Moreover in
the novel Oscar Wilde, Expressed a variety of literary devices but one that was
huge with the idea of placing too much value on youth and beauty would be
foreshadowing. Towards the beginning of the book Sybil was speaking with her
brother James about Dorian her fiancé and James let’s her know this “I wish I
had, for as sure as there is a God in heaven, if he ever does you any wrong I
shall kill him” (Wilde 78). Early in the book the Author gives no ideas that
their relationship would end the way it did. Although by Sybil’s brother
threatening Dorian the way he did before Dorian even hurt Sybil in any way you
can easily tell something terrible was going to happen to her later in the
novel. In fact as the novel continues Dorian would end up having mixed emotions
and he would leave Sybil feeling lost. Shortly after that there was an event
that involved Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet play that was unfortunately her
last act before her death, Due to Lord Henry’s evil guidance to go to clubs and
do drugs Dorian wants to try new things and tells Sybil “you have killed my
love. You used to stir my imagination, now you don’t even stir my curiosity.
You simply produce no effect…” (Wilde 98). Similarly in the play `Romeo and
Juliet`, she would commit suicide because she felt lost without Romeo,
therefore Sybil feels the same exact way once Dorian abandons her and she will
eventually take her own life. Sybil’s death was a huge part of the novel
because this was when Dorian realized his wish to trade his youth and beauty
for eternity had become true, all of his sins would be shown in the portrait.
Another technique Wilde was able to express in the novel would be mirroring it’s
a strategy while foreshadowing in the story Dorian’s mirror would be the
portrait as this was said “… This portrait would be to him the most magical of
mirrors. As it revealed to him his own body. So it would reveal to him his own
soul”(Wilde 120). Dorian’s sin and excess life throughout the book wouldn’t
affect his body but would degrade the portrait is hideous to look at. Wilde’s purpose
was to show how Dorian’s soul was not pure anymore that had been cruel. In the beginning
of the book Basil Hallward did not want the portrait to be shown because he
felt like he had shown the secret of his soul in the painting. As the book goes
on and Dorian commits his sins and becomes the villain he realizes what the
portrait represents he tells Basil this “I keep a diary of my life from day to
day and it never leaves the room in which it is written…”(Wilde 174). Dorian
basically invites Basil to see what his original pure painting has become, note
that Basil has not seen the painting in years, Basil is taken by surprise by
how Hideous the portrait is. He threatens to stab the painting and destroy it,
Dorian thinks by stabbing the painting it might take his life, out of worry
Dorian quickly grabs a knife and stabs Basil repeatedly leaving him to die in
the old schoolroom. After all Wilde is able to use the portrait as a mirror in
order to foreshadow plenty of events throughout the novel.     

                The utmost theme demonstrated in The Picture of Dorian Gray, By Oscar Wilde, and
Further More placing too much value
on youth and beauty will ultimately leave one empty and leave one in a drought;
which was demonstrated through symbolism. For instance in the beginning Dorian
states “… if it were only the other way! If it were I who was to always be
young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that- for that I would give
everything!”(Wilde 29). This reveals the biggest symbol of the novel, the
painting that Dorian was influenced by Lord Henry to trade his soul for the
ability to stay young and beautiful. Throughout the novel the portrait
represents the degradation of the soul. It symbolizes the risks and effects
that sin and excess can have on the soul. Again Dorian was confused by Lord
Henry’s poisonous influences and he suddenly wishes “…There is nothing in the
whole world I would not give, I would give my soul for that!”(Wilde 29). As a
matter of fact throughout the book Dorians wish became his reality, but little
did he know it was going to be his downfall. Mr. Gray soon will ruin everything
he touches causing pain and envy to whoever becomes quite close to him, he will
soon learn by giving his soul away he has tied himself into a life he will
regret. In Addition to the portrait a big cause of his downfall would be Lord
Henry Wotton’s evil influence from the start. Thus Lord Henry symbolizes the
devil in the book, he had seduced Dorian throughout the novel by telling him
things such as “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it, resist
it, and your soul grows sick longing for the things it has forbidden to
itself…”(Wilde 21). Lord Henry was able to control and change Dorians outlook
on life, He got into his head by introducing him to Hedonism. Not to mention
Lord Henry was able to destroy Dorians relationship with Sybil, and was the
driving force of his decision to make the deal with the devil. In fact in
chapter X, Lord Henry shows us another reason why he was the central cause for
Dorians collapsed life, his negative guidance turned Dorian onto Hedonism, by
telling him “… That is what our country wants, you might be its visible symbol”
(Wilde 141). From the start he has been a negative figure from the portrait to
turning Dorian onto the Hedonism Movement. But the yellow book that he sends
Dorian was basically more poison for Dorian to feed off of. When he begins to
read the book he begins to lose himself in it and after all he realizes the
book represents his life written before he had lived it. As a result in the
novel symbolism plays a major role, Dorian’s life was changed dramatically
through the influence of evil and self-indulgence. From purity to greed is what
took place, never put too much value on something that should not be taken for
granted.  

The Picture of Dorian
Gray