Blog for Chapters 14-16 of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Blog for Chapters 14-16 of The Picture of Dorian Gray

In chapters 14-16 of the novel, Dorian struggles to maintain composure during the aftermath of Basil’s murder. Chapter 14 shows Dorian contacting an old friend to get rid of the body. Although recently, Dorian’s conscience has been absent, it reappears when he speaks to Alan Campbell because Dorian feels upset about what he is doing to the man by involving him in the murder and making him an accomplice: “The two men’s eyes met. In Dorian’s there was infinite pity. He knew what he was going to do was dreadful” (172). Regardless, Dorian presses on and is forced to blackmail Alan to receive his help. Alan “felt dominated by him” (177), which shows that even though Dorian has done monstrous things, he is still like Henry, who wanted to dominate Dorian since they met, showing that Dorian now does the same thing to others. In chapter 15, after the body is destroyed, Dorian goes to a dinner party hosted by Lady Narborough. This chapter is reminiscent of what happens after Sibyl’s death. Upon hearing of her suicide, Dorian mourns for her briefly, but then goes out to see an opera mere hours later. Here, Dorian attends a dinner party the night after he killed a man and a few hours after he blackmailed another man into destroying the body. In addition, Dorian becomes paranoid even though he intended to forget about his sin. When casually questioned by Henry about his night, Dorian becomes very defensive: “I came in at half-past two, if you wish to know the exact time. I had left my latch-key at home, and my servant had to let me in. If you want any corroborative evidence on the subject you can ask him” (186). Although he is trying to forget about his crime, Dorian cannot, and he realizes that he must take drastic actions in order to do so, or else he will make some sort of mistake that will lead to his arrest and execution. In chapter 16, Dorian visits an opium den he often goes to in order to clear his mind. While there, a woman who knows him calls him by Sibyl’s nickname for him, Prince Charming. Sibyl’s brother James is also in the den and overhears the exchange. He attacks Dorian, but Dorian convinces him the he was not the one Sibyl was involved with because he looks too young. After James lets Dorian go, the woman from the den approached James and informs him that Dorian is much older than he appears and that “He is the worst one that comes here. They say he sold himself to the devil for a pretty face” (197). This conversation initiates a new and possibly fatal conflict that Dorian will have to deal with from henceforth.