The Picture Of Dorian Gray: Chapter 11

“He grew more and more enamored of his own beauty” (131).  Enamored- marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness 

"especially the art of those whose minds have been troubled with the malady of reverie"(134). Reverie- a state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing 

“He himself would creep up-stairs to the locked room, open the door with the key that never left him now, and stand, with a mirror, in front of the portrait that Basil Hallward had painted of him, looking now at the evil and aging face on the canvas, and now at the fair young face that laughed back at him from the polished glass” (131).  

In this quote we see a change in Dorian.  Before he was ashamed to look at the changes in the portrait, but after time has passed he enjoys looking at the changes in the portrait and is happy that they have not happened to him.  The portrait serves as mirror into his soul, and he could see that his actions were taking a negative affect on his soul.  He did not seem to really care that his sins were destroying the portrait, but he did wonder which sins were worse; “wondering sometimes which were the more horrible, the signs of sin or the signs of age” (131).  He was happy he was not affected by his sins directly, but was interested in the “corruption of his own soul” (131).  

“On his return he would sit in front of the picture, sometimes loathing it and himself, but filled, at other times, with that pried of individualism that is half the fascination of sin, and smiling, with secret pleasure, at the misshapen shadow that had to bear the burden that should be his own” (144).

Dorian is filled with horror by the portrait.  No matter where he goes he does not feel safe.  The lingering of the knowledge of the portrait weighs heavy on his heart, and he is always nervous about the portrait.  He thinks that while he is away that someone will break into the room and steal the portrait and his secret will be revealed.  There are times where he is entertaining guests and he runs away, back to his house, to check that the portrait has not been tampered with.  When he sees the portrait he is filled with many feelings.  He is happy that the portrait carries the burden that should have fallen upon him, but there are times he hates it and himself.  He feels some remorse for his actions, but he is filled with the pleasure that he must not carry the burden of his sins.