The Picture of Dorian Gray: experimenting morality through immorality
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a piece of decadent literature written by Oscar Wilde. Decadent literature is generally associated with its departure from moral purposes, as concluded under the doctrine of art for art’s sake. Experts, such as Beckson, deem it as a book of amorality, as the review in the Daily Chronicle wrote “... a poisonous book, the atmosphere of which is heavy with the mephitic odours of moral and spiritual putrefaction...” (Beckson 72). Decadent literature may sound unbecoming to readers. I will argue, however, The Picture of Dorian Gray is experimental in moral purposes through the element of decadence contrary to Thornton’s understanding of decadent literature. By using the term of “controlled aestheticism” coined by Duggan, I will re-examine the value of decadence depicted by Wilde in the book. Using the characterisation of Dorian Gray, I will then establish how one may derive possible moral lessons from the sinning of Dorian Gray. At the end of the essay, I will conclude that, contrary to Wilde’s stated claim, The Picture of Dorian Gray can function morally as a “useful” decadent book.
While decadence is generally considered an idea of corruption and a dangerous element, Wilde experiments to assign a new value to it, expounding its positive feature. It is argued that the element of decadence itself in decadent literature is not a negative one, yet decadence without control is problematic. One of the famous epigrams in the book by Wilde is that “to cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul.”. Influenced by Henry, who advises Dorian to expand one’s sensuous pleasure to purify the soul, Dorian then takes opium in order to “buy oblivion” (229), so that “dens of horror where the memory of old sins could be destroyed by the madness of sins that were new.” (229). In addition to that, he also indulges in causal homoerotic pleasure to ease his soul. Though Henry does not explicitly suggest to cure the soul or the senses in a lifestyle of debauchery, Dorian conducts them in a decadent manner. Wilde writes that, “but it appeared to Dorian Gray that the true nature of the senses had never been understood, and that they had remained savage and animal merely because the world had sought to starve them into submission or to kill them by pain, instead of aiming at making them elements of a new spirituality, of which a fine instinct for beauty was to be the dominant characteristic...” (The Picture of Dorian Gray, 163). It is a belief in the book that one has to lead a decadent lifestyle, which is a good approach to fully free the senses or to excite the soul to the most spiritual level. Ferguson writes that, “reappraisal of decadence can properly be accomplished only through a radical new understanding, not as an antagonist of mainstream values or even a liminal force that disrupts the barrier between the outside and inside.” (466). Wilde, with his use of paradoxical epigrams, experiments with the value of decadence, in which he reassigns a possible good value to decadence, or what Ferguson calls as a “fulfilment”. The value of decadence allows Dorian to experience “a new form of spirituality and a fine instinct for beauty”. Decadence can be conducive to one’s development of the soul and the senses.
Yet, if this lifestyle is carried out without a proper control, one will corrupt oneself. For example, Dorian has not controlled his way of decadence properly but taken it to an extreme by excessively exposing himself to more sins, such as murdering, leading himself to a tragic ending of suicide. As Duggan writes, “aestheticism does well to condemn the renunciation of desires, but it is an excessive obedience to these desires that is subversively dangerous.” (63). Indeed, in the experiment concerning the value of decadence in his book, Wilde assigns a positive value to decadence; and at the same time reproves an uncontrolled decadent lifestyle. Again Dorian is condemned for the sin of an uncontrolled decadent lifestyle. As Duggan puts it, “Dorian’s demise illustrates Wilde’s recognition that aestheticism needs to be properly controlled.” (67). While Duggan only throws out a broad term of aestheticism to be controlled, I will specify that it is decadence that specifically needs to be controlled. As Calvert-Finn writes, “ decadence was a problem to be “solved” by the symbolist aesthetics” (132). Decadence without control may lead to the decay of the soul, like what Dorian experiences. The death of Dorian, which will be discussed later in the following paragraphs, may help understand how Wilde warns us the danger of uncontrolled decadence.
Using the characterisation of Dorian Gray, I will show how Wilde experiments to convey moral messages through the immorality of uncontrolled decadence.
