Dorian Gray #3

                In this reading section, Lord Henry gives hints of his wanting Dorian Gray to become his Hedonistic experiment. When he hears of Gray's engagement, he tells Basil, "'I hope that Dorian Gray will make this girl his wife, passionately adore her for six months, and then suddenly become fascinated by some one else. He would be a wonderful study'" (54). From the moment he met Gray, Henry's been trying to corrupt and pollute his youth and naive perfection. He explains to Gray that the only way to stay youthful is to give in to all pleasures by living a Hedonistic lifestyle, knowing of Gray's extreme vanity and obsession with his own beauty. Dorian's sudden engagement excites Henry, as he anticipates this first step as being the start of Hedonism. The way Henry refers to the boy as being his "study" is haunting, as he is entirely aware that his influence on Dorian will transform him but interested in observing the transformation. He knows Dorian is under his wing, trapped under the spell of the philosophies regarding beauty and pleasure. All the while, Henry basks in his selfishness, not caring that his influence on Dorian Gray could hurt those closest to the boy, potentially leaving him alone and without an audience to admire his everlasting youthful beauty. Dorian Gray will have a therefore useless gift of beauty, having selfishly succumbed to his own pleasures without considering its effects on others. Thus, the only things he will have are the painting and Lord Henry's dominating influence.