The Picture of Dorian Gray

 [conclusion in English is at the bottom of this post]

“Like the painting of a sorrow, a face without a heart.”

Meminjam sebaris kalimat dari Hamlet karya Shakespeare yang juga dikutip oleh Oscar Wilde di buku ini, kupikir seperti itulah keseluruhan kisah The Picture of Dorian Gray ini. Dorian Gray adalah seorang pemuda 20 tahun yang ketampanannya menyiratkan kemudaan yang menyegarkan dan tanpa dosa, seperti jiwanya saat itu—saat sebelum dunia mulai meracuninya. Dorian bersahabat dengan seorang pelukis terkenal bernama Basil Hallward yang segera terpesona dan memuja Dorian. Basil melukis potret diri Dorian sambil mencurahkan kecintaannya pada pemuda itu ke dalam lukisannya, yang kemudian menjadi sebuah mahakarya.

Sahabat Basil yang lain, Lord Henry, adalah seorang pria yang memuja kenikmatan, dan memandang dunia dan kehidupan lewat cara pandang yang sinis dan skeptis. Lord Henry inilah yang kemudian—setelah berkenalan dengan Dorian—menyuntikkan ide-ide yang meracuni pikiran Dorian sehingga si pemuda menjadi pemuja kemudaan. Ia lalu ‘berdoa’ agar lukisan dirinya lah yang akan menjadi tua dan lelah akibat beban hidup Dorian, sementara dirinya sendiri tetap muda dan tanpa garis-garis kehidupan di tubuhnya. Entah bagaimana, ‘doa’ itu terwujud, dan ketika jiwa Dorian—akibat pengaruh buruk sekitarnya—makin bobrok, ekspresi dirinya di dalam lukisan itu pun pelan-pelan berubah. Sementara itu Dorian berubah menjadi makin jahat, dan jiwanya makin ‘gelap’. Dari luar ia tampak tanpa beban, padahal di dalam jiwanya keropos dan ia tak sanggup bangkit dari keterpurukan. Pertanyaannya, akankah Dorian Gray sanggup bangkit dari keterpurukannya? Ketika jiwa manusia sudah tergerogoti demikian dalam, manakah yang lebih gampang, berusaha ‘kembali ke jalan yang benar’ ataukah malah jatuh semakin dalam?

Dorian Gray adalah kisah gothic tentang gelapnya jiwa manusia, dan semua itu gara-gara racun pengaruh buruk dari lingkungan sekitarnya. Oscar Wilde telah merangkai kisah ini dengan cantiknya, memadukan sisi artistik dengan gaya menulis flamboyant khas dirinya, membuatku sangat menikmati kisah ini dari awal hingga akhir. 256 halaman itu bak secangkir kopi, bukannya kuminum dengan beberapa tegukan cepat, melainkan kuseruput sedikit demi sedikit sambil menikmati setiap sensasi yang bisa kureguk darinya. Benar-benar perkenalan yang memabukkan bersama Oscar Wilde. J Kalau anda ingin turut mencicipi kenikmatannya, percikannya ada di chapter posts ini (dari chapter I hingga XVII)

Lima bintang untuk Dorian Gray dan Oscar Wilde!

Conclusion:

The Picture of Dorian Gray, I think, is Oscar Wilde’s allusion to the world for over-worshipping beauty and youthfulness. Through this book we are also invited to see the development of human spirit in general. I see the picture of Dorian Gray as a reflection of his soul. Dorian wanted to have barter with the devil to exchange his own soul with the physical youthfulness of the painting, and with that, he hoped he will forever be free and have fun without having to bear the brunt of his actions because the painting was the one who will bear it.

