If Dorian feels any remorse for his actions in previous chapters, he has yet to show any sign of it. His mistreatment of his once fiancé Sybil Vane seems saintly after he has truly revealed himself to the reader. The chapters I have read since the last time I posted on this blog have made me think more about another, perhaps more secretive, side of Dorian Gray. The author of this book, Oscar Wilde, was a homosexual in the wrong place at the wrong time, and from the beginning of the novel, I questioned how heterosexual the main characters actually were. I am 100% confident saying that Basil Hallward was gay, |
and the rest of the characters all have individual lines that make you wonder. From the very beginning, I have wondered if Dorian Gray was gay, even when he was engaged to Sybil Vane and when all he could think or speak about was her.
In this section of the book, Dorian Gray asked an old friend, who specialized in chemistry, to dispose of a dead body that remained in his office. His friend complied, and left no trace of the person that once lay there, covered in blood and lifeless. Obviously, Dorian's friend was extremely resistant, but he complied at the end.
I may be overthinking this, but I think that they were once in a relationship that was more than friendly, and then I believe Dorian cut it off. Dorian Gray says that once he and his chemist friend had been even closer than he and Lord Henry were now, and that their friendship had ended so suddenly and abruptly that everyone around town wondered what had happened between the two.
There are several mentions of Dorian's chemist friend at parties, but never is he with a wife or special guest, and whenever Dorian arrives he gets visibly uncomfortable, and usually leaves. I think Dorian was not ready to reveal their relationship to the public, which is why it ended, leaving him heartbroken (who wouldn't be heartbroken? Dorian Gray is supposed to be like the most attractive thing to ever walk this planet). I think that is why he gave in when Dorian asked him to destroy the body, to ensure that Dorian kept his secret, and also because there is some part of him that still remembers what it was once like with Dorian Gray.
In this section of the book, Dorian Gray asked an old friend, who specialized in chemistry, to dispose of a dead body that remained in his office. His friend complied, and left no trace of the person that once lay there, covered in blood and lifeless. Obviously, Dorian's friend was extremely resistant, but he complied at the end.
I may be overthinking this, but I think that they were once in a relationship that was more than friendly, and then I believe Dorian cut it off. Dorian Gray says that once he and his chemist friend had been even closer than he and Lord Henry were now, and that their friendship had ended so suddenly and abruptly that everyone around town wondered what had happened between the two.
There are several mentions of Dorian's chemist friend at parties, but never is he with a wife or special guest, and whenever Dorian arrives he gets visibly uncomfortable, and usually leaves. I think Dorian was not ready to reveal their relationship to the public, which is why it ended, leaving him heartbroken (who wouldn't be heartbroken? Dorian Gray is supposed to be like the most attractive thing to ever walk this planet). I think that is why he gave in when Dorian asked him to destroy the body, to ensure that Dorian kept his secret, and also because there is some part of him that still remembers what it was once like with Dorian Gray.