Author: Oscar Wilde
Title: The Picture of Dorian Grey
Rating: 4
Reviewer: AJA Grade: 7
Review:
This story is about not wanting to get older and the consequences of this desire. The story starts in Basil Hallward’s studio. Basil is obsessed with Dorian Grey, a beautiful man that catches everyone’s eye. Lord Henry (a close friend of basil) is with Basil on the day when Dorian poses for his portrait. Afterwards he retires to the garden with Lord Henry. They talk all about how youth shouldn’t be taken for granted and many other things. When his picture is finished Dorian makes a simple wish, that his portrait grows older instead of him. He keeps the picture and is glad to have a new friend, Lord Henry. Henry and Dorian went everywhere together and Henry taught Dorian many things about life that he never knew. Dorian then falls in love with an actress from London. He wasn’t in love with her but more in love with her acting. One day she messed up in her role and Dorian despised her and left her forever. When he got home he found out that his portrait had changed. He found out his wish had come true and so he hid his painting for no one else to see. The next day he had found out that the actress he loved had committed suicide. He feels no sorrow and sees it as a tragic scene in a play. As years go by, people started to hate the once beloved Dorian Grey. Rumors were spreading and it was said evil follows him. Still many people were amazed by his beauty and thought nothing of the rumors. One night Basil visited Dorian and talked about Dorian’s reputation. This was bad for the soul Basil said. Dorian tells Basil he has no soul and show Basil his painting. He blames Basil for all that has happened to him and finally stabs him to death. The next day he hid the body and all evidence and continued with his life. A little while later James Vayne, the actress’s brother who had committed suicide, comes to Dorian and wants to kill him but somehow he escapes his death. He is now, everywhere he goes, afraid of death. One day he decides to go hunting with a friend and they shoot Vayne by accident. Dorian decides to end his nightmare and goes to his painting. He stabs the painting. With a final chilling cry, his servants find him as a horrid figure stabbed to death next to his painting back as his beautiful self.
9/7/03
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