Dorian Gray Chapter 16 Flashcards
How are Gothic elements used in this chapter ?
He uses similes like “the moon hung low in the sky like a yellow skull”
He describes the people moving like monstrous marionettes.
He describes the white mist that “clung like ghostly sails to the yards”
He describes the street as narrow and gloomy.
MAINLY THROUGH EVOCATIVE SETTINGS - Dark & shadowy realms
Where was Dorian going ?
He was headed to the slums of London.
Why was Dorian going here ?
Dorian was going here for 3 days in hopes of forgetting what he had done.
He wanted to buy forgetfulness with opium.
What threatens Dorian’s aestheticism ?
He once hated ugliness because it had made things real. Now instead of admiring beauty, he craves ugliness as his new reality. He needs the ugliness of his surroundings to aid in him forgetting the ugliness of his own soul.
Who does Dorian meet there ?
Adrian Singleton
How had Dorian ruined this man ?
Dorian corrupted this man and now nobody will speak to him and he has become an outcast addicted to opium.
Why could Dorian not stay in the same den as this man ?
He was unable to stay as his conscience reminds him of the devastation and evil that he has caused.
Describe how Dorian reacts to the lady who he has also ruined
He tells her not to talk to him & he throws a tantrum in a child like manne by stomping his foot. He then resorts to giving her money so that she will leave.
What two names does she call him ?
How is this effective ?
“devil’s bargain” = Dorian has made a pact with th devil to preserve his youth and beauty.
“prince charming” = Reminds us that this is the what Sibyl Vane called him.
Show that Dorian briefly experiences pity for the man that he sees & how he almost instantaneously changes his mood.
He briefly feels sorry for Adrian but refuses to take responsibility.
“For a few seconds his eyes grew sad..” “..what did it matter to him” - He suddenly becomes indifferent, self centered and cruel.
How does Wilde include the reader in this chapter ?
He uses the pronoun “us”, taking the reader into confidence. Wilde’s voice is present in the narrator whose tone is serious.
What is the narrators opinion of Dorian in this chapter ? (more specifically page 219)
He says sinners have no freedom of choice and that conscience survives only to make rebellion attractive. Dorian can’t help himself and is admirable in his rebellion.
Describes Dorian as “callous, concentrated on evil & a soul hungry for rebellion.”
narrator condemns Dorian
How does Wild create suspense in this chapter ?
Dorian suddenly felt himself seized from behind and thrust back against th wall with a brutal hand round his throat. He uses sound and sight to create tension. “The click of th revolver” and Dorian “saw the gleam of a polished barrel”
Who attacks Dorian ? Why ?
James Vane
Dorian ruined his sister, Sibyl’s life & she killed herself 18 years ago.
James heard the woman refer to him as “prince charming”, recognised this and now wants revenge.
How does Dorian escape from the attacker ?
Dorian reveals his face to James & James sees that he is far too young & pure to have been the man that did that to his sister 18 years ago.
