The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, was an Irish author who lived from October 16, 1854 until his death, at the age of 46, on November 30, 1900. He attended the Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and the Magdalene College in Oxford, England. Mr. Wilde was an active member of the aestheticism literary movement, during his day, although he lived during the Victorian Era. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, there are many passages or episodes that hold key meanings in the book as a whole, and without them; a large amount of the underlying tones and themes would be lost. In chapter two, there is a very significant key passage that has to do with the roles of Lord Henry and Dorian Gray and how they are going to affect each other. The key passage pushes Lord Henry under the role of the victimizer and Dorian Gray as the victim.
In the passage, an extended metaphor is used symbolically comparing Lord Henry to a bee and Dorian Gray to a flower. Directly off the bat, at the beginning of the passage, Dorian is characterized as being curious, innocent and naïve through the diction of the words “open-eyed” and “wondering” when it is said that he “…listened, open-eyed and wondering,” since those are the types of words used when describing a child hearing the end to a new story or uncovering the truth behind a mystery (page 23). The diction of “scramble” also calls attention to the bee since it has a connotation of haste, personifying the bee as being in a rush. This is significant because the personification connects Lord Henry to the bee since they are both in a rush; the bee to get the nectar from the flower and Lord Henry to take control of Dorian Gray before Dorian’s beauty disappears.
The symbolism of Lord Henry as the bee and Dorian Gray as the flower begin to push towards the idea that Lord Henry is the victimizer and Dorian Gray is the victim. This is displayed in the passage when it is said “…The flower seemed to quiver,” which is something that a human