The influence of evil can take over a whole community. Not only can it take over a whole
community, it can also take over the soul. In the short novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray,
by Oscar Wilde, a young, attractive man named Dorian Gray is influenced to seek pleasure
in beautiful things. His main influence is Lord Henry, a friend of Dorian, who teaches him
hedonistic beliefs, the belief that only pleasure is the sole good in life. However, these
beliefs make Dorian more intrigued by evil and therefore he commits serious sins, such as
murder. Although Dorian Gray is directly responsible only for the death of Basil Hallward,
a talented artist, he is morally responsible for several others. In addition to killing Basil,
Dorian is also responsible for the death of Sybil Vane, a young actress, and the death of
The one man that Dorian directly murders is Basil Hallward. Basil is introduced to
the fascinating, yet handsome Dorian Gray at a party held at Lady Brandon's, a friend to
both Basil and Dorian. After they meet, they quickly become friends. Basil, the wonderful
artist he is, begins to take pleasure in painting marvelous portraits of his new friend. In one
of his best paintings, Basil captures the true beauty of Dorian Gray and gives it to him as
a gift. As the years pass, many things begin to change. Dorian and Basil's friendship begin
to grow apart. The reason for their fading friendship is mostly due to the change in
Dorian. Rumors have been spread about Dorian's behavior, so to discover the reason for
Dorian's change, Basil pays Dorian a visit. Basil tells Dorian that he doesn't "believe these
rumors at all ". When "I hear all these hideous things that people are whispering about
you, I don't know what to say", exclaims Basil. He wants answers to the rumors
spreading around about Dorian. He also adds, "I wonder do I know you? Before I c...