While it is true that Dorian excessively indulges in a casual homoerotic lifestyle and several decadent habits such as taking drugs, the uncontrolled decadence has brought a cost. Dorian suffers from a psychological anxiety because of his own conscience. For example, when Dorian rejects Sibyl’s love because of her inability to excite the same emotions that Dorian experiences before, later Dorian feels guilty for his unreasonable hedonistic demands. The picture Basil paints of him starts changing as Dorian’s mind starts decaying for sensuous pleasure only. For instance, it is written that “he shuddered, and felt afraid, and, going back to the couch, lay there, gazing at the picture in sickened horror.” (121). One can conclude that a punishment of psychological haunt ensues after one tries to wallow in sensuous pleasures. The inculcation of this moral belief is revealed again when Dorian murders Basil, as the sin Dorian commits is evinced on the picture again. The sin psychologically confounds Dorian excessively. This compunction can be read in the psychological depiction of Dorian: “what was that loathsome red dew that gleamed, wet and glistening, on one of the hands, as though the canvas had sweated blood? How horrible it was!— more horrible” (215). The picture, which is considered the symbol of Dorian’s soul, deteriorates. The sin evinced on the picture arouses Dorian’s guilty feeling. One may come up with a moral reasoning that the sin one commits is stored in one’s soul, in which it will arouse a deep psychology of moral guilt from time to time in one’s recollection. As Caroll puts it, “there is a rather trite and bland account of the didactic message conveyed by Dorian’s disastrous career” (300). There are, indeed, many didactic messages conveyed by Dorian’s disastrous career, yet in a manner of witticism. For example, before the death of Basil, Basil once observes the cruel changing of the picture, and thus advises Dorian not to lead himself to further corruption but devote himself to God: “lead us not into temptation. Forgive us our sins. Wash away our iniquities. Let us say that together. The prayer of your pride has been answered. The prayer of your repentance will be answered also. I worshipped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshipped yourself too much. We are both punished.” (195). The moral message here is clear, one has to devote oneself to religion to expiate one’s sin. There are certain moral meanings in the decadent book of the Picture of Dorian Gray.
It is sad that, however, Dorian does not heed Basil’s advice but he exacerbate his sinning. Although it seems that the book reveals more uncontrolled decadent elements, it is argued that a deeper meaning of morality is brought out through the immorality of the sinning. For example, the accumulation of sins committed by Dorian leads himself to a tragic ending of death, and the way he disregards his own sins only lead to the destruction of his soul. Dorian’s attempt to forget his sin by removing the picture through stabbing it with a knife may also function as another didactic message. The moment Dorian tries to stab the picture, he is confessing his own sins: “the picture itself that was evidence. He would destroy it. Why had he kept it so long? Once it had given him pleasure to watch it changing and growing old. Of late he had felt no such pleasure. It had kept him awake at night. When he had been away, he had been filled with terror lest other eyes should look upon it. It had brought melancholy across his passions. Its mere memory had marred many moments of joy. It had been like conscience to him. Yes, it had been conscience. He would destroy it.” (276). Yet, while Dorian tries to shirk the deterioration of his soul, he only ends up killing himself through stabbing his own soul. One may derive a moral reasoning from the story that Dorian is punished for his misdeeds in his life, or as Duggan puts it, “ Wilde also implies that the consequences of one’s actions must be thought out and the impact of one’s decisions, beyond oneself, must also be carefully considered before acting on any impulse.” (68). Contrary to the negative regard of the book by some critics, there is somewhat a moral value to derive from the excessive indulgence in decadence. And as Ferguson puts it that, “the fact that Gray is destroyed in his attempt does not necessarily suggest the failure of decadent pursuit, but rather the collapse of the self fulfils a certain project of knowing.” (471). To extend his saying, the knowing may refer to the punishment to oneself because of one’s sins of uncontrolled decadence. Contrary to Thornton’s comment on decadent literature as presented in the first paragraph, decadent literature may not be a failure, but a success to bring out didactic messages.
If one accepts the idea Wilde is experimenting a moral reasoning through the immorality of uncontrolled lifestyle of decadence, this paper questions Wilde’s views on the morality in art. With regard to the challenges and attacks by critics, Wilde wrote the preface in the Picture of Dorian Gray to rebut them. Wilde wrote that “all art is useless” (The Picture of Dorian Gray, 6), meaning that art should be divorced itself from morality. Yet, Wilde once also wrote in a letter to his friend that, “yet; there is a terrible moral in Dorian Gray, a moral which the prurient will not be able to find in it” (Belford, 137). The ambiguous writings allows us to examine the complicated issue of morality in the book. As suggested the possible derivation of moral reasonings in the book, not all art is useless at all. The usefulness of art lies in the moral messages, as shown in the analysis of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The debate over decadent literature has been long. The issue of radicalism in which deviant themes and styles are depicted in decadent literature is sensitive. Yet Wilde experiments with the element of decadence in The Picture of Dorian Gray, in which he expounds the possible good value of decadence and he rejects the wrong lifestyle of uncontrolled decadence. He is able to convey a moral lesson through the use of the immorality of uncontrolled decadence. In the preface, he writes “there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” (The Picture of Dorian Gray, 6). I believe the book is a good book with a good sense of morality.
Works Cited:
1. Belford, Barbara. Oscar Wilde: A Certain Genius. Random House, 2011.
2. Duggan, Patrick. "The Conflict Between Aestheticism and Morality in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray." Journal of the Arts & Sciences Writing Program (2010).
3. Ferguson, Christine. "Decadence as scientific fulfillment." Publications of the Modern Language Association of America (2002): 465-478.
4. Gustafsson, Sara. "Aesthetic Principles in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian
5. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Broadview Press, 1998.
