Basil Hallward is actually kind, one of the only kind characters in this novel, but still slightly spineless. Basil seems to let everyone walk all over him and let people ignore him. An example of this is when he tells Dorian that he was pretty much obsessed with him, Dorian acknowledges it, but Basil is still put on the backburner to Lord Henry, even though Basil is a much better friend who actually cares about Dorian, not influencing his young mind. Basil was so taken advantage of by Dorian. Close to the end of the book, Dorian muders Basil! Dorian murders Basil just because he blames him for the curse of the portrait. If anyone should be blamed, it should be Lord Henry for taking advantage of Dorian's young mind.
Basil is a little bit spineless, but that is no excuse for everyone being mean to him. There is not really one specific example of him being small and insignificant, but it's mostly through the novel. Basil just lets his opinions and words be covered up by everyone else's words and opinions. Basil is a kind character in this novel and he deserves better treatment than what he received in this novel. I appreciate Basil because he is a break from all the dark, depressing characters that are in this book.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics. 2003. Print.
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