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ohboop t1_je4ica6 wrote

Lord Henry wasn't trying to guide Dorian, he was just spouting bullshit he thought Dorian would resonate with, and Dorian Gray took it way too seriously. I thought the character Dorian Gray was an excellent study of a shallow narcissist. For him, beauty could only ever be skin deep, and that's the level he enjoyed all art in his life.

I loved the plausible deniability of the painting's transformation throughout the book, and I found it interesting that Dorian's first and only thought was to live a life that would make him ugly on the inside, rather than one that would have his outer beauty reflect his inner self.

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W3remaid t1_je4sz3v wrote

Yeah definitely, Lord Henry was an edgelord who liked the sound of his own voice, and took advantage of Dorian’s immaturity because he found it amusing to see him take Henry’s bullshit to heart. It’s like when you tell your younger cousin that babies get shat out like turds and then watch in glee when they go ask their mom about it. Despite his words, he lived a very conventional life, he was married to a woman who matched his social standing, and he attended social functions as expected.

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darkwitch1306 t1_je51bgr wrote

Lord Henry loved all the attention he got when he was with Dorian.

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BrassTact t1_je88311 wrote

Even while married to woman who matched his social standing and attended social functions as expected...

Something something representation of true self hidden away in the closet.

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darkwitch1306 t1_je9lhup wrote

Lord Henry was getting older. Not as much attention. He tells him that the world is his for the taking and he will show him. What does Henry get in return? More invitations, more attention, more of everything due to reflected glory from Dorian. He got a kitten for company that turned into a tiger which he couldn’t tame or keep up with.

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