She is destroyed when she finds out that Dorian wants nothing to do with her if she can't act. He ends up killing himself. Period of publication and settingThis version of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was published in 1993 around the same time as the book is set. The first version was published in 1880. During this time, the Victorian era was experiencing. During the Victorian age many elderly people were unable to support themselves (Boyer 1). With that in mind, this could be another reason why Dorian didn't want to grow old. During the nineteenth century Ireland was a place where the English were forced to betray their princes (Haslam 40). Likewise, Dorian betrayed his own polite morals. In the nineteenth century the Great Wind hit Ireland (Ireland's Big Wind 1). New criticism Symbolism (Book, Annotations) The yellow book Symbolizes Dorian's fallWhen Dorian starts reading the book he can't stop. The book and Dorian had similarities that terrified Dorian. After reading the book, Dorian changes. Self-portraitDorian's DopplegangerRepresented the bad side of himLiterary