The Picture of Dorian Gray: Chapter 7

"their beauty seemed to bring him an anodyne for his pain"(93).
anodyne- anything that relieves distress or pain

"wondered why he refused to accept any money for them, and began to eat them listlessly"(93).
listlessly- having or showing little or no interest in anything, spiritless

"There is always something ridiculous about the emotion of people whom one has ceased to love. Sibyl Vane seemed to him to be absurdly melodramatic. Her tears and sobs annoyed him"(92).

When Dorian broke up with Sybil, she was completely devastated. She was sobbing and begging Dorian not to do it. She was completely distraught. Dorian saw how he hurt Sybil and he did not care one bit. In fact, her emotion annoyed him and he found her to be over dramatic. This does happen sometimes between a couple who is fighting or breaking up. One person is sorry and the other person is being completely stubborn and selfish. One usually focuses their attention on anger and selfishness in these types of situations, and not on the other person's feelings, because at the moment, what the first person is trying to accomplish is satisfying their own feelings. When you are completely angry and uncompassionate, it is hard to sympathize with the person who's heart is breaking.

"The picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscience"(96).

The day Basil finished his painting of Dorian, was they day Dorian fell in love with beauty. He claimed that he was jealous of the painting and how beautiful it was. He also stated that he would give anything for himself to remain young and beautiful, while the painting grew old. However, what Dorian did not take into consideration that "The picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscience"(96). While Dorian stays young and beautiful, it is his painting that will grow old and visually bear the effects of his sinful ways. It is true this would teach "him to love his own beauty [but] Would it teach him to loath his own soul? Would he ever look at it again?"(95). Dorian himself may be eternally beautiful, but he will have to look at himself each day in that painting. He will be able to see the contrast between who he used to be, and how his sins are transforming him into an awful person. Holding beauty as the most precious characteristic as Harry does, and has taught Dorian to do, is the wrong idea to have about life.