I see there are two factors which initiated the fall of Dorian Gray's soul. First, the excessive worshipping of Basil Hallward towards Dorian Gray, that is the starting point; then coupled with the influence which Lord Henry has injected into Dorian’s mind, led Dorian to worship his own beauty and made ​​a prayer to barter his soul with the youthfulness of his picture. It is also interesting that, as one slumped deeper into his sin, his conscience being increasingly unbearable to him. When his soul was beginning to corrupt, Dorian could encourage himself to make repentance, the picture could act as his soul barometer, but when he has drawn deeper in the mud of sin, he refused to see the picture and chose to cover and hide it, both from his own eyes and from other’s. However, it is not easy to run away from one’s conscience; Dorian tried to please himself in hedonism. He plunged himself deeper in sin, so that when the last effort of ‘the representative of his conscience’ tried to take him away from the darkness, he could not bear it and killed him. At the end…this is the question for us all:

“What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

Oscar Wilde has fascinated me with his paradoxes and artistic style in writing Dorian Gray. Just as Basil Hallward had left something of himself in the picture of Dorian Gray, I believe Wilde had also left his flamboyant personality and passion of aestheticism in his writing. As I already mentioned in one of my posts, if book was a drink, Dorian Gray were a cup of coffee; instead of drinking it in gulps, I took it sip by sip, while savouring the bitter-sweet taste, feeling the warmth liquid flowing through your throat and inhaling the sweet fragrance that come into my nostrils. There are many aspects in this particular ‘cup of coffee’ that I can enjoy, which, if I drink it in a hurry, I will certainly lose the sensation! That is how I have savoured The Picture of Dorian Gray in about ten days, having been busy with reading and posting chapter posts, but in the end it ‘s worth all the efforts J. I enjoyed Dorian Gray till the last drop.

Five whole stars for this book!

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Author: Oscar Wilde

Publisher: Penguin Popular Classics

Published: 1994

Pages: 256

The Revenge Is Approaching: Dorian Gray Chapter XVI-XVII

(p. 212-228)

What interested me...

"It was a marvellous spotted thing, as effective as the seven deadly sins."

It's a fine specimen of orchid called Robinsoniana. Lord Henry had cut it to be placed in his buttonhole.

What it's all about...

With a burdened soul, Dorian took a hansom to the slum area of London, where people like him found 'heaven' in opium dens. There a woman recognized him as the 'Prince Charming', the nickname Sibyl Vane used to call him. Unfortunately James Vane—who at the same time was somewhere near the den—heard it and tried to kill Dorian to take revenge for his sister. However Dorian used his immortal youthfulness as an alibi (as Sibyl’s death was already 18 years ago but Dorian’s appearance was seemed to be in the twenties), and escaped the murder attempt.

Dorian held a tea party and invited several dukes, duchess, including Lord Henry. Oscar Wilde offered smart and interesting debate here, especially between Lord Henry and his cousin Gladys. And at the end of this chapter Dorian fainted at his own conservatory, because to his horror, he had seen the pale face of James Vane behind the window...

My random thoughts...

Several interesting quotes from Lord Henry, that after thinking about it, there’s truth there…

"Like all good reputations, every effect that one produces gives one an enemy. To be popular one must be a mediocrity."

"Scepticism is the beginning of Faith."

"We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as possible."

Note:

This would be my last chapter post for The Picture of Dorian Gray, I would conclude all after finishing the third last chapters, and will post my review as a wrap-up post.

Basil Hallward on The Picture of Dorian Gray: Character Thursday (18)

Basil Hallward

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Basil is a young talented and well known artist who was fascinated by a rich beautiful young man called Dorian Gray. After they become friends, Basil painted a picture of Dorian. His passion towards Dorian reflected to the picture—which later become Basil’s masterpiece. After seeing his own picture, Dorian Gray wished to keep his youthfulness immortal, while the picture must bear all his corruption in flesh as well as in sins. The altered Dorian was now enthralled by the poisonous-mind Lord Henry, and neglected Basil. However, Basil kept taking good care of his friend. From the first time Dorian met Lord Henry, it was Basil who warned Lord Henry to not poisoning Dorian’s innocent mind.

I see Basil as a man with a strong morality. Every time Lord Henry or Dorian said of something cynical or immoral, Basil would say something like, ‘you know you don’t mean that!’, as if he trusted that his friends would not think such an awful idea. In many occasion Basil tried to prevent Dorian from moral degradation in the society, however he never forced his will to Dorian. No matter how Dorian has neglected him as a friend, Basil would always be patient to him. When Dorian did not let Basil see his own painting, Basil sadly accepted Dorian’s decision without arguing.

which one is Basil, do you think?...

When negative rumors about Dorian began to spread within the society, Basil always stood for Dorian. And after Basil knew that Dorian had changed completely and had done all the evils everyone had rumored about, Basil did not accused him nor said hard things in anger. Basil only asked Dorian to pray together with him, to ask for repentance from God. He did not mention about Dorian’s sins, but only wish him to be relieved from them. How lucky anyone who has a friend like Basil!

