The Picture Of Dorian Gray: Chapter 15-16

“isn’t he incorrigible?” (182).  Incorrigible- not corrigible; bad beyond correction or reform 

“lying back in the hansom” (189). Hansom- a low-hung, two-wheeled, covered vehicle drawn by one horse, for two passengers, with the driver being mounted on an elevated seat behind and the reins running over the roof 

“‘To cure the soul by means of the senses, and the sense by means of the soul.’  Yes, that was the secret.  He had often tried it, and he would try it again now. […] the memory of old sins could be destroyed by the madness of sins that were new” (189).

In this quotation we see that Dorian is haunted by his sins and is in search of a way to rid himself of his guilt.  His sins are heavy on his mind and he continuously is thinking of them.  This is interesting because he believed that the portrait would bear the burden of his sins.  The portrait only bears the physical punishment from his sins, but the mental punishment still is heavy on Dorian’s mind.  He looks for a way to lessen the burden on his mind and he resorts to opium.  The last line of the quote may relate to this because through this new sin the old ones are forgotten, or less prevalent in Dorian’s mind.

“Each man lived his own life, and paid his own price for living it.  The only pity was one had to pay so often for a single fault.  One had to pay over and over again, indeed.  In her dealings with man, Destiny never closed her account” (194).

This quotation is about sins and the price one pays for them.  Sin is always on a person’s mind.  When you commit a sin you can only be at peace once you have sought forgiveness.  Once again the question of ‘where is forgiveness found?’ arises.  Dorian says that one cannot take the burden of another man’s sins, and that is true to an extent.  You should not worry about other people’s actions, but there are some actions which can affect another person.  Your own sins stay with you and should weigh heavier on your mind, but should not consume you.  Dorian’s sins are beginning to consume him, and everyday he is reminded of another sin that he has committed.  He will never be able to escape his sins, or the final judgment that will come with them.