The conscience of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Much of the criticism regarding The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde focused on Dorian Gray's relationship with his own portrait (Raby 392). Although some may argue that the portrait represents a reflection of the character of Dorian Gray, this is only a superficial analysis of the novel and the character of Dorian. While Dorian Gray's true character never changes, it is his own perception of his character (his conscience) that is reflected in the changing face of his portrait. Essentially, Dorian's image becomes a mirror through which the "real Dorian" judges his own metamorphosis while the superficial "Lord Henry Dorian" attempts to embrace Lord Henry's teachings. Dorian's duality of character provokes a constant internal struggle within him, ultimately resulting in his own suicide. Initially, Lord Henry's doctrine of "new hedonism" contrasts sharply with Dorian's youthful innocence and passions. These initial feelings constitute the reader's first and clearest experience with the "real Dorian," who will soon be repressed. The terminology does not imply, however, that Dorian was never influenced before. This unblemished character simply represents Dorian at the beginning of the novel, a state he accepts as his own and in which he is able to find peace. From this first conversation, Dorian's peace begins to shatter as he learns of Lord Henry's philosophy and its implications for his own life. Dorian is described as a "beautiful and mindless creature" (3), which is appropriate since all Dorian has at this point in the novel are his own initial, untouched feelings. Thus, this “pre-Henry” stage is the only moment in the novel where Dorian outwardly expresses his “true self.” This "pitch...... middle of paper ...... he Photo of Dorian Gray: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Lawler, Donald L. (1988). 405-412. Raby, Peter. Oscar Wilde (1980): 164. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. (1980): 57-71. Rpt. in twentieth-century literary criticism. Ed. DiMauro, Laurie. Flight. 41. Detroit: Gale, 1991. 501-502. Summers, Claude J. "In Such Surrender May Be Gain: Oscar Wilde and the Beginnings of Gay Fiction." Gay Fictions: From Wilde to Stonewall, Studies in a Gay Male Literary Tradition. (1990): 29-61. Rpt. in twentieth-century literary criticism. Ed. DiMauro, Laurie Vol. 41. Detroit: Gale, 1991. Wilde, Oscar The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Oxford World Classics: Oxford University Press., 1998.