The Picture of Dorian Gray

What Are the Societal Problems in the Book?

Dorian Gray

Conclusion

Problems

Dorian Gray - Vanity: He is obsessed with maintaining his youth and beauty.

Lord Henry - Sexism: Overlooks women and doesn't recognize their potential.

Basil Hallward - Too involved in other people's emotions: He tries to help people but he pushes it too far.

Dorian does everything and anything to keep himself from growing old and losing his youth and beauty. Even if it means not thinking hard or being very mean and cruel to others.

Another Quote From the Text

"How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June.... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that--for that--I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!"

-Dorian Gray

Solutions

We could try to teach Dorian to be confident so he doesn't need to rely on others to confirm his beauty and teach him that growing old is inevitable and not necessarily a bad thing.

Quotes From the Text

"Youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing old, I shall kill myself."

"I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die..."

In this book, there are a few characters that have personalities that in today's world would not fly. Many of these problems could have been fixed before the story started. If the characters would have had someone growing up like a parent or teacher to show them that being beautiful is not everything, you still have to be kind. Or that women are just as smart as men and that not every one in the world is nice, then maybe the characters would understand how to get along with people in there society. But we don't know what happened before the story.

-Dorian Gray

Lord Henry

Problems

He is sexist towards women, he doesn't recognize that women can be smart or influential in society. He also sees women as temporary figures in his life.

Quotes From the Text

Solutions

We could show him influential and smart women from our time and he would understand that women have equal potential as men do.

"Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals."

"My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly."

-Lord Henry

Basil Hallward

Problems

Basil thinks that he can change people and the way they act no matter how hard they resist. He gets too involved in trying to help someone change their attitude or a character trait. He needs to learn when enough is enough and to give up. He also

believes that he is living in a world of all good, no evil.

Solutions

To make Basil understand, we have to educate him, show him that some people aren't always good people and you might not always approve of their habits. You can try to help them but if they are resisting for too long, you must learn to admit that you aren't able to change them.

Quotes From the Text

"I believe that you are really a very good husband, but that you are thoroughly ashamed of your own virtues. You are an extraordinary fellow. You never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing. Your cynicism is simply a pose."

-Basil Hallward

Thank you!

-Maya and Hannah

The Picture of Dorian Gray

"What would you say, Henry, if I told you that I had murdered Basil?"

-Dorian Gray