Oscar Wilde and His Character

“Basil Hallward is what I think I am : Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be –in other ages, perhaps.

-In a letter dated February 12, 1894

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Oscar Wilde lived in the Victorian era as an avid follower of the aesthetic movement and believed that art serves no purpose higher than simply being beautiful. The quote stated ‘“Basil Hallward is what I think I am : Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be –in other ages, perhaps’, however, can show that there is a deeper (perhaps subconscious) underlying to ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and that the author can be related to the characters he writes. Basil Hallward is a beautifully talented artist who spends his time painting his muse, Dorian Gray. His character has hidden love and affection towards Dorian, however, the feelings are one-sided. Lord Henry is a person of high class, and is thought of having a bad influence on everyone except Basil- he begins to corrupt Dorian Gray, slowly feeding him ideas that ruin his character, until he is superficial and cosmetic and does not care for anything other than looks. Finally, Dorian Gray started off in the novel as a very innocent boy, who only longed to learn more about the world and unfortunately did not choose the right mentor to do so. He becomes very selfish, cruel and simply of a shell of the who he used to be.

In the quote, Oscar Wilde stated ‘Basil Hallward is what I think I am’. In the preface, before the book starts, Oscar Wilde makes a strong point to mention that art is simply art and that the book has no further meaning than to serve as a way to provide enjoyment and pleasure. He explains that ‘All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril’, therefore explaining that there could be an underlying meaning to the book, however, it is up to the reader if they wish to try and uncover it. The reason that Oscar Wilde wrote the preface to ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, was because he was scared that people would try to uncover the parts of himself that he tried to keep a secret. Similarly, in the first chapter of the book, Basil is trying to explain to Lord Henry that he does not want to display his portrait of Dorian Gray, as ‘I have put too much of myself into it’. This shows that Oscar Wilde was representing his own feelings and concern that people would uncover a truth about his personality that was not accepted into society. In June 1891, Oscar Wilde met Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas who was a very talented poet- quickly after meeting him, Bosie became Oscar Wilde’s muse and inspiration. This was very similar to how Basil saw Dorian Gray, who can be seen as faithful to Dorian until the very end.

‘Lord Henry what the world thinks me’, could refer to the idea that Oscar Wilde was a bad influence in society. In the first chapter of the novel, before Dorian Gray is introduced to Lord Henry, Basil is worried that he will be a bad influence on the boy, ‘I wish I had known it was your friend”/”I’m very glad you didn’t, Harry”/”Why?”/”I don’t want you meet him… He has quite a simple and a beautiful nature. Don’t spoil him. Don’t try to influence him. Your influence is bad… Don’t take away from me the one person who gives to my art whatever charm it posses: my life as an artist depends on him. Mind, Harry, I trust you.’ These lines clearly foreshadow the ending of the book, in which Lord Henry takes Dorian Gray under his wing and totally corrupts his personality, exactly like Basil feared. Oscar Wilde became a highly controversial person due to the many affairs he had (which is also a feature of Lord Henry) and was thus seen as a negative in the community. For example, in the book he writes, ‘you seem to forget that I am married, and the one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary,’ this shows both Oscar Wilde’s and Lord Henry’s stance on marriage, as they both had multiple affairs during their life, despite being married.

In the quote, Oscar Wilde says ‘Dorian what I would like to be –in other ages, perhaps.’  The first possible meaning for this is the physical beauty that Dorian Gray has. In the novel, Oscar Wilde is called a young ‘Adonis’ who in Greek mythology is the God of beauty and desire, and his appearance is described as one ‘made of ivory and rose-leaves’. Dorian is beautiful and would have remained eternally beautiful if he had not tried to ruin the painting at the end of the novel- what Oscar Wilde could be saying here, is that he wishes that could stay young and beautiful forever, as the idea of becoming old is one that frightens him. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde could be referring to Dorian Gray’s innocence in chapter 1. If the story had taken place during another age, perhaps when the aesthetic movement was no longer relevant, Dorian Gray would not have been influenced Lord Henry’s and could have stayed the same innocent 18-year-old as in the beginning of the novel, which Oscar Wilde longs to be.

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde could have subconsciously written characters that represent his personality, or that he wishes that he could be. He believes that he is similar to Basil Hallward due to the fact that they are both artists trying to conceal the true meaning behind their work. The world believes that he is Lord Henry, as they both share the similar characteristics of having multiple affairs, although they were married and the people around them believed that they are a bad influence on those around him. Finally, Oscar Wilde wishes he could be like Dorian Gray, to preserve his beauty and to become innocent, once more.

Sources:

Dorian Gray. www.libreto.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/dorian-gray-ben-barnes-dorian-gray-0a8b5de12269dffa18400682dfeab78a-large-571426-2.jpg.