The Picture of Dorian Gray: Pros and Cons

      Schools out! I thought to myself as I took my last final exam of junior year, oblivious to my surroundings and focused only upon a wonderful summer devoid of lengthy exams, copious notes, and perpetual stress; these tranquil days of summer, however, quickly flew by and before long I was stymied by the dilemma of summer reading. As I searched each and every summer reading book online, reading brief online summaries and figuring out which book to read, I immediately became fixated on Dorian Gray's compelling story. Although I felt ambivalent towards some of the other novels, I could instantly relate to Dorian, a young man like myself whose beauty captivated both girl's hearts and minds. Dorian's ability to manipulate others, especially women, was fascinating, and due to my secret jealousy towards him, I became even more interested in his romance with Sibyl in the novel. Secondly, I shared a commonality with Mr. Gray: the fear of old age. Being only 17 myself, I feel ambivalent towards aging; on one hand, I am glad to gain my own independence and newfound wisdom in the future, yet on the other I feel a sense of dread at the thought of losing my external youth, a fear that Dorian also faces in the novel. Therefore, because I felt a combination of fascination, jealousy, and similarity towards the protagonist, I felt compelled to read the novel, which illustrated mastery of storytelling through its highly developed interactions amongst characters, creation of the perfect antagonist, elaboration of a profound yet tragic romance, and high degree of complexity and sophistication; furthermore, the book may be enhanced through a greater emphasis on setting and transition in narrative style.
      Wilde's expert storytelling ability is prevalent in the book for various reasons; first, he develops well thought-out relationships between characters. Dorian starts off in the novel as a model for Basil, who is an artist. Although he is young and without any real worries, he is forever changed through his encounter with another important figure, Lord Henry. Interestingly, Lord Henry and Dorian share similar abilities. Just as Dorian can influence others with his looks, so Lord Henry can manipulate others, notably Dorian, with his words. After Lord Henry changes Dorian's cluelessness into understanding of the fact that his beauty is only short-lived, he starts to hate Basil and the portrait that he has drawn of him. As Dorian is warned in the first chapter, "Some day you will look at your friend, and he will seem to you a little out of drawing, or you won't like his tone of colour, or something." In fact, these words come to haunt him throughout the novel as he grows paranoid over his portrait.
      Secondly, in addition to establishing the captivating protagonist that is Dorian, Wilde skillfully creates the greatest antagonist of all: Dorian himself. As Dorian ages throughout the story, the portrait, which remains virtually untouched over the years, haunts him as truly messes with his psyche. As Dorian tells himself in chapter 2, "How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that-for that-I would give everything!" This battle against himself (in other words his portrait), is one of the most profound conflicts that I have ever read in literature, and though contradictions are certainly inherent in large portions of the book, Dorian's struggle nevertheless makes you wonder: Could one's greatest source of pride or greatest asset (in this case Dorian's beauty) simultaneously be his greatest abomination and source of weakness? After reading the story, I believe it is, for his jealousy of himself quite arguably furthers his own demise.
      Third, Wilde sets up a unique but compelling romance between Dorian and the girl whom he falls in love with, Sibyl Vane. What is truly interesting about their relationship is that Dorian truly believes that he loves her, when in fact he is only in love with her acting. When he first meets her, he says the following in the 4th chapter: "You, who know all the secrets of life, tell me how to charm Sibyl Vane to love me! I want to make Romeo jealous.... My God, Harry, how I worship her!" Even during his "confession," he describes his feelings towards Sibyl as worship, not as love. He admires her ability to falsely play as different characters on stage and captivate her audience with her sweet voice and flawless acting; however, after Sibyl falls so madly in love with Dorian, she no longer remembers her rare gift. After Dorian himself sees her perfection crumble before his very eyes during a fateful performance, he tells her the following: "You have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you don't even stir my curiosity.... I loved you because you were marvellous, because you had genius and intellect.... You have thrown it all away." Dorian's illusions about love distinguish the dichotomy between reality and fiction and their implications on romance.
      Lastly, Wilde seems to structure the story so complexly that each significant event in the plotline serves multiple purposes. For example, Dorian's disgust towards Sibyl after her dreadful performance not only leads to her suicide, but also damages his own conscience, making him psychologically unstable and eventually dead by the novel's end. Furthermore, Basil's decision to draw Dorian's portrait eventuates in Dorian's permanent dislike towards him which, coupled with his fear and hatred of the portrait, leads to Basil's murder. Third, Dorian's suicide in the end of the novel serves two purposes. Firstly, it sheds his guilt from murdering Basil and indirectly ruining Sibyl; and secondly, it enables him to overcome his fear of age by dying young and beautiful. The ways in which Wilde structures Dorian's death, his hatred towards himself, and Sibyl's death are nothing short of perfection, for the ways in which characters, objects, and motives are intertwined in the story are both highly complex and intellectually thought-provoking to the reader on multiple levels.
      There are few flaws within the novel, if any. For one, Wilde went above and beyond in terms of character development, yet he lacked distinctive emphasis on setting. In many ways, where the characters interact is just as intriguing as how they interact. With the exception of sporadic references to the city of London, Wilde did not really go in-depth in setting; because the novel focuses both on Dorian's inner psyche and interactions with various characters in the text, there could have been more emphasis on location.
      Furthermore, because the novel delves so deeply into the psychological aspects of human consciousness, 3rd person may not always have been the ideal perspective from which to witness Dorian's psychological states throughout the book. During Dorian's frequent inner monologues to himself, perhaps the reader would have related more to Dorian's thoughts rather than to his sentiments relayed by an unknown, omniscient narrator.
      These cons, however, are not really flaws inherent within the novel itself, but merely suggestions that may or may not help the novel. Overall, Wilde develops a highly complex web of characters, each related to the other and playing his own significance in the story; presents to the reader an intellectually thought-provoking conflict within the protagonist, thereby enabling further speculation towards the human psyche and universal human fears (losing one's youth); formulates an intricate romance based upon false love, irrevocable tragedy, and disillusionment; and provides further insight to the reader by adding layers of complexity and deeper meanings into the plot. Although the story itself could have been enhanced by a more compelling setting and personal narrative voice, Wilde wrote an outstanding piece of literature with few flaws, intellectually stimulating complexity, universal themes, and highly developed plots that should be read for generations to come.