If there was any negative point in Basil’s character, it was perhaps his idolatry to Dorian. I mean, it’s normal to love and adore someone, but I think Basil had been over-worshipping Dorian, that had a bad influence to Dorian in the end. But overall, I like Basil Hallward, he is a friend who will always be there for us, no matter how bad we treated him sometime… Don’t you just love to have a friend like that?

The Cold Blooded Dorian - Dorian Gray Chapter XIV-XV

(p. 186-211)

What I like…

A cup of hot chocolate! I like to sip thick and sweet hot chocolate; and a cup of chocolate had also opened chapter XIV, when Dorian sipped it calmly from the cup his valet gave him in the morning after he killed somebody in his house!

What it's all about...

After committing the murder the night before, Dorian would like to make the corpse vanished, to scrap all evidence. He asked a chemist help, one of his ex intimate friends. Allan--the chemist--rejected to help Dorian at first, but Dorian blackmailed him to do what he wanted, so that he was forced to do it.

Dorian did not feel anything towards the dead man who once his dear friend. And 24 hours after that tragedy, he appeared in a party as elegant and calm as usual. Inside he was in a terrible horror, but outside he was polite and charming. He hardly touched his dinner, and when Lord Henry occasionally asked him where he were last night, Dorian began to feel nervous. He went home and destroyed the coat and bag of the dead man--the last evidence left, then made a night travel by hansom to unknown destination...

My random thoughts...

It was always like that when a man's soul corrupted. At first he did a sin and struggled with it, wondered how can he had done it. After a while he could convince himself that he had not done something wrong by doing a sin. After that, he had a strong need to silence his conscience, and he would kill if it is necessary. After that he would live a double life, always worried that others might see his sin. Those were the stages, and let's just see where it will all end for Dorian Gray. A very interesting psychological study that have suddenly reminded me of Emile Zola's Therese Raquin...

What made me still curious...

What was Dorian found in the Florentine cabinet that made him shuddered?

What was Dorian’s threat on Allan that the victim got so scared and finally agreed to help the murderer vanishing the corpse? Had it been one of his secret?

Poor Basil… - Dorian Gray Chapter XII-XIII

(p. 169-185)

What I like…

The more I digest this story, the more I like the character of Basil Hallward, the talented painter. He is a kind-hearted man, it’s for sure. From chapter XII-XIII it became clearly how he dearly loved Dorian Gray. Although Dorian had avoided him, Basil still cared about his dear friend’s reputation and his soul. When Basil finally saw the truth, how his friend soul was corrupted, Basil did not leave him. He did not look at Dorian with disgust, he asked him to pray together with him, to try to ask God for repentance. That’s what I call a true friendship!

can you guess which one is Basil? :)

What it's all about...

At one foggy night Dorian walked passed Basil on the way home. The latter had wanted to see Dorian for a serious matter. Basil had heard lately from his friends about Dorian’s bad reputation; that many of his intimate friends ended up in bad scandals; that many noblemen avoided him at the club. To all of them Basil had always stood up for his dear friend, for how a man with such beautiful innocent face could possibly did all the evil things they had accused him for? Basil then said that he must see Dorian’s soul before able to provide any answer. Here Dorian challenged Basil to really look into the depth of his soul, which Basil—I think out of curiosity—accepted.

Upstairs they went, to the old study room where Dorian kept the painting. And for the first time other people looked at the corrupted-painting of Dorian Gray. In such a horror, Basil asked Dorian to pray with him, asking repentance from God, in a desperate try to release his dear friend’s soul from evil’s trap. Then what Dorian did? It was so terrible, that I won’t spoil it here…

My random thoughts...

It’s all started from idolatry

I kept thinking of what had started Dorian’s soul corrupting. Was that Lord Henry? Or was it Basil? At first I think it was Lord Henry, for it was he who had first influenced the innocent Dorian. But after reading this chapter, I have another thought. Was it not the painting that had begun all of it? It was the painting who intrigued Lord Henry to the soul of Dorian Gray (after seeing it in Basil’s studio – chapter 1). It was the same painting that at first planted the idea of immortal beauty and youth to Dorian’s mind. And that painting had been produced from a man’s idolatry to his model. I think it’s because Basil adored Dorian, that he could paint him in a perfect beauty. Idolatry is often dangerous because it persuades the idol to worship mortal things, and with that, he is very susceptible to negative influences and temptations.

