Initial Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wow.

Considering I haven’t finished a book since I was probably about 14, and initially felt bored at just the thought of having to read one for this upcoming project, I can safely say I was wrong to not be excited about his book. Having studied gothic horror at AS level, I kind of knew what to expect - primarily behaviour and events that would be considered unconventional and scandalous in the context in which the novel was written. However, I felt that this tale had much more to it, including meanings and symbols which I find relatable.

In essence, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a fictional novel about a young, innocent and highly attractive man, who, upon moving to London, meets painter Basil Hallward and gentleman Lord Henry Wotton. Hallward is a quiet, good man, who rather mirrors the wise, sceptical words and unconventional behaviour of his friend Wotton. Hallward uses Dorian Gray as a sitter for what is clearly his best piece of art, and upon seeing its phenomenal beauty, Gray makes a seemingly futile wish to remain as youthful as he appears in the painting forever. Soon he meets actress Sibyl Vane, who he very quickly falls in love with - until one night she performs terribly and he tells her he will never see her again. The following day he receives news that she has killed herself, explaining the strange alteration in Hallward’s portrait of Gray; it seems that the painting bears the cruelty, evil and suffering that Gray’s own appearance should. And so begins Gray’s spiral of scandal and evil, him being safe in the knowledge that he will remain young and powerful, while his portrait suffers the changes that he should. Years pass, and Dorian Gray lives his life religiously by a book given to him by Wotton, detailing wicked exploits of a Frenchman, thus sinking deeper into a life of corruption. Once returned, to everyone’s shock, he looks as youthful as ever. During a visit from Basil Hallward, the conversation escalates to the point where Gray decides to show his friend the portrait, and thereby, his true 'soul', hidden at the top of the house. This exchange results in the murder of Basil Hallward, due to a fit of rage by Gray who then uses an old acquaintance of his to help him dispose of the body - an acquaintance who we later learn kills himself after doing so. One night, upon visiting an opium den, Gray encounters James Vane, brother of the long dead Sibyl. He is held at gunpoint for what he did to Sibyl and told to say his last words, when he escapes by claiming he is not Dorian Gray, and would look much older by this time if he were. After this meeting, Gray becomes paranoid, even after moving to the countryside to find peace; luckily for him, James Vane is killed in an accident during a casual hunting activity. Gray decides to amend his life and sins, and return to be the good man he once was; in doing so, he decides to destroy the painting that has caused him so much pain. He stabs it with the same knife he used to kill Basil Hallward; his servants later find him dead on the floor, with a knife through his own heart. He looks old, withered and cruel, while the portrait looks youthful and perfect once again. 

The first half of the book was definitely much slower than the second, involving a lot of conversation and introducing characters. However, upon meeting Sibyl Vane, I feel that the story picks up speed as Dorian Gray’s innocence decays; thus the reader encounters shock after shock as he commits sin after sin. I loved Henry Wotton as a character; I found his musings and theories very interesting and thought-provoking and often scarily true. I was fascinated by the character of Dorian Gray, how he was so vulnerable to Wotton’s words, and the concept of youth, beauty and power vs. morals and innocence. I was left musing over the power of beauty, as well as it’s consequences: the psychological aspects to this tale fascinate me. I like how the book was left open to interpretation at the end: had Gray died because he destroyed his own soul stored in the painting? Was it as punishment for an inability to avoid influence and live by his own morals in a new world of individualism? Or was it because, by stabbing his portrait, all the years of suffering he should have experienced were projected on to him, suggesting he should have died from his lifestyle choices already? 
  I am excited about where this book will lead me. It provides a lot of powerful visual imagery and my thoughts are already in overdrive about how I could portray a character through the medium of make-up. My initial ideas includes themes of transformation, perhaps a face half-beautiful and half-disfigured?