The Most Unforgettable Novels I Have Ever Read

1. Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling: I tried thinking of simply one book to put on this list, but each book connects so well with the next that I simply had to list the entire series. Harry's epic adventures, leadership ability, and undying ambition to overthrow the evil Lord Voldemort make the story captivating, easily relatable, and full of excitement. Besides, I've been reading the books since I was 7; to me the series is not only a good story, but also a part of my childhood.

2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain: Sorry for seeming sexist, but being a boy made me appreciate the novel so much more in my opinion. Huck's journey away from home (similar to my journey to college in the near future), the idyllic settings of his travels, his boyish rough-and-tough attitude, and Twain's mastery of different southern dialects really made the novel stand out from other adventures I've read.

3. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card: Ever since reading Ender's Game in 7th grade, I've been hooked on science fiction novels. Everything is so new and bizarre, and thinking about the new world and life in general as one giant game really changed my perspective about the world and opened my eyes to the fragility of human existence. Ender's quick rise to fame, coupled with his extremely young age (which was similar to my age at the time) led to both awe and understanding of him on a personal level.

4. Artemis Fowl Series, Eoin Colfer: Although this series is unfinished, its importance to me has generally remained the same. Artemis Fowl, a young genius around my age, is a character whom I admire for intellectual and literary reasons. His adventures, or should I say international law-breaking antics both above and below the ground, give him one of the most unique personalities and capabilities of any character I've ever seen in literature.

5. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown: Angels and Demons was the first novel that got me hooked on conspiracy stories. I think something in human consciousness always seeks to discover the unknown or believe in the mysterious. Something about Robert Langdon's journey to the Vatican, discovery of Rome's hidden secrets, and showdown with those who try to keep the secret away from him all make for a great adventure full of history and mystery and suspense.

