Dorian Gray undergoes serious changes throughout the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian began the story as an innocent youth full of boyhood naivete. Under the influence of Lord Henry, Dorian Gray transforms into a cruel man. Dorian seems to have found the love of his life in Sibyl Vane. The love is drastically terminated after a poor performance by Sibyl in the play Romeo and Juliet. Dorian decides he is no longer enamored with Sibyl and proceeds to callously end his engagement. Despite Sibyl's pleading and crying, Dorian chooses to leave her. After this terrible event, Dorian reflects and thinks, "Cruelty! Had he been cruel? It was the girl's fault... She had been shallow and unworthy. And, yet, a feeling of infinite regret came over him as he thought of her lying at his feet sobbing like a little child. He remembered with what callousness he had watched her" (Wilde 67). Here Dorian acknowledges that he is a cruel person. Yet, he regrets his cruel actions. He looked upon his former love as she wept, and was able to walk away from her. Dorian knows this is wrong. This leads to a change of heart, he resolves to go back to Sibyl. This resolution is disrupted by the revelation of Sibyl's suicide due to Dorian's rejection. After this news Dorian full fledgedly acknowledges his cruelty saying, "'So I have murdered Sibyl Vane" said Dorian Gray half to himself-"murdered her as surely as if I had cut her little throat with a knife"(Wilde 72). Dorian knows that he is on a path to immorality. Instead of engaging in whole-hearted remorse and mourning, he instead decides that his change in character is inevitable and that he will enjoy watching the dark change within his soul. His change is reflected in the portrait painted for him by Basil. At first he fears the strange transformation of the portrait, after his resolution to continue in his dark path he decides that, "If the picture was to alter, it was to alter. That was all. Why inquire too closely into it. For there would be a real pleasure in watching it" (Wilde 77-78). Gray is essentially resigned to a life of iniquity. He does not feel remorseful. He does not try to stop the metamorphosis, instead he agrees to run with this current. He will be evil and he will observe his soul's journey into darkness.
In creating this transformation in Dorian Gray, Wilde parallels normal human behavior. The norm for human beings is to engage in ethical conduct due to conscience. Normal humans know that a life of iniquity does not leave the body beautiful. In the Dorian Gray's world no matter how sinful he is there is no corporal consequence. He can go about his business with the same youthful beauty and admiration from others. Wilde makes a statement in the character Dorian Gray, he essentially says that if there were no consequence to a person's appearance to the outside world, humanity might engage in all sorts of debauchery. Dorian Gray proves this theory pointedly in his conscious decision to defy morality a rogue human being.
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