What if instead of being haunted by the beauty of painting, we become a haunting of the reality ourselves? If we are mere spectators of life's theatre, then in theory we can get away with murder without partaking in the play. “To become a spectator to one’s life” Our protagonist says, “is to escape the suffering of life”. Oscar Wilde artfully tells the story of a painting that supernaturally becomes imbued with all the toils of life, trading it's portrait owner into the soulless, mere image of beauty. The story is set upon the undercarriage of Victorian England, thick with all the pomp, glory and material values of aristocracy, that railroad our thoughts into parallels of today's culture. Dorian Gray discovers that without suffering the consequences of life, he can recklessly indulge his senses like a spoiled boy. He remembers that “he had uttered a mad wish that he himself might remain young, and the portrait grow old”. The gift of a beautiful portrait though, becomes a mirror into his growing ugly soul. We rarely see our true selves, as we do not think to wish for it as Dorian did “It seemed monstrous to even think of them”. Our narcissism blinds us to only see what we want to see, often concealed with vanity. But given that gift of truth, would you hide that mirror of shame? The story becomes an important one to read because even though it is “unreal” and supernatural, it begs some deep questions about the things we want to see, and how blinded narcissism can affect those around us.
Oscar Wilde plays the idea of switching souls and lack of empathy to answer all the questions that disturb us. The allure of beauty, conceals the ugliness of vanity. Pleasure and indulgence bury our shame. What happens when we hide our shame? How big will the lies become when you are afraid of being exposed. How ugly is vanity when it cannot be satisfied, and like a vampiric vessel Dorian, he cannot even suffer or feel the wrongs, except only remember them when the painting reveals it's new scars and degradation of the crimes he committed on life. In the story “[Dorian] shuddered, and for a moment he regretted that he had not told Basil the true reason why he had wished to hide the painting away”. The reason was his shame, just as in real life shame cannot really be disguised or locked away and forgotten when it rears it's ugly head. The story results in a dreadful horror, a supernatural tale that in actual fact is disturbing to us because the dimensions between realities with Wilde's subtle stories are layers of morality that are actually too close to comfort to bear. Wherever the tracks of time lead, consumerism and vanity that consumes the soul lives with us today.
Like a ghost Dorian becomes blissfully unaware, asymptomatic of the pain and scandal he causes on others. “For every sin that he committed, a stain would fleck and wreck [the painting’s] fairness. But he would not sin. The picture changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscience.” For every sin that Dorian commits, he does not even bear the weight of the crime on his mind, but the painting instead bears the visible burden. The painting keeps it's promise, and protects Dorian's beauty at all costs, forfeiting the lives of others like an invisible curse of all those who wish harm or truth from him. “Sir Geoffery put his gun to his shoulder, but there was something in the animal’s grace of movement that strangely charmed Dorian Gray”, as another threat to revealing the ugly sin of Dorian becomes a victim to the crossfire of the curse. The readers are the only witness of invisible murder, as the characters within the book fall foul, and you become the only one who knows the truth. Readers are participants in the story, in that we are playing the devils advocate and rooting for the evil, and we watch how without Dorian’s ability to feel the terror, pain or sadness eventually befalls some ill.
Horror fans will love this story, as it opens with some gothic beauty in story-telling and with a vampiric-like tale. “Such hideous things were for the darkness, not for the day” The narrative tells us, as Dorian contemplates “Yet he had not dreamed at all. His night had been untroubled by images of pleasure or of pain.” There is a moment early in the story where Dorian becomes cursed, and at that point readers are the secret witness to curiously anticipate what situations could unfold by trading souls with a painting. We are used to seeing snapshots of ourselves getting older, but what if over time our mementos didn't give away our age? How will it affect the relationships you have with friends, would it incite jealousy or fear? In fact, Wilde is clever at playing with failings in honesty, the crux of misunderstanding that generates fear. On one hand Dorian becomes pitifully alone, unable to share and resonate with anyone long since aged, and on the other in his anger that he should be reminded of his ill ways through a painting, he mocks it by bullying his soul to render it into the ugly creature in the painting that it becomes. Through this, we can all relate with the story, that scares us the most is perhaps our own failings that turn us into monsters.
