In the first sentence of the Dorian Gray it mentions how the garden looked and the "heavy scent of the lilac or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn. This described Dorian very accurately in the beginning. How he was a young, innocent, and extremely beautiful man. The thorn of Dorian Gray was Lord Henry a cynical yet witty man, who used Dorian like a scientist uses a lab rat. Throughout the book Lord Henry becomes more and more of a thorn to Dorian which leads him to become a vile and twisted being. Even though his soul is withered and black Dorian keeps his "rosy" state, which in the end is the death of him.
The style and tone of the story is very well written. Throughout the book many words were capitalized when not needed to, such as Genius, Art, and Beauty to emphasize the meaning and importance to the book. The tone seemed subtle even at the most exciting parts, and the characters had unique and life-like personalities. The style is extremely well done, especially when it comes to quotes.
This book has many themes, especially the theme of beauty. It reminds me a lot about the Greek myth Narcissus, about the hunter for fell in love with his own beauty and died gazing at his reflection in the water. It seems that Wilde is trying to tell us to cherish our youth and beauty for as long as we can, because without it everything goes down hill.
The analogy Lord Henry is to the beautiful Dorian as the thorn is to the delicate pink flower is very interesting. I never connected this first description of the the story to the greater plot, but I appreciate the idea.
ReplyDeleteI did connect Dorian's story to that of Narcissus. I draw parallel's between their deaths, as they both die gazing at their own image, and it is interesting to note the paths that lead them to their deaths. Narcissus is never able to leave his reflection, and though Dorian does leave his portrait, he is always drawn back to it. Therefore, I would argue that Wilde is not telling us that everything goes down hill without our youth and beauty, but rather that our lives go down hill from trying to preserve our youth and beauty.