The Picture Of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray spins the tragic tale of a man who, through pride and ignorance, gives up his soul to remain eternally in the bloom of his youth. Unfortunately, Dorian’s impulsive action haunts him for the rest of his existence. Those he holds dear seem to be cursed, as one by one they are destroyed. The loss of his first love, Sybil Vane, breaks Dorian’s kind nature, transforming him into a twisted, self-serving monster. Yet Dorian remains physically unchanged. No longer are Dorian’s eyes the windows to his soul for he is no longer in possession of one. The perversion of his nature eventually leads Dorian to murder his long time friend Basil Hallward, creator of the portrait in which his soul now resides. The portrait has been locked away for nearly twenty years because it reveals a most repulsive truth: Dorian’s soul is steeped in blood and madness, his visage now more twisted than that of the most fiendish ghoul.

Yet, a faint light shines even in the midst of all the monstrosity and terror. Dorian’s love for Gladys, Basil’s niece, catalyzes an attempt for redemption. He returns to the locked room and stabs his twisted likeness straight through the heart. The features melt toward goodness and purity. Dorian’s attempt restores the portrait to its former glory leaving Dorian dead on the floor with his true soul laid bare for the world to see. He attempted to redeem himself and thereby saved those he cared for. The story of Dorian Gray shows us that we must do our best to right the wrongs we have caused while not losing hope. The darkness is never so absolute that a light at the end of the tunnel cannot be seen. There is goodness in everything.

However, I have often heard an adage that warns against impulsive actions based on perceived goodness. “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” It’s innocuous enough when taken by itself, but in the light of Dorian Gray’s story this adage takes on a new significance. At the beginning of the movie The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry, Basil and Dorian are conversing in Basil’s parlor as the final touches are placed on the painting of Dorian. When this scene first started playing, I was a little bit bored. After all, Lord Henry was talking very quickly on what seemed an unimportant topic. Of course, the garbled sound from my laptop wasn’t helping either. However, as the scene progressed I found myself revising my opinion. An undercurrent of mystery and wonder flowed through the music as Lord Henry turned the picture toward Dorian and I saw it for the first time. The image jumped off the screen in a bright array of color so different from the rest of the black and white movie. I could almost hear the painting whispering: “Here is eternal youth. Take me if you dare.”

I was caught in the moment as the music took on a dark note and Dorian’s soft voice murmured: “If only the picture could change, and I could be always what I am now. For that, I would give everything. Yes, there’s nothing in the whole world I would not give. I would give my soul for that…” I again was shown the picture in its colorful glory as the music peaked to a menacing crescendo. The camera zoomed in on that colorful face, accentuating the youth and purity of the portrait. I didn’t need to see more of the movie to know that something terrible had just occurred. This scene was the beginning of all the trials that Dorian would face; his first step on the road to monstrosity. As the theme of this movie depicts, sometimes even that which seems innocent can become a wrong which must be answered for. Dorian had gotten what he wished for, but it wasn’t what he wanted.
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