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. 

Blog about Chapters 9 and 10 of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Blog about Chapters 9 and 10 of The Picture of Dorian Gray

In chapters 9 and 10, Dorian becomes increasingly more paranoid about others seeing his altered portrait. When Basil visits Dorian, he informs the lad that he plans to use the portrait for an exhibition of his work and that he would like to see it again before that time. Dorian cries out and insists that the painter not see the picture: “If you try to look at it, Basil, on my word of honor I will never speak to you again as long as I live. I am quite serious. I don’t offer any explantation, and you are not to ask for any. But, remember, if you touch this screen, everything is over between us” (115). Basil relents due to Dorian’s intense threat of ending their friendship, which means a lot to the painter who later confesses his utter adoration of Dorian. Later on, Dorian becomes more and more suspicious of his servant Victor, especially after Dorian has the picture hidden away in his old school room. He refers to Victor as being “treacherous” (123) and a “spy” (127), even though Victor has done nothing to suggest such a thing. After realizing the nature of the picture and what it reveals about himself, Dorian becomes incredibly paranoid due to the fear that someone will see his true self, which leads to him also becoming pugnacious and untrusting. 

In addition to paranoia, chapters 9 and 10 also show Dorian wavering in his plans about his future behaviors. At some times, he embraces the idea of a life of sin because he would be able to experience all the pleasures life can offer whilst not having his appearance affected by the sins. At other times, he is horrified by the cruelty shown in his picture and his soul. He goes back and forth between accepting and recoiling from the portrait: “Basil would have helped him t resist Lord Henry’s influence, and the still more poisonous influences that came from his own temperament. […] Yes, Basil could have saved him. But it was too late now. The past could always be annihilated; regret, denial, or forgetfulness could do that. But the future was inevitable. There were passions in him that would find their terrible outlet, dreams that would make the shadow of their evil real” (122-3). Despite earnest thoughts about redemption, Dorian ultimately chooses sin again and again. He cannot stop believing that a future of pleasure and sin is inevitable and will happen. Such a belief allows him to yield to his desires and claim that it is not his fault, but instead destiny’s fault. 

The combination of paranoia and desire for pleasure that is seen in chapters 9 and 10 leads to Dorian hiding his hideous portrait so that he can continue living a life of sin without anyone seeing it, though this will be a constant fear of his from henceforth and will lead to tragedy. 

The Stranger Essay Outline

The Stranger Essay Outline 

Prompt: In Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, a portion of the prologue reads, “I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. […] It is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination — indeed, everything and anything except me” (Ellison 3). In what ways can this excerpt be an appropriate description of Meursault? What does it elucidate about Meursault’s character, and is it a perfect description for the man himself? 

Thesis: The excerpt from the prologue of Invisible Man can also be a description of Meursault from The Stranger because people and society do not see Meursault for who he actually is, which is someone who values the fulfillment of his basic needs and distances himself from emotions. 

• “I remembered that it was Sunday, and that bothered me: I don’t like Sundays. So I rolled over, tried to find the salty smell of Marie’s hair had left on the pillow, and slept until ten. Then I smoked a few cigarettes, still in bed, till noon. I didn't feel like having lunch at Céleste’s like I usually did because they’d be sure To ask questions and I don’t like that. I fixed myself some eggs and ate them out of the pan, without bread because I didn’t have any left and I didn’t feel like going downstairs to buy some” (21). 

• Meursault is self centered, which is seen by his overuse of the word “I” and how much he focuses on himself and not others, such as Marie, who just hurriedly left, or Céleste, who is most likely worried about Meursault.  
• His priorities are the basic necessities for life, such as food and sleep, and not the feelings he may or may not have for Marie.
• He avoids others as much as possible, choosing instead to stay by himself in his apartment as opposed to going out to have lunch or buy bread. 

• “‘We put the cover on, but I’m supposed to unscrew the casket so you can see her.’ He was moving toward the casket when I stopped him. He said, ‘You don’t want to?’ I answered, ‘No.’ He was quiet , and I was embarrassed because I felt I shouldn’t have said that. He looked at me and then asked, ‘Why not?’ but without criticizing, as if he just wanted to know. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ He started twirling his mustache, and then without looking at me, again he said, ‘I understand’” (6).

• The caretaker of the facility Meursault’s mother lived in is confused by Meursault’s behavior. He expects Meursault to more visibly mourn his mother and perform normal tasks, such as seeing the body. However, Meursault is not mournful and views the funeral as a break from work, and his actions puzzle the caretaker, but Meursault sees no reason to cry or see the body.

