In society there is constantly the question of whether people can change or not. Author Oscar Wilde proves in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray that it is possible. The question he asks his readers is “What kind of transformation does the protagonist Dorian Gray show: good or bad?” It is possible to think that Dorian Gray has become a better person, not for others, but for himself since he lives in search of pleasure and always achieves it. However, as the portrait demonstrates, damning the lives of others can cause damage to the conscience and soul. Dorian's soul is gradually ruined by his hedonistic adventures, ultimately failing to redeem his actions, but not before leaving a devastating path of destruction and experiencing self-inflicted destruction. In his pursuit of hedonistic pleasure, Dorian Gray ruins many reputations and is the cause of some deaths. Basil also points out that Dorian is tied to the destroyed lives, realizing that “One has a right to judge a man by the effect he has on his friends. Your [Dorian's] seem to lose all sense of honor, goodness, purity. You filled them with a madness of pleasure. They have descended into the abyss. You led them there” (143). For this reason Sibyl kills herself because, after being introduced to pleasure, she can no longer act and Dorian unreasonably rejects her. As a result, upon learning of Sibyl's death, Dorian is grieved, but quickly recovers and again becomes a callous clone of Lord Henry: “You [Dorian] were the most pristine creature in the whole world. Now, I [Basil] don't know what's gotten into you. You speak as if you have no heart, no mercy in you. It's all Harry's influence” (104). Instead of truly accepting... middle of paper... kill Basil to "kill the past" and be free. This “…would kill [the] monstrous life of the soul, and, without its horrible warnings, it would be at peace” (210). Little did he know that this would be his complete downfall. Dorian finally tries to better himself, but it's too little too late after ruining the reputations of many companions and going through a period of madness. It is important to realize that his knowledge would have been useful sooner and that it could easily have happened earlier when he would have felt guilty about Sibyl's death. Considering the sybaritic level that Dorian has reached, it is foolish to believe that a positive outcome is possible. Awareness of your actions is all it takes to protect your reputation. That doesn't mean change can't be a good thing; it certainly can be. The key is to be careful about the degree to which you change.