Thursday, July 18, 2019
Dorian Gray Passage Analysis
Dorian Gray Passage: Literary Analysis In this scene, Wilde creates a threatening atmosphere as he describes Dorian heading to the Opium House at night, a place that represents his sins. Dorianââ¬â¢s carriage ââ¬Å"jerksâ⬠into a ââ¬Å"darkâ⬠area, the sudden movement suggesting that the horse is instinctively nervous or scared. And the ââ¬Å"low roofs and jagged chimney-stacksâ⬠that looked like ââ¬Å"black mastsâ⬠shrouded by a mist of ââ¬Å"ghostly sailsâ⬠paint a nightmarish image of hostility due to harsh words like jagged, and fear with mentions of ghosts; both add to the tension.In the next paragraph Wilde uses diction such as ââ¬Å"hastilyâ⬠and ââ¬Å"quicklyâ⬠to build the suspense with Dorianââ¬â¢s obvious discomfort in the situation and desire to get out of the open. Then, Wilde uses light imagery to illustrate a dark setting which would explain Dorianââ¬â¢s fear. The description that the night was lit by a ââ¬Å"red glar eâ⬠and ââ¬Å"lights [that] shook and splintered in the puddlesâ⬠contributes to the uneasiness because red is often the color of evil and shaking lights can be associated with panic.Dorianââ¬â¢s anxiety heightens as he ââ¬Å"hurriedâ⬠and ââ¬Å"[glanced] back now and then to see if he was being followedâ⬠. His actions suggest that he is paranoid and running from something, causing the environment around him to appear more threatening. And finally, Wildeââ¬â¢s description of ââ¬Å"gaunt factoriesâ⬠completes the image of a foreboding neighborhood because even at night, factories are supposed to appear formidable, not desolate as if they couldnââ¬â¢t stand up to their surroundings.
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