• “That evening Marie came by to see me and asked if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to. Then she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her. ‘So why marry me, then?’ she said. I explained to her that it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (41). 

• The answer that is expected from Meursault is that he wants to marry her and that he loves her because they are in a relationship. However, he avoids emotions, especially strong ones, such as love, so he does not actually care whether or not they get married, which is not typical for most people, who, at the very least, want to be in a romantic relationship with another person. 

• “Then he told me that as a matter of fact he wanted to ask my advice about the whole business, because I was a man, I knew about things, and then we’d be pals. I didn’t say anything, and he asked me again if I wanted to be pals. I said it was fine with me: he seemed pleased. He got out the blood sausage, fried it up, and set out glasses, plates, knives, and forks, and two bottles of wine” (29).

• Raymond attempts to form a connection with Meursault and ask him for advice about a relationship he is in, but Meursault does not really care about Raymond or his issues. The reason Meursault is even with Raymond is because Raymond offered him food and wine, which is Meursault’s main concern. 

• “He said that he had peered into it [Meursault’s soul] and that he had found nothing, gentlemen of the jury. He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not one of the moral principles that govern men’s hearts, was within my reach. […] He went so far as to hope that human justice would mete out punishment unflinchingly. But he wasn’t afraid to say it: my callousness inspired in him a horror nearly greater than that which he felt at the crime of parricide. And also according to him, a man who is morally guilty of killing his mother severs himself from society in the same way as the man who raises a murderous hand against the father who begat him” (101-102). 

• The prosecutor makes the assumption that Meursault is evil and inhumane not only because he killed a man, but also because Meursault did not cry at his mother’s funeral, which is a completely unrelated incident. The prosecutor draws the conclusion that Meursault is emotionless, which he is, and that this therefore makes Meursault a monster, which is debatable. Because Meursault did not cry at his mother’s funeral, which is the normal response, he is condemned as a cold-blooded killer. 

• “He was expressing his certainty that my appeal would be granted, but I was carrying the burden of a sin from which I had to free myself. According to him, human justice was nothing and divine justice was everything. I pointed out that it was the former that had condemned me. His response was that I didn’t know what a sin was. All they had told me was that I was guilty. I was guilty, I was paying for it, and nothing more could be asked of me” (118). 

• The priest is confused by Meursault’s unwillingness to accept religion before his death, but Meursault does not believe in God because God is not a tangible force, and Meursault refuses the embrace anything that does not apply to his physical needs. 

Ten Quotes from the First Five Chapters of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Ten Quotes from the First Five Chapters of The Picture of Dorian Gray

1. “There is a fatality about all physical and intellectual distinction, the sort of fatality that seems to dog through history the faltering steps of kings. […] Your rank and wealth, Harry; my brains, such as they are — my art, whatever it may be worth; Dorian Gray’s good looks — we shall all suffer for what the gods have given us, suffer terribly” (5-6)
2. “It is a sad thing to think of, but there is no doubt that Genius lasts longer than Beauty” (14). 
3. “but music was not articulate. It was not a new world, but rather another chaos, that it created in us. Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! how clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?” (21)
4. “Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul” (23). 
5. “How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older that this particular day of June…. If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that — for that — I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!” (28). 
6. “Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic” (39).
7. “Yes, he would try to be to Dorian Gray what, without knowing it, the lad was to the painter who had fashioned the wonderful portrait. He would seek to dominate him — had already, indeed, half done so. He would make that wonderful spirit his own. There was something fascinating in this son of Love and Death” (40). 
8. “I don’t think I am likely to marry, Harry. I am too much in love. That is one of your aphorisms. I am putting it into practise, as I do everything you say” (51).
9. “You filled me with a wild desire to know everything about life. For days after I met you, something seemed to throb in my veins. As I lounged in the Park, or strolled down Picadilly, I used to look at every one who passed me, and wonder, with a mad curiosity, what sort of live they led. Some of them fascinated me. Others filled me with terror. There was an exquisite poison in the air. I had a passion for sensations….” (52).
10. “But you should not say the greatest romance of your life. You should say the first romance of your life.You will always be loved, and you will always be in love with love” (53).  