Did Basil deserve the punishment?

“I worshipped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshipped yourself too much. We are both punished.”

I think so (although what Wilde did to him was rather too cruel…or not? At least Basil didn’t have to bear the pain any longer..). No living creature deserves worshipping besides God.

The Victorian London from Sketches by Boz: The Transportation

Here we are again, in the Victorian London of 19^th century, still in our leisure walk together with Boz. Before this, we have seen many interesting things in London, from the amusements to the streets andshops. Boz has also introduced us to some interesting people from severaloccupations, back in the Victorian era. Today, I will accompany you in an exciting Victorian London excursion, by four different means of transportation. Of course, there are more than the four modes of transports at that time, however I choose only them which were often mentioned in Charles Dickens’ Sketches by Boz, from which I got the idea. 

And ladies and gentlemen…let us know begin our excursion…

Hackney Coach

Hackney coach—hackney means horse for hire—is a four-wheeled carriage having six seats and drawn by two horses you can hire (cab) in the 19^th century.  Hackney coaches were often the discarded and outdated coaches of the nobility, often still bearing their faded coats of arms. The hackney coaches were shabby with dirty interiors. They operated out of inn yards and from coach stands located near main streets [source].

And here is how a hackney coach stand looks like, just as Dickens illustrated in Sketches by Boz:

Cabriolet (Cab)

A two-wheeled, doorless, hooded, one-horse carriage; may come from the French cabriole, an indication of its light, bounding motion. A cabriolet can be driven by someone seated in the carriage. The design is intended to accommodate two comfortably. The collapsible leather hood allows passengers to enjoy sunny weather or shelter from rain. But the original cabriolets were for a single passenger beside the driver and were a kind of hooded chaise. Cabs were introduced into England in the 1820s from France, and they quickly replaced hackney coaches.

There is an interesting thing about cab that Dickens wrote in Sketches by Boz, something that only people at that era who experienced being in a cab, who can described it just as Dickens did in a funny style that made me laugh by just imagining it… J

“Some people object to the exertion of getting into cabs, and others object to the difficulty of getting out of them. (…) The getting into a cab is a very pretty and graceful process, which, when well performed, is essentially melodramatic.

You single out a particular cab, and dart swiftly towards it. One bound, and you are on the first step; turn your body lightly round to the right, and you are on the second; bend gracefully beneath the reins, working round to the left at the same time, and you are in the cab.

The getting out of a cab is, perhaps, rather more complicated in its theory, and a shade more difficult n its execution. We have studied the subject a great deal, and we think the best way is, to throw yourself out, and trust to chance for alighting on your feet. If you make the driver alight first, and then throw yourself upon him, you will find that he breaks your fall materially…”

Really, I think it’s only Dickens can do that! And I am just wondering, whether the cab he illustrated is perhaps something like this? Can you imagine yourself getting in and getting out of it? J

Omnibus

In 1829, drawing his inspiration from a new and successful system in Paris, George Shillibeer launched the first regular omnibus service in London, running from Paddington to Bank, via the Angel.  They ran fixed routes and were pulled by horses. From the beginning of 1832 the fiercely competitive omnibus companies were authorised to stop for passengers anywhere on their licensed routes. Clusters of people assembled on the routes waiting for buses at peak times; the clusters, in turn, collected pick pockets. The omnibuses were designed to carry 12 or 15 passengers, but since more travelers meant more fares, people were often squashed on board, again presenting opportunities for petty thieves. By the 1880s, a circular staircase leading to the roof added more seating on top.  They carried 12 passengers inside and 14 on top. 

the inside of an omnibus

‘Omnibus Life in London’ 1859 by William Maw Egley

[source]

Steamer

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Until the arrival of railways from 1838 onwards, steamers steadily took over the role of the many sail and rowed ferries, with at least 80 ferries by 1830 with routes from London to Gravesend and Margate, and upstream to Richmond. By 1835, the Diamond Steam Packet Company, one of several popular companies, reported that it had carried over 250,000 passengers in the year.

the Gravesend packet

In the early 19th century, Gravesend was a favorite tourist attraction for Londoners, with a very pleasant riverfront, which included a beach, onto the busy Thames and a number of pleasure gardens, including Windmill Hill, which offers unrivalled views of the estuary, and surrounding countryside.

