The Picture of Dorian Gray ☠️👨‍🎨

Hey hive friends 💕 this time I will tell you a little about this great book written by the Irish Oscar Wilde published in July 1890, this book focuses on a surprising premise with a fictional and gothic-terrifying approach being one of the most famous of its genre and in turn one of the most important works of the author.

It is impossible for me to give an opinion of the book without describing some scenarios of the novel so this post will have spoilers so read at your own discretion

In this work the author shows us an excessive libertinism, both the desire to possess eternal youth, as well as the slow rotting of the soul and the breakdown of all morals take over the life of a young man of majestic physical characteristics, who unwillingly makes a diabolical pact to preserve the main source of admiration for his person, his beauty and youth. In exchange for this, the effects of his evil and immoral acts will be reflected in a painting that before the aforementioned pact, outlined an expression of a young man full of innocence and virtue. Every time the young Dorian Gray corrupted his soul, the portrait would undergo a change, reflecting in his gesticulation the criminal or immoral act committed.

Every time I read a book of this type (a book that has such a clear message or teaching) I cannot help but compare it to situations in my life or situations in the lives of people close to me.

When comparing my attitude or certain characteristic features of my person, I find in Dorian a certain resemblance to me and I will explain why, as a woman I always seek the attention and admiration of all (I am not saying that all women are like that), I like to be praised for how I dress, how I smell, my hairstyle, my nails.... I am a rather feminine woman who invests in herself both to feel good and to receive the admiration of others and it is inevitable that this generates a feeling of satisfaction or pleasure, like the one young Dorian Gray felt when he possessed such immaculate beauty and was recognized for it. We live in a superficial society where how we look is more important than the values within us. As I read the first chapters of the story I identified with the main character, since vanity is a weakness I possess and it made me wonder: What price would I be willing to pay for eternal beauty and youth? (Clearly I would never make a diabolical pact).

Another point I identified with was the topic of manipulation and influence: How many times have we not manipulated someone or been manipulated by someone, which is worse: manipulating or being manipulated, to what extent is influencing someone considered a good thing, is it okay to want to change others, is it okay to change to be like someone else, is it okay to change for the sake of being like someone else, is it okay to change for the sake of being like someone else? In my case there was a bit of both.

The book introduces us to an important character: Lord Henry Wotton, who is described as frivolous, manipulative, hedonistic and immoral. It is he who with his eloquence and talent of persuasion pushes young Dorian to commit indecent and immoral acts and, as they become more in tune with each other, Dorian gets more and more involved in complicated and immoral situations.

And what does this have to do with my life? I will explain it below.
When I was little my parents enrolled me in an all-girls school where I got a friend. She was very shy and I remember she would cry for anything. We were friends until the third year of high school (high school lasts 5 years in Venezuela) and I remember that in all those years of friendship I influenced her musical preferences, her way of dressing, her way of talking, I wanted to change her, I wanted to make her a person with a strong personality and not allow others to take advantage of her, I wanted her to stop reacting with tears to every difficulty in her life and face the situations. Although my intentions were not bad I should not have influenced her, because that was her personality and her essence, later I understood that it is not right to try to change others.

In the same way, I was also manipulated and they also influenced me. Between my 15 and 17 years I met a girl that I thought was great, her parents let her do what she wanted, drink alcohol, stay at her boyfriend's house and many things that mine didn't, she was one of those people similar to Lord Henry Wotton, I'm not saying she was frivolous or hedonistic, but she had a power and influence on everyone around her, even on her parents, since everyone did what she wanted and thought was better. Several years of friendship with this girl left a very large balance of bad and good things like the loss of my parents' trust, the loss of respect from many people and I also created a bad reputation. However, this also left me with many lessons that I learned the hard way and these lessons make the person I am today.

The book also introduces us to Basil Hallward, a talented painter who is obsessed with the beauty of Dorian Gray and finds in him an indescribable inspiration to give meaning to his art. The book tells us textually how Basil feels a strange admiration and concern about the presence of the young Dorian in his life because from the moment he met him he knew that this would be the reason for his suffering. Basil met a virtuous and supportive young man, who from time to time would visit him at his home to model for him. As the years go by (since the book makes a significant time jump), Basil meets a very different Dorian. A Dorian equally as beautiful as the previous one, but with something different in his eyes and mannerisms, and with an infamous reputation.

Basil's mistake was to associate the beauty of a face with the good deeds and purity of a being. A mistake that would cost him his life.

When I relate this point of view to my life I can't avoid thinking about those people who say they will do something but with their actions they prove the opposite, and how our superficiality can make us so blind.

We have all at times trusted someone just because of their appearance and we have also made a bad judgment of someone because of the way they look. There is a stereotype so prevalent in society that it has not even improved over the years, as the author describes these events set in the 19th century and they are just as latent today as they were in the past. The lesson that this point of the book left me with is that we can only judge people by their actions as these reveal the true beauty of the soul or lack thereof.

Finally, I want to close with another point of view that I relate not only to my life but also to those of many close friends who are going through or have gone through the same thing, and that is self-love.

The novel describes the character of Sybil Vane, a young actress immersed in poverty, possessing great beauty and talent for acting, who falls madly in love with the young Dorian. In turn, Dorian feels a deep admiration for the girl and asks her to marry him. Sybil, bewitched by the idea of a Prince Charming, begins to have mediocre performances as her only interest is to focus on her future marriage, abandoning herself and her passion for acting.

When young Dorian realizes this (Sybil's poor performance) he does not hesitate to abandon her in a humiliating and cruel way, Sybil, wrapped in disillusionment, takes her own life.

How many times have we stopped putting ourselves as a priority because of falling in love? How many times have we not abandoned ourselves for someone else's happiness? How many times have we allowed ourselves to be humiliated because we believe that things will get better because we still hope that they will love us in the same way that we love them? This book gives an important lesson in self-love, or at least it did for me. Never allow cruel treatment no matter how much love is involved, never abandon ourselves for someone else, never stop pursuing our dreams just because we put the happiness of others first.
In general terms I consider that it is a book with a story that grabs you from the moment you start reading it with a very rich and clear message. For me, this has been one of the best I have read this year and one of the best I have read in general, and as an interesting fact I leave the following quote:

“I know you will laugh at me,” he replied, “but I really can’t exhibit it. I have put too much of myself into it.” - Basil Hallward

The author Oscar Wilde despite having a wife and children was homosexual, in the novel there are different nuances oriented to homosexuality with this phrase in my opinion the author expresses an idea that maybe he needed to externalize because at that time homosexuality was considered a crime, something for which the author is imprisoned some time later.

And as a final recommendation, I advise you to read this book and highlight each of the interesting phrases that the author expresses through his characters, mainly with those of Lord Henry Wotton, who although he is a mundane and disgusting being, he has a mouth full of reason.

Thanks for reading my review of this book!📚❤️