The Picture of Dorian Gray Book Review

    The story of a young man who stays young forever, and puts his portrait in front of time’s hits, still fascinates me now. When I read it for the first time, I couldn’t not notice the power and lightness of Oscar’s language. The energy that he puts in description of Dorian’s look is majestic. He showed every lock of his hair, every blush of his cheeks. The plot is great enough to put us in doubt, so we must ask ourselves what we would do in Grey’s place. Would we be afraid in front of terrible truth that everything in the end dies and vanishes? Or we would bravely confront with life and aging? Dorian obviously couldn’t find the strength inside to accept himself as a being with ending and growing old. He was too young to think about old age, and to beautiful to think about death. Was his fault that he wanted to stay the same forever? Isn’t that what we all want, in secret? There is a Dorian Grey in each of us, a voice that cries when mirror shows 45, 50 years. Dorian just said it out loud, he expressed his fears and wished something that seemed impossible to get. But, as life makes strange turns and likes to play with our dreams and hopes, Dorian became forever young. He soon realised how lucky he is to have a picture growing old instead of him, while he can enjoy in all life goods. But, as the time goes by, the burden of the picture begins to press Dorian, effecting his relations with friends and girl he liked. Everything becomes corrupted by his obsession with the secret of the portrait. Dorian falls into web of paranoid thinking and judging. He sees everyone as potential enemies, the ones who could put in danger his eternal youth and life. And while it olds, picture also paints out the true nature of Dorian’s soul, or at least what his soul turned in to. He is no longer that innocent boy, as we know him in the beginning of the story, who just came out of his childhood, amazed by the glory and beauty of existence. He is now a person who can satisfied himself only with outside looks and expects only best of life. He accepts no disappointments and throws away all who are not good enough to stand by his side. In that manner, he causes the death of young actress who was enchanted by him.

    Since then, Dorian’s life turns in the wrong, down direction. He kills his friend, the very artist who painted the portrait of Dorian. Years pass, and Grey, talented by charm and looks, becomes a man with no deeper interest I the world around him. He travels, has fun and pleases himself, but finds nothing to fulfil his hart. Soon, he sees himself caught in the game of the picture, like a beast who wanders through spaces and times with no rest. After an accident death of actress’ revengeful brother in hunting, Dorian realises how bad he became. He moves to a countryside and tries to make a new life there. He falls in love again, but soon awakes from that feeling, truly understanding what he is. Dorian Grey bonded to a picture, now ugly, horrible and old, is a man who destroys everything that he touches. He cannot be happy, for he can’t escape from his fate and fortune of cursed young man, who once made such mistake to wish life forever. Drown by insanity and depression, Dorian decides to put an end to all his pains and doubts, to all sins he made. There is no delivering for him and his soul, but at least he can do is to set free the world from a twisted monster that he turned to. He throws one last look at the painting. It is far from beauty and honesty, truth is in rotten teeth and grey, greasy hair. The eyes are dark and mist, with an evil shine, and the light smile of the face is now a terrifying, sick grin. It must be over, and Dorian knows it. He takes up the blade and stabs the portrait, stabbing his own hart at the same time. The painting turns young and fresh, as it was on the day it was made, and Dorian’s face becomes the mirror of his sinful life. A victim of own ignorance and passion, beautyand self-love, falls down in a battle with remorse.    

    How can one defeat his own necessity to keep a moment of his life forever to last? Is it so wrong to catch a time, and never to let go? Did Dorian have to die? Dorian was killed by his selfishness, because it was too late for to change. The picture already has had his worse, showing how obscure and evil he really was. I think he gave up the all hope to save himself. Every day he went to see his shame, painted so it can remember him all the time about his error. He couldn’t bare it anymore, and instead to turn to light, to make his behaviour better, he fell just lower into darkness of unexplored parts of his soul.

    Maybe death was still the only way for Dorian.