When I say ahead of its time, I don’t mean the style of writing, but rather the concept of the story in of itself. For those of you who have read the novel, did you find it applicable to your life or to someone you know? Besides it being extremely well written, the idea of a man gradually turning cynical and wretched due to his hyper obsession with pleasure (hedonism) and his beauty seems to be relevant to this day.
People often seem to misjudge others for their appearance, such as those who commit crimes and attain wide support simply because they are beautiful. Or, for those who aren’t necessarily gifted the genetic lottery, misjudged and at times fairly accused of things they have not done, often seen as weird or even creepy. We also see time and time again people attempting to preserve their innocent and youthful look by going down routes of cosmetic surgery, odd practices, regressive clothing. Another point, although perhaps unpopular, is that I find Lord Henry to be modern social media. The philosophy he spews to Dorian Gray throughout his life, naive or not, impacts Gray indefinitely. What if our Lord Henry was social media? We seem to be allowing creators sponsored and paid by other corporations to infiltrate our mind into getting things we don’t need done, or perhaps shopping for clothes with the purpose to attract, etc.
No matter the actual logistics of the situation, the root traces back to the idea of everlasting beauty. People are fearful to age, for their skin and features to begin to droop, for their body to alter, to overall, lose what they prioritize most. Dorian Gray knew his beauty would not be forever, and fearful of such, he wished for the portrait Basil Hallward created to carry the sins he does and age, whereas his beauty remains. After realizing that his rash wish had come true, he led the path of a very hedonistic man with the help of Lord Henry.
To those who have read it, do you feel that you relate? By the way, this book was absolutely remarkable. Chapter 11 was a little questionable, haha! For those who know, know.
by Professional_Rope217
2 Comments
I always thought it sought to explore the possibility that we are moralistic because of our mortality.
I think the relevance of this book would never go away because it tackles very basic aspects of humanity.
Everyone wants to be young and beautiful forever, that’s why vampires are so popular, he acquired this, but what does it do to him? Look at celebrities, so many are out of touch with reality, these things get in your head, make you believe you’re better than others.
We do have our Lord Henry’s in social media, Andrew Tate, Donald Trump, they are highly influential people that have convinced MASSES that what they say it’s true, regardless of evidence, people get blindsided by them because they idolize them. Lord Henry was this to Dorian, an idol who could say no wrong. This influence is what highly pushed Dorian to become what he did at the end.
As characters, I don’t think they are supposed to be as relatable as they are supposed to be hated. I think it was a way for Oscar Wilde to tell the audience to watch who they trust and listen to regardless of beauty and power, because again, so many are blindsided by those in power.