The Picture of Dorian Gray - For love of beauty
Oscar Wilde shows us what's on the other side of vanity
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A brief summary
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“The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde
In Victorian London, the strikingly handsome Dorian Gray becomes the subject of a portrait by the talented artist Basil Hallward. Influenced by a charismatic “thought leader,” Dorian becomes obsessed with his own beauty and pursuit of pleasure. Miraculously, a wish that his portrait would age in his place comes true, leaving Dorian free to live a life of escalating debauchery with no visible consequences.
When Basil sees and is abjectly horrified by the sight of what his original painting has become, Dorian murders him, and blackmails his friends to get rid of the body. Haunted by his own evils, graphically illustrated by the twisted and hideous portrait, Dorian attempts to destroy the art with the same knife he used to kill its artist.
And then, of course, the miracle reverses: the portrait returns to its original beauty, while Dorian, ugly with his crimes, lies dead beside it.
We are a beauty obsessed culture. Good looks are like a bank account that never runs out, because people treat pretty people better. We can’t help ourselves. And it may be that one day we crack the fountain of youth, and everyone will be able to look young and feel healthy forever.
Which could be a real problem. Because, as Wilde suggests, most of us only let go of our obsession with youth and beauty when our own starts to fade. But the deep truth of Dorian’s story is that there is no escaping the consequences of vanity. Follow Dorian’s path long enough, and you’ll arrive just where he did, unable to endure the very self you live with.
Better for him that each sin of his life had brought its sure, swift penalty along with it.
There was purification in punishment. Not 'Forgive us our sins,' but 'Smite us for our iniquities' should be the prayer of man to a most just God…
He would never be free, never be at peace with his own soul again.
Actionable Insight*
In a culture so captivated by beauty, and so saturated with superficial metrics of identity, how can we detach from our own narcissistic vanity?
A long time ago, I heard a mother give her daughter a profoundly good piece of advise. She said, “Spend whatever time you need in front of the mirror in the morning to look your best. But then, when you walk away, forget about it. Don’t look in another mirror again for the rest of the day.”
Perhaps we can’t hope to completely forgo caring about how we look, but at least we can draw a boundary. I’ve been doing my best to follow this advice for decades, and I truly believe it’s taken most of the sting out of aging.
Because the person I spend all day long with isn’t the guy who looks back at me from the mirror. It’s the guy looking out at the world and everyone else. And while he and I might not always get along perfectly, I’ll tell you this: we’ve never tried to kill each other.
*As a lover of literature, I must emphasize that the best way to truly absorb the wisdom of any work of literature is to actually read it, from start to finish, the way the author intended. I hope By the Books will occasionally inspire you to do just that.
You comment “ Because the person I spend all day long with isn’t the guy who looks back at me from the mirror. It’s the guy looking out at the world and everyone else.” is very powerful and So true. Did you like the book? Is it well written? Do you think “beautiful people” are more likely to be self-absorbed throughout their lives?
Believe it or not, my mom always gave me that advice too! I read this book in middle school and it’s still one of my favorite parables. Loved reading your thoughts!