PODG: Ch. 12-13

"He did not glance at the murdered man. [...] The friend who had painted this fatal portrait to which all his misery had been due had gone out of his life. That was enough" (164).

Basil was the only friend Dorian had who still had faith in him and wanted the best for him: "As for what I said to you to-night, I said it for your good. You know I have been always a stanch friend to you" (157). Basil was also another form of Dorian's conscience: "You have filled [your friends] with a madness for pleasure. They have gone down into the depths. [...] Yes, you led them there; and yet you smile" (155). Basil adored Dorian and "worship[ed]" (117) him. All Dorian did in return was feel a "terrible joy [...] that the man who had painted the portrait that was the origin of all his shame was to be burdened for the rest of his life" (157). It was difficult for Basil to see the hideous portrait because he avoided seeing the worst in Dorian. Although Basil knew Dorian was transforming into a monster, his feelings toward him were still held with optimism: "You have a wonderful influence. Let it be for good, not for evil" (156). Basil could not accept Dorian as the wicked man that he became. Basil ended up getting a reality check when Dorian revealed the "face of [his] soul" (161) to him: "Christ! what a thing I must have worshiped! It has the eyes of a devil" (161). By stabbing and killing Basil, Dorian was getting rid of his second form of conscience. He got rid of the first form by hiding and covering the portrait in the room where Basil was stabbed. The irony of this is that Dorian once said that "Conscience [...] is the divinest thing in us. Don't sneer at it" (101). He could not "bear the idea of [his] soul being hideous" (101), but now, he believes it is "too late" (162) and blames Basil for his faults. By killing Basil, Dorian has not accomplished anything. The portrait is still present and growing more hideous as Dorian continues to commit sinful deeds. Dorian is only making his painting look uglier by killing Basil.


"Yes, [...] to see your soul. But only God can do that" (156).

Dorian slips himself out of trouble or harm, but he cannot do this from God. Nobody likes Dorian anymore because of his bad influence on others. Dorian made his friends experiments, just like Lord Henry made Dorian his experiment. Dorian's carefree attitude caused people to despise him. When Dorian killed Basil, "he felt strangely calm" (163). When Dorian heard of Sibyl's death, he was "not sorry for anything that [...] happened" (101). Dorian felt no remorse for either Sibyl's or Basil's death, knowing that he was the cause of both. It is assumed one would feel terrible for causing somebody's death, but Dorian felt otherwise. Basil mentions that "sin is a thing that writes itself across a man's face. It cannot be concealed" (153). This can be taken literally as the portrait becomes uglier the more Dorian sins. Although the portrait is hidden behind a purple curtain, Dorian knows it is there and most importantly, God also knows it is there. Thus, it cannot be concealed. Dorian may not pay the consequences while he is alive, but God will not be kind once he dies. John Proctor from The Crucible also mentions God's power over His people: "A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything" (110). Dorian should take this statement as a warning and reform while he still has the chance.