The first steamboat plied its trade between Gravesend and London in the early 19th century, bringing with it a steadily increasing number of visitors to The Terrace Pier Gardens, Windmill Hill, Springhead Gardens and Rosherville Gardens. Gravesend soon became one of the first English resort towns and thrived from an early tourist trade.

From Skecthes by Boz, I learned that water excursion by steamer is one of Londoners favourites to do on Sundays. Sometimes they also have a water party in one of the steamers. There would be a band who played the music on the deck, a place for dancing, or some game for pleasures. The pastrycook’s men would be there earlier to prepare the dinner or lunch table in the cabin for all the guests. This is perhaps one of the water parties at Victorian era looks like…

And this is where our whole lovely excursion in 19^th century London together with Boz must be ended L.

 I only hope you have enjoyed it, as well as the four others previously:

1. The Amusements

2. The Occupations

3. The Streets and Shops

Of course, we must thank Boz for these amusements, for without him, we would never enjoy such fun in the Victorian Celebration event. If you are curious about Boz, you can find more about him in my review of Sketches by Boz.

What Were You Looking For, Dorian? - Dorian Gray Chapter XI

(p. 147-168)

Interesting fact…

I’m quite interested in a word Oscar Wilde used here: ‘Dandyism’ (I shouldn’t explain the meaning, should I? J). On searching in the internet about Victorian dandy style, I came across the photo of….Oscar Wilde himself! Don’t you think he is dandy too?

And the image caption said: “Oscar Wilde had the image of a dandy in Victorian times. He dressed to impress. Here he is wearing a carnation in his buttonhole.”

And these are what people called dandy in Victorian era… Seems that flower in button hole and brocade waistcoat were fashion items for dandy men at that era.

I’m also interested in his style in describing colors. I think, being a fashionable man, Oscar Wilde was familiar with unique colors, such as: copper-green, mauve, sulphur-yellow, vermillion and gold, olive-green, etc.

What it's all about...

Dorian got fascinated with the ‘yellow book’ Lord Henry had lent him. He found the story was similar to his life, and soon got poisoned by the book’s idea.

Meanwhile, for eighteen years the painting grew older and more evil, while Dorian’s beautiful and innocence appearance was remain the same, that many of his friends could not believe rumors of his evil behavior. During those years Dorian Gray tried to satisfy his Life with fascinating things, from fashion, perfumes, embroideries, music, to religion. He also became more obsessed to beauty, not only his own, but in others too, and even in his ancestor's pictures. You can say that his soul was corrupted more and more.

My random thoughts...

Dorian’s wandering mind

I was overwhelmed through this chapter. There are a lot of philosophies in long sentences, using ‘strange’ words that I can’t really follow. From what I gather—hopefully I’m not lost, because Dorian himself is kind of lost in the unreal worlds in search of the true meaning of life—at first he adored fashions (became one of London’s dandy trendsetter), then he was drawn to mysticism, before attracted to Roman Catholic communion, then Darwinismus doctrine, then perfumes. Perfumes? Yes, Dorian really studied about perfumes—about the relation between smells and soul. After that he had drawn himself in exotic music all over the world before getting crazy of jewels, embroideries and tapestries. I can’t really follow his mind...

The more he knew, the more he desired to know

Isn’t the biggest cause of sin comes from knowledge? Isn’t that why God forbade Adam and Eve to eat apples from the knowledge tree? Because the more man knows, the more he will desire to know, until he drawn himself to the sin.

What I didn’t quite get…

Page 153 on Hedonism, etc., what was Oscar Wilde tried to say? That hedonism was an unreal world where Dorian Gray had been hidden from his sins?

“In was the creation of such worlds as these that seemed to Dorian Gray to be the true object, or amongst the true objects of life; and in his search for sensations that would be at once new and delightful and possess the element of strangeness that is so essential to romance…etc.etc..”

I have no idea. I’m lost! L I think I can see the general idea, but I can’t follow Oscar Wilde’s mind.