The Picture of Dorian Gray #10

“The suspense became unbearable. Time seemed to him to be crawling with feet of lead, while he by monstrous winds was being swept toward the jagged edge of some black cleft or precipice” (171).

Dorian’s life was on the line. He just killed his innocent friend; how could he remain calm? Dorian could hide his sins in the past because there was no evidence. The only evidence was hidden in the picture. With no consequences Dorian had nothing to fear; he felt composed and relaxed. Now, there was a dead body in his house. How do you hide a dead body? The only way is to get rid of it as soon as possible. He could not do it himself though. His future was in the hands of an old friend who hated him. Time goes on forever when you need a response. Until everything is settled, you feel anxious, tense, and nervous. Everything was out of Dorian's control; the only thing he could do was wait.


1.) “I don’t care what shame comes on you. You deserve it all. I should not be sorry to see you disgraced, publicly disgraced” (173).

Dorian has never helped anyone in his life, so why should someone help him? Dorian murdered someone; he is a criminal. All criminals deserve to be punished. If a person apologizes for their sins, they should be forgiven. Dorian, never apologized, therefore, he should not be forgiven. He lied to avoid being caught. Dorian did not feel sorry for his actions; therefore, Alan should not feel sorry for Dorian’s shame. Dorian claimed that Alan is “the one man who is able to save me” (172). Alan might be able to hide evidence, but he cannot save him. No one can; Dorian killed the only man who could.


Vocab. Words:

1.)Vestige- a very slight trace or amount of something
“What you have got to do is to destroy the thing that is up-stairs- to destroy it so that not a vestige of it will be left” (172).

2.)Fetid-having an offensive odor
“If in some hideous dissecting-room or fetid laboratory you found this man lying on a leaden table with red gutters scooped out in it for the blood to flow through, you would simply look upon him as an admirable subject” (173).