Characterization of Meursault in Part One

Characterization of Meursault in Part One

In part one of Albert Camus’s “The Stranger,” it quickly becomes clear that the main character Meursault is very awkward in social situations. He says thing that are uncalled for, such as when he asks his boss for time off for his mother’s funeral: “I even said, ‘It’s not my fault.’ Then I thought I shouldn’t have said that” (3). He is unsocial and avoids conversation when possible. For example, he is asked a question about his journey to his mother’s funeral and lies so that he “wouldn’t have to say anything else” (4). Little things irritate him easily, such as the silence of the elderly people when they are keeping vigil over his mother’s body. Normal interactions and gestures with other people seem to confuse and shock him: “On their way out, and much to my surprise, they all shook my hand — as if that night during which we hadn’t exchanged as much as a single word had somehow brought us closer together” (12). In addition, some of his behaviors are simply odd. The day after his mother’s funeral, Meurault goes to the beach and goes out on a date with a woman he likes, which is a strange thing to do immediately after the funeral of one’s mother. Meursault’s awkwardness in social situations distances him from others, causing him to become somewhat compassionless. 

In addition to being awkward, Meursault can be quite callous at times. When he and his mother’s friends keep vigil over the body before the funeral, one of the women starts crying. Not only does he not comfort her, he is also annoyed by her: “I  wished I didn’t have to listen to her anymore” (10). Meursault has a similar reaction when Salamano is upset about losing his dog, which has been his only companion for years. Instead of comforting the elderly man, Meursault states that he must wake up early the next morning. When in the funeral procession, Meursault repeatedly sees his mother’s very dear friend falling behind due to his age and his limp. Most people would offer to help the man or ask the procession to slow down for his sake, but Meursault continues to walk on with little regard to the struggling man and then he casually states that the man passes out at the funeral. Another instance of his callousness occurs when Marie proposes to him. He says that he does not care whether or not they get married and that he probably does not love her. He is brutally honest with her and does not sugarcoat this, which could easily upset someone, especially a romantic interest. Meursault’s callousness makes him seem cold, detached, and inhuman, and it affects his morals. 

Meursault also displays having loose morals. When asked if the situation between Salamano and his dog is pitiful, Meursault always responds that he does not think it is even though the dog is often beaten. Meursault defends Raymond beating his mistress because Meursault believes that she deserved since she might have been cheating on Raymond. He also is willing to lie to the police about the incident with Raymond and the mistress, beat up a man on the beach if one shows up while Raymond and Masson are fighting the others, and shoot a man if he hurts Raymond during their fight. These questionable actions all lead up to Meursault fatally shooting a man and then continuing to shoot the body: “Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace” (59). His loose morals are often harmless, but they have the capability to result in a murder that will trouble Meursault throughout the novel. 

Chapter 8 Poem: "Leda and the Swan"

The poem “Leda and the Swan” by William Butler Yeats is about the ancient Greek myth of Leda, who was seduced by the god Zeus while he was in the form of a swan. Their coupling resulted in the births of Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor, and Pollux. The poem alludes to the fates of the children: “A shudder in the loins engenders there / The broken wall, the burning roof and tower / And Agamemnon dead” (9-11). Helen is most well known for being the predominant cause of the Trojan War between the city of Troy and the Greek nations. After ten years of fighting, the Greeks tricked the Trojans by building a hollow horse, which they hid inside, and leaving it as an offering to the gods. The Trojans took the horse as a spoil of war and had to break their own city’s great walls to bring the horse inside. At night, the Greeks emerged from the horse and burnt the city to the ground. Once the war ended, the Greek leader Agamemnon returned to his home in Mycenae and was killed by his wife Clytemnestra because he had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia before the war. The allusion to the destructive and murderous fates of Helen and Clytemnestra highlight the violence of Leda and Zeus’s relationship. Modern descriptions of most Greek myths about gods and mortals having children together depict the god seducing the mortal women, but according to the original myths, their relationships were often violent and resulted in rape. This sort of violence is referenced several times in the poem by the use of words such as “helpless,” “terrified,” and “brute” (lines 4, 5, and 13). Alluding to the future destruction and pain caused by her daughters emphasizes Leda’s own destruction and pain at that time because of Zeus’s actions. 

1984 Essay Outline

1984 Outline

Thesis: Winston and Julia’s reunion at the end of the novel shows the effects of the Party on society and inherent truths about humanity. 

