analysis

Chapter 2 is one of the most important chapters in the novel. First, it introduces the title character,
Dorian. The reader is assured of his physical beauty, with his "finely curved scarlet lips, his frank blue
eyes, his crisp gold hair." Basil and Lord Henry are older, perhaps in their early thirties, but Dorian is past
twenty and no child. Still, he has retained remarkable innocence and even "purity." He seems less mature
than his years: He pouts; he is petulant; he acts spoiled. He blushes, becomes unreasonably upset, and
cries.
Lord Henry, who enjoys manipulating people, spots Dorian's vulnerability immediately and goes to work.
He soon has planted the seeds of terror in the young man, an unreasonable and immature fear of
growing old and losing his youthful beauty. When Basil complains about Lord Henry's manipulating
Dorian, Lord Henry responds that he is merely bringing out the true Dorian, and maybe he is.
Dorian is easily swayed by Lord Henry's seductive ideas, revealing that Dorian's true morals are vague, to
say the least. At the beginning of the chapter, Dorian has no greater friend than Basil, but by the end of
the chapter, he has abandoned Basil for Lord Henry after a very short afternoon. The reader might first
attribute Dorian's weakness and fickle nature to youth, but the change in his nature occurs only after he
has realized the importance of his own beauty, a very worldly attitude. In this short chapter, the reader
not only meets the main character of the book; the reader also witnesses a complete transition in his
nature from innocence to self-involved worldliness. Dorian's fall from grace takes place in just a few short
pages.
Chapter 2 is also very important because it introduces the vehicle that propels the rest of the story
Dorian's wish that the painting show those horrible signs of age that he fears, leaving him forever young.
Dorian's wish about the painting introduces the Faust theme, which Wilde develops throughout the book.
(The Faust legend was well known to Wilde through popular culture.) Faust, legend has it, sold his soul to
the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. The Faust legend raises the question of eternal
damnation due to the unpardonable sin of despair. Certainly it is a sin for the Faustian character to make
a pact with the devil. However, he can escape, even at the end of his life, if he repents and asks for God's
forgiveness. Usually, the character feels he is beyond God's help, which is an insult to God, who is all-
powerful, according to Christian philosophy. Despair is the only unpardonable sin because it keeps the
sinner from asking for God's help.
As Dorian's character evolves throughout the novel, the reader should keep in mind the Faust legend and
how Oscar Wilde applies it to Dorian's character. In light of the Faust legend, the reader might ask at this
point what Lord Henry's role is. If he is not the devil literally, he certainly seems to be playing the devil's
part. More accurately, he plays the devil's advocate, leading Dorian into an unholy pact by manipulating
his innocence and insecurity. Lord Henry's role in Dorian's downfall is implied rather than explicitly
defined, and the reader need not conclude that Lord Henry is aware of his demonic role. However, he
does enjoy controlling people and playing with their minds. In the context of the Faust theme, perhaps he
is the devil's unwitting representative.