However, the real essence of the story is what keeps it very much an issue of social responsibility for today. In the reading of this story, the participation in voyeurism without affectation of crime, we bring ourselves back to reality and are forced to question. How much have I invested in vanity? “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing” exclaims Lord Henry, a principal character in the novel who proclaims to be a bad influence. However it is a simple but accurate statement even for today. How much have I buried my shame with pleasure? How much have I been ashamed to hide? Does hiding the full truth, equal a lie? If I lie, who does it really hurt? Simply opening ourselves to these questions with examples that Dorian faces is enough of a start to think about how to become better people today. Sometimes we are completely blind unless shown other people's mistakes and the fallout it has on others. “One has the right to judge of man by the effect he has over his friends. Yours seem to lose all sense of honour, of goodness, of purity” As Dorian’s pursuit of indulgence causes a ripple effect on others, the reader is pushed often to wonder how many instances similar to this that we affect others and may also be judged. Our reality, is simply not just our own, we are collectively responsible for how we behave.
Oscar Wilde plays the idea of switching souls and lack of empathy to answer all the questions that disturb us. The allure of beauty, conceals the ugliness of vanity. Pleasure and indulgence bury our shame. What happens when we hide our shame? How big will the lies become when you are afraid of being exposed. How ugly is vanity when it cannot be satisfied, and like a vampiric vessel Dorian, he cannot even suffer or feel the wrongs, except only remember them when the painting reveals it's new scars and degradation of the crimes he committed on life. In the story “[Dorian] shuddered, and for a moment he regretted that he had not told Basil the true reason why he had wished to hide the painting away”. The reason was his shame, just as in real life shame cannot really be disguised or locked away and forgotten when it rears it's ugly head. The story results in a dreadful horror, a supernatural tale that in actual fact is disturbing to us because the dimensions between realities with Wilde's subtle stories are layers of morality that are actually too close to comfort to bear. Wherever the tracks of time lead, consumerism and vanity that consumes the soul lives with us today.
Like a ghost Dorian becomes blissfully unaware, asymptomatic of the pain and scandal he causes on others. “For every sin that he committed, a stain would fleck and wreck [the painting’s] fairness. But he would not sin. The picture changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscience.” For every sin that Dorian commits, he does not even bear the weight of the crime on his mind, but the painting instead bears the visible burden. The painting keeps it's promise, and protects Dorian's beauty at all costs, forfeiting the lives of others like an invisible curse of all those who wish harm or truth from him. “Sir Geoffery put his gun to his shoulder, but there was something in the animal’s grace of movement that strangely charmed Dorian Gray”, as another threat to revealing the ugly sin of Dorian becomes a victim to the crossfire of the curse. The readers are the only witness of invisible murder, as the characters within the book fall foul, and you become the only one who knows the truth. Readers are participants in the story, in that we are playing the devils advocate and rooting for the evil, and we watch how without Dorian’s ability to feel the terror, pain or sadness eventually befalls some ill.
Horror fans will love this story, as it opens with some gothic beauty in story-telling and with a vampiric-like tale. “Such hideous things were for the darkness, not for the day” The narrative tells us, as Dorian contemplates “Yet he had not dreamed at all. His night had been untroubled by images of pleasure or of pain.” There is a moment early in the story where Dorian becomes cursed, and at that point readers are the secret witness to curiously anticipate what situations could unfold by trading souls with a painting. We are used to seeing snapshots of ourselves getting older, but what if over time our mementos didn't give away our age? How will it affect the relationships you have with friends, would it incite jealousy or fear? In fact, Wilde is clever at playing with failings in honesty, the crux of misunderstanding that generates fear. On one hand Dorian becomes pitifully alone, unable to share and resonate with anyone long since aged, and on the other in his anger that he should be reminded of his ill ways through a painting, he mocks it by bullying his soul to render it into the ugly creature in the painting that it becomes. Through this, we can all relate with the story, that scares us the most is perhaps our own failings that turn us into monsters.
However, the real essence of the story is what keeps it very much an issue of social responsibility for today. In the reading of this story, the participation in voyeurism without affectation of crime, we bring ourselves back to reality and are forced to question. How much have I invested in vanity? “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing” exclaims Lord Henry, a principal character in the novel who proclaims to be a bad influence. However it is a simple but accurate statement even for today. How much have I buried my shame with pleasure? How much have I been ashamed to hide? Does hiding the full truth, equal a lie? If I lie, who does it really hurt? Simply opening ourselves to these questions with examples that Dorian faces is enough of a start to think about how to become better people today. Sometimes we are completely blind unless shown other people's mistakes and the fallout it has on others. “One has the right to judge of man by the effect he has over his friends. Yours seem to lose all sense of honour, of goodness, of purity” As Dorian’s pursuit of indulgence causes a ripple effect on others, the reader is pushed often to wonder how many instances similar to this that we affect others and may also be judged. Our reality, is simply not just our own, we are collectively responsible for how we behave.
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