• Home Page
  • The Theme Of Loneliness In 'The Worst Punishment'

The Theme Of Loneliness In 'The Worst Punishment'

Decent Essays
Show More
Loneliness: The Worst Punishment Lord Henry receives more punishment for the sins he commits than Basil Hallward and Dorian Gray. Basil did not execute any sins; therefore he should not have been murdered. He unknowingly gave the painting to Dorian. This painting torments Mr.Gray everyday of his life. Dorian suffers the retribution of ending many lives before and after the sins occur. Dorian does not have to lament his sins for as long as Lord Henry, who has to deliberate over his bad deeds for many more years.
Lord Henry corrupts Dorian’s mind, due to the fact his own mind is distorted. Now Henry has to live by himself and his thoughts because his friends are dead due to Henry’s decision to manipulate Dorian. In addition Lord Henry’s wife,

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Morality In The Picture Of Dorian Gray And Frankenstein
    • 1493 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Morality In The Picture Of Dorian Gray And Frankenstein

    The reader finds that the dispositions of each character, whether they are morally good or bad, relate to their opinion of the rewards of morality. Without seeing the effects of his evils, “the wicked” left “[un]punished, nor the good rewarded,” Dorian believes that he can do anything. (Wilde 168). Dorian is left with no motivation to be moral, believing that morality doesn’t lead to happiness (Wilde 67). This lack of motivation leaves Dorian completely without guilt, or an understanding of his wrongs.…

    • 1493 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Paradoxical Epigrams In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Paradoxical Epigrams In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    Dorian kills Basil and stabs his portrait to help numb his pain, both of which are examples showing how “Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul” (23). Similarly, Lord Henry’s expression that, “all crime is vulgar, just as all vulgarity is crime” is supported by Dorian’s brisk breakup with Sibyl, and her resulting suicide (242). With all of Dorian’s crimes coming “full-circle,” it comes as a surprise that one of Lord Henry’s epigrams was not “What goes around, comes…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    The Pursuit Of Beauty In Frankenstein And The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 1846 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Pursuit Of Beauty In Frankenstein And The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    In Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray both want to achieve beauty. Frankenstein wants to create beauty in the form of another creature. Dorian wants to maintain his beauty, like in his portrait. It seems that both Victor and Dorian show us their view on the importance of beauty through their monsters, but it seems to show us two different consequences that occur for the pursuit of beauty.…

    • 1846 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Bad Decisions In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Bad Decisions In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    On the inside, Dorian is thinking the following, “Besides, even if he did confess, who would believe him? There was no trace of the murdered man anywhere. Everything belonging to him had been destroyed. He himself had burned what had been below-stairs.” Dorian asks Lord Henry if he thinks he could have murdered someone.…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Sybil Vane
    • 192 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Sybil Vane

    Lord Henry could not have been more wise when describing his viewpoints on romantic relationship; or more specifically, Dorian Gray’s relationship with Sybil Vane. When he is chatting with Dorian, he explains that “Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious; both are disappointed” (Wilde 43). This point is proven when Sybil falls in love with Dorian, merely because she is curious and “free in her prison of passion” (Wilde 56). Yet, Sybil is disappointed when Dorian Gray falls out of love with her. Dorian is also disappointed with Sybil’s acting, which he fell in love with, but is destroyed when Sybil realized her true love for him.…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    The Importance Of Sin And Redemption In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 1265 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Importance Of Sin And Redemption In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    He expresses that Sibyl does not provide any curiosity to him and so he wants to end things with her. Dorian commits a sin of yelling and getting upset with Siby over a little thing (43-75). Later in the novel, Sibyl decides to take her own life. Dorian tries to redeem himself by writing an apologetic letter to her, however his intentions are not meaningful. “For every sin that he committed, a stain would fleck and wreck its fairness……

    • 1265 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Sexuality And Sexual Identity In A Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde
    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Sexuality And Sexual Identity In A Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde

