Reality Check
One major theme I have noticed in The Picture of Dorian Gray is fetishization. This means a sexual fascination with things that aren’t inherently sexual like sexuality, body type, gender, or race. Fetishization almost reduces people and dehumanizes them to a point where no love can exist. One obvious example of this is Dorian’s fascination with Sibyl. He describes her like a child. Her pale skin, and small body and head is very childlike and he is obsessed with it. Her innocence is fascinating to him. Furthermore, her career draws him in. He loves the idea of her, the many roles she takes on each night. He never truly loves her for Sibyl, only the fantasy of her performances. Another prime example is Lord Henry’s obsession with Dorian. He is extremely interested in his beautiful looks, but if those looks one day faded or were nonexistent to begin with, all his interest would be gone. He could also fetishize his sexuality. It is clear that Dorian and Basil already had a nonprofessi