6. Series of Unfortunate Events Series, Lemony Snicket: Snicket has always done things differently, and a lot of that shows in his series. The story, which follows three unfortunate siblings, is symbolically arranged in 13 books, the first 12 of which have two-word titles beginning with the same letter (e.g. The Penultimate Peril). In addition to his symbolism, his mere presence in the story itself, which technically makes him both fake and real, draws a fascination towards his background as well. This phenomenon is usually rare, but in the case of this series, both the novels themselves and the author interest the reader.

The Makings of a Good Story

Not all books are created equal. Some are better than others or are written more proficiently; others have more fascinating plots and more captivating story lines. Throughout my life, I have witnessed myriad possibilities as to why a piece of literature may also be a great story. At the most basic level, a story must tell a tale about something or recount a particular event, real or imaginary, that presents either a logical series of occurrences or an illogical but relatable series of events. In other words, the plot should be both compelling and easy to follow, regardless of the literature's level of difficulty. Furthermore, it must focus around a central character, or protagonist, even if it mentions several other important characters throughout the course of the story. Without a focus point, the novel loses direction and becomes chaotic, but at the same time, too much focus tends to make literature boring. No one wants to read a biography of a character that may not even exist. In addition, the setting of the story must be interesting; under my definition, it must either have life (in other words, not barren and lifeless), be different from the status quo, seem realistic, or any combination of the above. And lastly, every story must have some form of struggle, or conflict, that the protagonist must either overcome or succumb to, whether the conflict is against society, another individual, and nature, or simply from within. As my English teacher Mr. Coon said in class today, without conflict the story simply has no momentum, and without momentum the story ceases to be interesting or have desirability in the eyes of the reader. Simply said, the main character cannot truly be appreciated until he or she has bested or lost to some sort of challenge. The only difference between victory and defeat for a protagonist is similarly the difference between the hero and the tragic hero. And with that being said, the protagonist must change by the story's end, whether he comes to a sudden realization, dies in a tragic death, or gloriously defeats the various obstacles presented against him. During the summer, as I read a fresh new copy of the science fiction classic 1984, I found myself absorbed in the pages, interested by both the characters and plot, and most importantly, appreciative of a truly remarkable piece of storytelling. First, 1984 has an interesting plot based in the "future," even though the year in which the novel takes place is in 1984. Although the U.S. used to be a democracy, its involvement in World War II leads to the rise of totalitarian group Big Brother, which now controls one-third of the world in a giant nation-state called Oceania. Oceania, combined with Eastasia and Eurasia (both of which also rule one-third of the world), engage in constant warfare and constitute a purely totalitarian world. The setting is so different from anything a reader would generally expect to see from a sci-fi. novel--futuristic gadgetry, time travel, transportation via wormholes, etc.-- that it makes the story both interesting to read and beyond the reader's expectations. Second, Orwell's novel focuses around a central character, Winston, who works for the Ministry of Truth, one of the many large buildings run by Big Brother--for everything is run by Big Brother--that does the political party's bidding, stretching and bending the truth in all forms of literature (pamphlets, magazines, novels, editorials) to make it seem both infallible and indestructible. Third, the novel has an opposing force, or antagonist: Big Brother itself. By 1984, there is no more privacy, actual love is forbidden, and rebels are captured by the Thought Police and "converted" to abiding by and loving Big Brother's philosophies. Winston, a secret opponent of Big Brother, secretly tries to defy the policies of the party by having a romantic relationship with his co-worker Julia even though he realizes that he alone cannot bring down Big Brother. The inevitable doom that befalls the protagonist, however depressing, makes the novel more realistic and easier to follow. Due to these attributes, 1984 has all of the qualities inherent in a remarkable story.

It is amazing how much can be said in only one paragraph. Here is a paragraph in the very beginning of the novel thoroughly describing both the setting and the nature of the world in 1984:

"Outside, even through the shut window pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere. The black mustachio'd face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house front immediately opposite. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston's own. Down at the street level another poster, torn at one corner, flapped fitfully in the wind, alternatively covering and uncovering the single word INGSOC. In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the Police Patrol, snooping into people's windows. The patrols did not matter, however. Only the Thought Police mattered."

In this simple paragraph, the reader learns many things: the normal appearance yet dismal atmosphere of the future, the lack of privacy for citizens, the dominance of Big Brother and the Thought Police, and the psychological effect that Big Brother has on the narrator.