She trembled all over and shook like a white narcissus. Then she flung herself on her knees and kissed my hands. I feel that I should not tell you all this, but I can’t help it.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 6. Similes are extensively used in the novel to enhance the storytelling. It is one of the aesthetic tools Wilde uses to show the beauty of the English language. In this passage Dorian tells Lord Henry and Basil about Sibyl’s reaction when he kisses her for the first time. He uses a simile to compare her to "a white narcissus," to indicate her beauty and purity.