    One dominant theme in Wilde’s works was sexuality and sexual identity. Wilde was torn about his own. He was sexually interested in both genders and wanted to dwell in his unique identity without being defined by it, persecuted for it, or judged. He didn’t want his self to define his works or have people view his works through the lenses of his choices and inclinations. He also did not like the clean-cut identifications the people of his time had toward orientation.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Homosexuality In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 1875 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Homosexuality In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    Following a young man’s journey through seduction, moral corruption, and eventual demise, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is considered to be one of the best known homoerotic novels ever written. Although the novel does not contain any explicit homosexuality, leaving the novel to be a suggestive work of such a theme, Wilde, being queer-coded himself, is able to use his work as an outlet to validate the identity of homosexual individuals. By including homosexual subtext, Wilde promotes the notion that people should not abdicate their individuality and integrity under external influence. Dorian Gray’s corruption results from the influence that Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward possess over him, because as this influence increases, Dorian’s morals deteriorate, even while his appearance maintains its youthful appearance. Dorian primarily succumbs to Lord Henry’s influence.…

    • 1875 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    What Does Basil Hallward Say About The Nature Of Good And Evil
    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Does Basil Hallward Say About The Nature Of Good And Evil

    As Henry and Dorian drift further a way from Basil, simply his good faith and treating others how he would like to be treated. Sometimes, in life people wouldn’t like your goodness and being decent human being. Hallward, knew the big influence was coming from Lord Henry who doesnt care the life of others, but he raised his voice but didn't do any action. Hallward said “ "Dorian Gray is my dearest friend," he said. "He has a simple and a beautiful nature.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Dynamic Character In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Dynamic Character In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    Lord Henry has a tremendous impact on Dorian and their first meeting already changes him completely. When they first met, Lord Henry begins to fill Dorian’s mind with his theories and beliefs. Dorian is intrigued and somewhat astonished that someone could think in a way so complex. Dorian feels as though Lord Henry “had touched some secret chord that had never been touched before” (Wilde 20). He listens to every word he says and soaks it up like a sponge.…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Importance Of Lord Henry's Introduction In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 1045 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Importance Of Lord Henry's Introduction In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    Our first impression of Dorian is that he is modest and innocent, as he tells Basil, “… I don’t want a life-sized portrait of myself,” and is fidgeting in a “wilful, petulant manner.” As Lord Henry and Dorian first bond, Wilde continues to use nature based description for Dorian – with Lord Henry complimenting his “rose-red youth” and “rose-white boyhood” portraying Dorian in a fragile and innocent manner, like a flower. The imagery of innocence means Dorian is, and will be, easily corrupted. It seems as though people surrounding Lord Henry recognise his influence, as Basil says, “Don’t try to influence him. Your influence would be bad.”…

    • 1045 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Powerful Influence In Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Powerful Influence In Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    As Lord Henry and Dorian Gray's relationship develops, the reader becomes aware of Henry's powerful influence over Gray. His impact is mainly facilitated by his use of controverted epigrams when instructing Dorian on the principles of a hedonistic lifestyle. While the highly impressionable Dorian is increasingly drawn in by the teachings of Henry, the reader becomes aware of the falsehood of what Henry is saying when he tells Dorian, "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it" (Wilde 13). This statement strikes the reader as odd since usually a person of Henry's position, in respect to Dorian, would offer advice on how to overcome temptation instead of suggesting that the best way to rid of it is to give in. Essentially his…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Symbolism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Symbolism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, is a cautionary tale that demonstrates the risks of critical reflection on art, culture, and the nature of humans when clouded by the ideals of beauty and eternal youth. Through the story focused on hedonistic moral values and chaos, Wilde is able to establish a world, much different from the one known today, in which language, ritual, and morals have no profound effects on the characters, instead fabricating a setting in which men who are ordered to behave in accordance with society’s values of rectitude are condemned. Incorporating the use of symbolism, the Faust Legend, and the theme of good vs. evil, the story illustrates a dichotomy of themes and ideals within the characters. Throughout The Picture…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Beauty And Youth In Shakespeare's The Picture Of Dorian Gray
    • 1414 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Beauty And Youth In Shakespeare's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    “To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, and be respectable.” (Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray). This is a light-hearted and humorous musing of the appeal to be young again, which summarizes the hedonistic worldview of Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray that may ring true to others. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that is set in Victorian era London; a society in which appearance and wealth are held at an extremely high value. The youth in beauty and the beauty in youth are treated as commodities and it is of no surprise that the protagonist, Dorian Gray, who was cursed with the blessing of eternal youth be slowly corrupted and self-indulgent in his increasingly darknesining…

    • 1414 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    A Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis
    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis

    Often times people will look at the pinnacle of their life as when they were young and in their prime. This often being ones early twenties. While even if they are not well off financially they just have more energy to do the things they love. This like everything is just a part of life. Problems tend to occur in those who grasp on to these areas in their life.…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  Cookie Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings