The Picture of Dorian Gray - PODG #3 - Mrs. Vane's Acting

Mrs. Vane treats the world around her as if she is an actress in a play about her own life. This is expressed through the usage of theatrical diction. Mrs. Vane is quite distant from her children. She puts on facades of love and kindness but does not actually remember how to feel them: "Mrs. Vane glanced at her, and with one of those false theatrical gestures that so often become a mode of second nature to a stage-player, clasped her in her arms" (45). The action of hugging her child is described as a "false theatrical gesture", revealing that Mrs. Vane is simply acting out the part of a loving mother and feigning the actions that she feels are needed. She has to "mentally [elevate] her son to the dignity of the audience", meaning that she views the audience of one of her plays with more respect than her own son (45). She even views her life as an ever-changing tableau, passing by like scenes in a play (45). While Sibyl does not seem to have figured out her mother's distorted views on life, her brother James is able to see through his mother's act and "[hates] his mother's affectations" (47). "Affectations" means false actions that are supposed to impress others, which is exactly what his mother does. "Affectations" also sounds like affections, only having a one syllable difference, and is most likely used as a play on the two words.