Manipulation in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde"I do not think that one person influences another, nor do I think that there is any bad influence in the world, " Oscar Wilde uttered during the trial (Hyde 353). While this statement may be true, one of Wilde's most famous works shows many of the effects of people shaping each other, making one wonder what Wilde's sincerity was in such a statement. The Picture of Dorian Gray shows variations on the existence and purposes of influence, showing two types of personal influence: obvious manipulations such as that of Lord Henry on Dorian and that of Dorian on Sybil Vane, and those that are more often overlooked such as l Dorian's more subtle manipulation influence on Basil, Dorian's on Lord Henry and in the interaction between Dorian and his portrait. Wilde demonstrates the many possible impacts these two categories can have, demonstrating that there is more to a relationship than an outside viewer can perceive, and ultimately leading the reader to the book's inevitable morbid ending, in which the characters meet their pathetic end. , with Dorian Gray committing what could be considered a horrific suicide. Taking into account Wilde's life of controversial relationships, this book is particularly poignant in its autobiographical suggestions. Dorian Gray is first described as a naive and attractive young boy, bearing a striking resemblance to Adonis, with the physical description of a Greek god. . The beauty and innocence of youth make him quite attractive, and the fact that he is unaware of the power of this beauty is even more attractive. Dorian's beauty is the source of Basil Hallward's obsession, which culminates in the act of Hallward's painting Do...... middle of paper ......rinceton University Press, 1967. Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41 Pages 353-60.Shewan, Rodney. Oscar Wilde: Art and selfishness. The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1977. Excerpted in Twentieth Century Criticism, volume 41. Pages 374-84. Spivey, Ted. R. "Oscar Wilde and the Tragedy of Symbolism", The Journey Beyond Tragedy: A Study in Myth and Modern Fiction. Copyright 1980, Board of Regents of the State of Florida, University Presses of Florida, 1980. Twentieth Century Criticism, volume 41. Pages 501-2.Summers, Claude J. "In Such Surrendering There Can Be a Gain: Oscar Wilde and the Beginnings of Gay Fiction, "Gay Fiction: Wilde to Stonewall, Studies in Male Homosexual Literacy Tradition, Continuum, 1990. Excerpted in Twentieth Century Criticism, volume 41. Pages 398-401. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford University Press, New York. 1994