The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapter 11

 At the beginning of the book, Dorian was 20 years old. Here, he is approaching age 30, so several years have passed. He now owns several copies of the yellow book and abides by its words. He remains young and handsome. Rumors of his wicked ways and life of debauchery follow him, but many who hear these rumors dismiss them as incredulous, given Dorian’s cherubic appearance. He LOOKS pure and innocent. 

Dorian marvels at the dichotomy of his beautiful appearance versus his dark and demented soul. He smugly feels as though he has beaten the system, and vows to continue with his quest to discover the nature of the senses. He devotes his time and energy to studying things that have been deemed beautiful, whether clothing, art, music or even perfume. He keeps close tabs on trending theories, such as mysticism and Darwinism. Meanwhile, he frequently checks on the portrait, watching it change into the image of an ugly man with blemishes and aging and evidence of his sins and lusts. Sometimes, the image’s appearance fills him with fear, while at other times, he enjoys marveling at the fact that he remains perfect, while only the portrait degrades. Additionally, he worries frequently that somebody might break in and steal the picture… He is aware that rumors persist, and he fears that somebody might seek out the truth behind them. 

Analysis

We see listed the things that Dorian has chosen to follow, all of which pertain to the vanities. He studies, even worships, the things that man uses to portray beauty and create a facade. This represents his entire life’s philosophy at this point. Coupled with his penchant for debauchery and immorality, Dorian no longer retains any of his youthful innocence. 

Yet, he experiences no satisfaction. His life is empty and meaningless, with no true happiness to be found. Instead, he is riddled with fear over discovery, and his aimless lifestyle leaves his soul to rot.