• Elimination of passion — Winston is horrified by the idea of sex with Julia, to whom he used to be strongly attracted. He used to think about lustful thoughts about her, but the Party has completely driven that desire out of him so that he would be dedicated to only the Party. 
• Metaphorical death — Winston describes Julia’s waist as similar to a corpse, which is fitting because Julia used to be full of life and her hips were a physical representation of her vitality and passion for life. However, her hips are now like a corpse’s, showing that the Party has killed her and her desires. 
• Loyalty only to the Party — One of the Party’s main goals is to destroy any positive feelings between two individuals and replace it with a loyalty to the Party. People no longer feel anything positive for family, spouses, or coworkers. The only person an individual can now like is Big Brother. There a sense of disdain between any two people. 
• Selfishness — Humans are inherently selfish and will betray one another if it benefits them. Both Winston and Julia betrayed each other to spare themselves, even though they repeatedly promised each other that they would not betray the other. 
• Safety — At one point, Winston considered being with Julia as a safe place. The Party’s actions have made being near her unbearable, but he still craves a safe place because humans want the comfort such a place brings. Since he can no longer find that comfort with Julia, he has to find it in the Cafe. 
• Individuality — The Party detests individuality because it prevents them from completely controlling everyone. Winston and Julia both tried to be individuals, but the Party has made them conform. They now lack originality, which disables them from thinking or going against the Party. 

There was no telescreen, but there must be hidden microphones: besides, they could be seen. It did not matter, nothing mattered. They could have lain down on the ground and done that if they had wanted to. His flesh froze with horror at the thought of it. She made no response whatever to the clasp of his arm; she did not even try to disengage herself. He knew now what had changed in her. Her face was sallower, and there was a long scar, partly hidden by the hair, across her forehead and temple; but that was not the change. It was that her waist had grown thicker, and, in a surprising way, had stiffened. He remembered how once, after the explosion of a rocket bomb, he had helped to drag a corpse out of some ruins, and had been astonished not only by the incredible weight of the thing, but by its rigidity and awkwardness to handle, which made it seem more like stone than flesh. Her body felt like that. It occurred to him that the texture of her skin would be quite different from what it had once been.
He did not attempt to kiss her, nor did they speak. As they walked back across the grass, she looked directly at him for the first time. It was only a momentary glance, full of contempt and dislike. He wondered whether it was a dislike that came purely out of the past or whether it was inspired also by his bloated face and the water that the wind kept squeezing from his eyes. They sat down on two iron chairs, side by side but not too close together. He saw that she was about to speak. She moved her clumsy shoe a few centimetres and deliberately crushed a twig. Her feet seemed to have grown broader, he noticed.
'I betrayed you,' she said baldly.
'I betrayed you,' he said.
She gave him another quick look of dislike.
'Sometimes,' she said, 'they threaten you with something -- something you can't stand up to, can't even think about. And then you say, "Don't do it to me, do it to somebody else, do it to So-and-so." And perhaps you might pretend, afterwards, that it was only a trick and that you just said it to make them stop and didn't really mean it. But that isn't true. At the time when it happens you do mean it. You think there's no other way of saving yourself, and you're quite ready to save yourself that way. You want it to happen to the other person. You don't give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself.'
'All you care about is yourself,' he echoed.
'And after that, you don't feel the same towards the other person any longer.'
'No,' he said, 'you don't feel the same.'
There did not seem to be anything more to say. The wind plastered their thin overalls against their bodies. Almost at once it became embarrassing to sit there in silence: besides, it was too cold to keep still. She said something about catching her Tube and stood up to go.
'We must meet again,' he said.
'Yes,' she said, 'we must meet again.'
He followed irresolutely for a little distance, half a pace behind her. They did not speak again. She did not actually try to shake him off, but walked at just such a speed as to prevent his keeping abreast of her. He had made up his mind that he would accompany her as far as the Tube station, but suddenly this process of trailing along in the cold seemed pointless and unbearable. He was overwhelmed by a desire not so much to get away from Julia as to get back to the Chestnut Tree Cafe, which had never seemed so attractive as at this moment. He had a nostalgic vision of his corner table, with the newspaper and the chessboard and the everflowing gin. Above all, it would be warm in there. The next moment, not altogether by accident, he allowed himself to become separated from her by a small knot of people. He made a half-hearted attempt to catch up, then slowed down, turned, and made off in the opposite direction. When he had gone fifty metres he looked back. The street was not crowded, but already he could not distinguish her. Any one of a dozen hurrying figures might have been hers. Perhaps her thickened, stiffened body was no longer recognizable from behind.