil Hallward, Dorian was quickly able to ignore the fact that he had just killed one of his close friends. Rather than feeling remorse, he "felt strangely calm" (163) and quickly turned his focus to how he could destroy the body and move on. His ability to do so shows Dorian's capability of setting himself in an immediate state of denial, rather than addressing what he had done. This state of denial is so powerful that it allows Dorian to not only ignore what he had done, but convince himself that he had not done it. Oscar Wilde proves this characteristic in Dorian later in the story when he meets James Vane, Sybil Vane's brother. James recognized him and intended to take his life until the fearful and ever so clever Dorian stated that he "had all the blossom of boyhood, all the unstained purity of youth" (196), and was in no way capable of killing Sybil Vane 18 years ago. James admitted that he "was deceived" and had been "set on the wrong track" (196), quickly apologized, and exited Dorian's presence. Not only had Dorian been capable of convincing James that he was not the murderer he was looking for, he had been capable of convincing himself. The fact that he was guilty was quickly ignored in his mind and masked in reality with words of truthful innocence. Despite Dorian's previous actions, he is somehow able to keep a carefree mindset and put himself over all those surrounding him.