The Picture of Dorian Gray chapters 1-6

First off, I feel that I should say that I really, really like this book so far.
Secondly, it makes me so very, very uncomfortable.

Innocent, childish (somewhat obnoxious) Dorian is being used and manipulated by two men, one of whom is entirely consumed with his obsession with Dorian and the other who delights in corrupting him and destroying his sweet nature. I honestly couldn't tell you which makes me more uncomfortable, Basil's wholehearted and passionate fixation or Lord Henry's idle, selfish desire to devour Dorian and spit him back out just to see how he ticks.

I can't decide whether or not I believe Basil, Lady Agatha, and others when they claim that Lord Henry never means what he says. I could see L.H. as being enough of an asshat to mean his horrible and self-centered philosophies. The way that no one ever seems to truly interact other than with projections of themselves in others supports this perception of L.H. If he truly believes that people are as dull and unintelligent as he makes them out to be, then that would explain why his friends and family members are too obtuse to recognise this. On the other hand, I could see him being bored and idle enough to say these ridiculous things just to spark a reaction. His dissociation between what one believes and what is right (pg 10) supports this idea. It also supports the concept of a common morality independent of what an individual believes, however, which really doesn't seem to be consistent with what L.H. says or thinks. I think we'll have to wait and see how he interacts with Sibyl to get a clearer idea of Harry's motives.

I was just flipping through my book and saw Harry's thoughts about how he wants to dominate Dorian Gray (41). I also saw the part where he tells Dorian that it is only the sacred things that are worth touching (58). What a creeper!

Now, obviously the main difference that arises in Dorian from when he meets Lord Henry is his newfound sense of vanity and self. He becomes a sponge for Harry's cynical speeches. I think that the only real difference in his interpersonal relationships, however, is the will to act. He is rude and unpleasant to Basil before Harry starts corrupting him, but after spending time with Lord Henry Dorian stands Basil up, openly contradicts people, rescinds his charitable offers of assistance, and makes flighty and impulsive decisions that he knows will disappoint his family.

I feel, though, that I can't yet really comment too much on Dorian and Sibyl. We haven't actually seen the two of them interact; we have only heard their lovestruck accounts of each other. I find it interesting to note that while they both view each other as parts from a play and have no desire to see each other outside of their set roles, Dorian is able to recognize Sibyl as being in several different roles and knows her name while Sibyl cannot conceive of him as anything other than her Prince Charming. In this way, then, we know that on some level Dorian sees the farce of their relationship for what it is--based on highly unrealistic perceptions. Sibyl, however, seems much more one-dimensional and unable to distinguish the difference between her reality and her fantasy.

I actually really want to read ahead and see what happens when Basil and Lord Henry meet Sibyl. Basil's pathetic little moment of realization in the carriage at the end of chapter 6 was touching, and I would like to learn more about Lord Henry and hope that Sibyl fleshes out a little more. I need to move on to other homework, though, so we'll revisit this in a day or two.