illustration of the upper-right corner of Dorian Gray's picture

The Picture of Dorian Gray

by Oscar Wilde

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Student Question

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, were the changes in the portrait real or imagined by Dorian?

Quick answer:

The changes in the portrait in The Picture of Dorian Gray are real. The painting ages and becomes hideous as Dorian Gray remains outwardly youthful, reflecting his inner corruption. This supernatural element is confirmed when Basil Hallward sees the grotesque portrait, proving the transformation is not imagined by Dorian but a genuine manifestation of his moral decay.

Expert Answers

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The painting really does change, but so does Dorian Gray.  The painting may age instead of the man himself, but Dorian Gray grows ugly on the inside.

Technically, the painting ages after Dorian pledges his soul, so there is an element of the supernatural in the story, an unspoken deal with the devil, the forces of darkness.  Dorian becomes a hedonistic, evil individual and when you see the portrait, and it is hideous, so is the man. 

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The textual evidence suggests that the portrait does indeed change. When Dorian encounters Basil Hallward on a London street, they discuss the scandalous rumors that surround Dorian, and Basil asks if they are true. In reply, Dorian offers to show Basil "his soul" and takes him to the room where his disfigured portrait is hidden. Basil's reaction to the changed portrait enrages Dorian and drives him to murder the artist. Since someone else sees the portrait, we know that its transformation was not solely in Dorian's mind.

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