What does this sentence mean?

HI Im reading that too,the book is to the left of me as I type.
Can you tell me what page its on?

Does it have a number by it.Explanations are at the back of the book.

I think that the "mutilation of the savage" refers to practices among
people the author believes to be savages. These practices would include
scarring, tattooing and piercing. The author obviously looks down on these
practices. Then he compares them to modern man's practice of self-denial.
He feels that self-denial scars the mind in the same way that mutilation
scars the body.

That's my take on it, anyway.

The mutilation of the savage has its tragic survival in the self denial thar mars our lives.

The mutilation of the savage-destroying/suppressing the natural badness in us.
has its tragic survival-sadly lives on
In the self denial that mars our lives-being constantly told 'no' inside us forever making us ill.

Or he is saying the world would be a more joyous place if we did what we wanted.

I get the impression that Dorian is a horribly self indulgant character.I dont like him at all.

Me neither!

The version I'm reading is a penguin popular classics one, without explanations at the back.

Thanks for your help you two, the sentence is a lot clearer to me now.

As has already been mentioned, the 'mutilation of the savage' hints at practices which were considered to be that of savages (these days, everyone's got piercings ). Wilde believes these practices to be injuring man, and at a physiological level, he compares it to how humans - civilised, moderns ones - still cling to this severing of the self in the form of self-denial. E.g. we do not pursue the ultimate pleasures that we so desire, because of those indefinable things such as 'morals' or 'religion' or society's expectations, and what has been ingrained in us. In effect, we restrain our impulses, and by deliberating and checking ourselves instead of behaving spontaneously (read hedonistically), we are in effect denying our soul and thus making our lives miserable.

Once we overlook the 'maladies of medievalism' and become freer, we are closer to the Hellenic idea that Wilde is supporting here. It's been a while since I read Wilde, I'm assuming Henry Wotton says this while instructing poor Dorian...?

This reminds me of a quote I've read somewhere, which went like in denying part of the soul, you lose the whole, or something to that effect. The original sounded better

A man lives his life more fully when he expresses his thoughts & feelings, strives for his dreams to become reality, rather than restraining all of these. The misconception here is that would give way to decadent pleasures & sadistic acts, perhaps. In living a life free from self-restraints, however, it means that we would understand what we really want to give ourselves real happiness. The acts of decadence or sadism etc. occur because we do not understand what gives us real happiness & think, initially, that those acts give us happiness.

The only way, hence, is by expressing our feelings & thoughts & realising our dreams, that we'd slowly find what gives real happiness. Dorian Gray was susceptible to the misconception modern man have, that it means to give way to every decadence on earth - but that's not a true form of happiness. So it seems that Dorian Gray's demise & macabre ending reaffirms our concept of the necessity of self-denial (when in actuality it merely reaffirms our misconception of a 'free life'.)

So in 'the mutilation of the savage', we destroy, or alter radically, the savage way of life, which refers to the old way of 'uncivilized' life including human sacrifices, & when we seemed more violent perhaps & narrow-minded - rather than merely piercings or tattoos. The mutilation of the savage, turning away from the savage part of us, has led to us turning to the other extreme of denying ourselves for fear of the savage in us emerging once again. The interpretation here is substantiated by the context, where he says, 'the bravest man... is afraid of himself', which means that he's afraid of the savage in him.