The picture of Dorian Gray - The Young man in love
The idea was impossible, of course. But why did the face in the picture have that cruel, unkind mouth?
Cruel! Had he been cruel to Sybil Vane? He remembered his white, unhappy face
as she lay at his feet. But she had hurt him too. No, Sybil Vane was nothing to
him now. But the picture watched him, with its beautiful face and its cruel
smile. It had taught him to love his own beauty. Would it also teach him to
hate his own heart, his own soul? No, he would go back to Sybil Vane. He would
marry her, try to love her again. Poor child! How cruel he had been to her! They
would be happy together. He covered the picture and quickly left the room.
The Death of Love
‘It is better to be beautiful than to be good.’
It was long past midday when
Dorian woke up. His servant brought him tea and his letters, but he did not read
them. Yesterday seemed like a bad dream, but when he went downstairs, he saw the
covered picture. Should he uncover it, he wondered? Had the face in the picture
really changed? Did he want to know? He lit a cigarette and thought for a while.
Yes, he had to know, he lifted the cover. There was no mistake. The portrait had
really changed. He could not explain it, could not understand it. It was
impossible, but it had happened.
