se Lord Henry does not complement him. Wilde infers that if this is the only reason for Dorian to doubt Henry, Dorian could therefore be influenced in some other way. Overall, Wilde shows how a person may deny the warning signs of being influenced.Lord Henry slowly begins to influence Dorian, intentionally allowing his corruptive words to eat away at Dorian's conscience. Lord Henry lacks morals and is not shy in expressing his unethical opinions to Dorian. Lord Henry believes that, "Conscience and cowardice are really the same things. Conscience is the trade-name of the firm" (Wilde 5). In essence, Lord Henry feels that listening to one's conscience and doing the right thing shows weakness and cowardice in a person's character. Since Wilde creates an evil character who holds these beliefs, one can imply that Wilde feels quite the opposite. Wilde must feel that having a conscience and listening to it shows strength in a person's character. Nevertheless, Lord Henry persists n corrupting Dorian. Lord Henry feels that, "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself" (Wilde 13). Lord Henry tries to persuade Dorian to believe that listening to his conscience will only bring him pain. Dorian must give into temptation if he wants to be happy. Dorian listens acutely to Henry's words. Dorian now has a justification for ignoring his conscience and acting sinful. Slowly Henry's influence takes over Dorian's conscience. Basil begins to notice this corruption in Dorian's face right after Dorian meets Henry. When Basil is painting Dorian, he notices a change. Basil "deep in his work, and conscious only that a look had come into the lad's face that he had never seen there before" (Wilde 13). Dorian is loosing his innocence and purity due to Henry's influence and Basil can detect this subtle change. Wilde illustrates howhaving a c...
