The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s most popular work of fiction which was first published in 1890. There is undoubtedly so much to take away from this book. Wilde’s style of eloquent and rich writing makes it so easy to dive into the minds of these characters. With a beautiful but saddening plot twist, this book proves itself to be a wonderful one.
The book is centered on the life of a charming and nave young man who he has an innocent soul, up until he discovers the power of his own exceptional beauty through the influence of Lord Henry. Lord Henry was the man who drove Dorian Gray to the realization that the only thing he has to his advantage is his beauty of his youth, that he should enjoy his youthful life and live it to the fullest. This takes a very drastic turn in the book through themes that explore selfishness, hedonism, morality, shallowness and the flaws of human life. His good friend, Basil is one of the recognizable characters in the book, bringing the pure picture of Dorian Gray into life. Dorian Gray grows to have a very complex relationship with his own portrait that he initially loved but as time goes by and Lord Henry’s influence grows on him Dorian starts hating himself , constantly finding himself at a crossroad because of who he was on portrait and who he has changed to now are two totally different people.
Dorian Gray is so influenced and corrupted by Lord Henry; he changes from an innocent boy full of life to one who just walks around with an ego and an empty, ugly soul. As much as Basil tries to protect his friend, Dorian is oblivious to the influence that he is under. Furthermore, he completely influences his own friends without even trying. What is intriguing about this book is how innocent Dorian’s thoughts are, regardless of who now has become;”I want to be good. I can’t bear the idea of my soul being hideous.” He continues to fight this struggle with in him but is seems as though going back to who he was, who the gentleman on the picture is, is not as easy.
Comments
Post a Comment