PODG Ch. 16-18

Stephen Simmons-Uvin
Ap English/Mr. George
3/25/10
PODG Ch. 16-18

"The keen, aromatic air, the brown and red lights that glimmered in the wood, the hoarse cries of the beaters ringing out from time to time, and the sharp snaps of the guns that followed, fascinated him with a sense of delightful freedom. He was dominated by the carelessness of happiness, by the high indifference of joy" (207).

In this chapter Wilde does as very good job of distinguishing the two separate lives that Dorian lives, his life at his Selby Royal estate, and the life consumed by evil and addiction at his main residence in London. Despite their physical characteristics, both estates represent both sides of Dorian. In his hometown, Dorian began going to opium dens, and had previously destroyed the lives of many people. However, at his Selby Royal estate in the countryside, we get a sense that Dorian is not completely consumed by evil and in-humaneness." ". His countryside residence was the bearer of good things, and even though a man had died during the hunt at his estate, Dorian, for a minute moment, showed compassion toward the vengeful James Vane, the dead body. Despite his few seconds of compassion, we must also note that shortly after he was revealed that his stalker was dead and his life was saved. I personally believe that it is things like this, the constant gratification in other peoples misery, and internal corruption that develop into an uncontrollable power that will eat its host away from the inside out. Dorian says that "on a yacht one is safe"(210), which can be true, but it is not safe from that internal corruption and guilt-promoted evil. He may have escaped the physical monster that set out to kill him, but Dorian has yet to confront the emotional monster that resides within him. The body of water surrounding his yacht will not keep out the insanity of the world, but give him more time to think about the insanity that lies within him, Dorian will perish.

"Difference of object does not alter singleness of passion. It merely intensifies it. 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"(201)

This actually explains a lot in regards to Dorian's behavior. As humans, once we experience something great whether it be physical or emotional, we strive to achieve that greatness in order to continuously feel good about ourselves. Dorian's motive for so passionately and violently guarding his youth is simply this: because it felt good to him, watching other people age and perish while he still remained in the same physical form that he did eighteen years ago. His whole life has been constructed around that one main value, protecting it at all costs. He killed his beloved friend because of his portrait, felt no remorse, and sought out no redemption. He is subject of nobodies experiment but his own, and has failed to produce what we would consider "rational results." Dorian's entire life ever, ever since meeting Lord Henry at the beginning of the novel, has been focused around continuing to achieve his goal of fruitfulness, and because he was so consumed in doing that, nothing effected him. He feels no remorse and sympathy for anyone because he has simply ignored those feelings for so long, and would not know what to do with them. He always has, and will be focused on himself until someone turns on the light in the back of his head. This quotation explains Dorian's motives for living, as well as every human beings motives for living. This feeling we experience is like getting an A+ on an exam or for some, doing drugs, it is something that we simply can not forget until we are brought into the realization that life is still life without additives. We all have our judgment day, our "do or die" moment, where we are forced to look beyond our selves and further into our lives by observing others, and Dorian's is approaching.