The Picture of Dorian Gray - PODG #1 - The Real Dorian Gray

At the end of the second chapter of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, there is proposed idea concerning who is the real Dorian Gray: the man or the painting. After Basil asks Lord Henry to not say something in front of Dorian, Lord Henry responds with the question: "Before which Dorian? The one who is pouring out tea for us, or the one in the picture?" (21). This inquiry implies that the living, breathing Dorian and the painted Dorian are now two separate entities and should be thought of as such. This duality may have been caused by Lord Henry's talk with Dorian about fading beauty, which changed how Dorian saw himself and the world around him. Basil, when asked whether he will join Lord Henry and Dorian for a night out, walks over to his painting of Dorian and replies "sadly" that "[he] shall stay with the real Dorian" (21). Basil sees that Dorian has changed already after knowing Lord Henry for only a small amount of time. This saddens Basil because he never wanted Dorian to be tarnished in any way. Basil feels that the painting captures the Dorian he knew before Lord Henry spoke to him and therefore feels that that Dorian is the most "real" to him.