The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapter 13
Dorian escorts Basil upstairs to the attic room where the portrait resides. When he pulls away from the cover, Basil is stunned and horrified to see the picture as it has become, ugly and wretched. He recognizes Dorian’s face, and he can tell that the brushwork and signature are indeed his own.
Dorian appears triumphant at the revelation. When he asks Dorian how this is even possible, Dorian reminds him of the evening almost 18 years ago, when, after Lord Henry’s influence, Dorian said that he’d sell his soul to remain young and handsome forever.
Basil says that this is a terrible lesson, and believes that it is his own fault, for worshiping Dorian too much. He begs Dorian to pray to God for forgiveness, but Dorian says that it is too late. Dorian then feels a sense of hatred growing inside of himself, almost as though the portrait itself was instructing his mood and actions. In a moment, he grabs a knife and plunges it into Basil’s head. He continues stabbing Basil repeatedly until the man is dead. Dorian then opens the door and waits quietly to determine if any of the other members of the household have heard anything. As soon as he feels secure that the sounds were not noticed, he locks the room and returns to his library.
There, he hides Basil’s belongings in a secret compartment, and then quietly exits the house. Moments later, he rings his own doorbell and waits until Francis, the servant, answers the door. Dorian is careful to give the impression that he’s been out all evening, and even ensures that the current time is discussed, in order to solidify an alibi later on. Francis mentions that Mr. Basil Hallward had come by earlier that evening, and Dorian expresses his dismay at having missed him.
Before dismissing the servant, Dorian requests a 9:00 AM wake-up call. Then Dorian goes to the library, where he finds a directory and writes down the address of Alan Campbell.
Analysis
Dorian’s corrupt and wicked soul reaches new depths. The fact that he is certain that it is too late to even pray for redemption solidifies the fact that it is too late. With no effort to even try to be forgiven, damnation is absolutely assured.
Few sins can be seen as greater than murder, particularly the murder of a person who cares and loves the perpetrator. Yet, Dorian does just that, followed by cold, mechanical action to cover his own tracks. His selfish pursuit of hiding his sin takes precedence over any feelings of sadness at the loss of his friend or guilt over being the cause of his death. Instead, he calmly establishes his own alibi. Ironically, this proves Dorian’s own words to be correct. It IS too late for his soul to be saved.
