TPODG April Break Assignment (TBC)

Lord Henry:

1. "I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellect" (10).
Henry appears aloof, but is actually very logical. He is reminiscent of Algernon from Earnest.

2. "The probabilities are that the more insincere a man is, the more purely intellectual will the idea be" (11).
Henry clearly views himself as intelligent, but this thought makes it apparent that he could have a dark "insincere" side to go along with his knowledge.;

3. "Don't soil him. Don't try to influence [Dorian]. Your influence would be bad" (16).
Henry  is beginning to be depicted as an intelligent devil-esque character. He is intelligent, aware of the insincerity of people with intelligence, and is highly logical and calculating.

4. "Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul" (20).
There seem to be many parallels to draw between Satan and Henry. He understands manipulation, and relates it to divinity.

Dorian:

1. "'Oh I am tired of sitting' answered the lad, swinging round on the music-stool in a wistful, petulant manner" (17).
Dorian is depicted as a young and naiive man; either in temperament or in actual age.

2. "Stop! you bewilder me. I don't know waht to say. Don't speak. Let me think, or, rather, let me try not to think" (21).
Dorian seems to be afraid of Henry, or atleast his train of thought involving sin.

3. "Now and then he is horrible thoughtless, and seems to take a real delight in giving me pain" (14).
This affirms Dorian's youth, but also shows that he does have some sort of a dark side, though only occasionally expressed in Basil's presence.

4. "At least, you are like it in appearance. But it will never alter" (32).
This is foreshadowing to the ultimate plot of the novel, but in addition to the lack of aging, also speaks to Dorian's change of character.

Basil
1. "You can't feel what I feel. You change too often" (14).
Basil has deep set emotion, in contrast to Henry, who has deep set thought.

2. "I don't agree with a single word you've said, and what is more, Harry, I feel sure you don't either" (11).
Basil isn't afraid to disagree with Henry, but he does seem to be set up as a foil to him.

3. "There is too much of myself in the thing, Harry!" (13).
Basil says that there is too much of himself in the painting of Dorian, but that he doesn't want Dorian to be under Henry's influence. It seems like a metaphor for Henry's future influence on Dorian.

4. "I am glad you appreciate my work at last, Dorian, I never thought you would" (30).
Basil is a very emotional character. When frustrated with his painting, and Dorian and Henry's conversation about the qualities Dorian will lose in age, he almost destroys the entire work.