Power of Youth and Beauty
Darsielle Hayes 2/2/06 Eng 202B
Power of Youth and Beauty
Some say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Others say that it(beauty) is only skin deep. A person that is considered to have overwhelming beauty can commit a heinous crime and be forgiven because they have such beauty. In a society that puts beauty on a pedestal, youth and physical attractiveness become valuable possessions. Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, prove all of these things to be true. Throughout this novel beauty reigns, it revitalizes the wearied senses. Beauty can be used to escape the brutalities of the world. One person's beauty can mask the ugliness they possess inside from the outside world. Basil Hallward is a painter who at one point was struggling with his pieces, but when he met Dorian everything changed. Basil started painting beautiful masterpieces because of his fascination with Dorian. There is one piece in this book that in some way becomes a character and that is the self portrait of Dorian. Basil's good friend Lord Henry comes to visit and sees the incredible painting. He tells Basil that he should exhibit it, but Basil refuses because he says he put too much of himself into the portrait. Lord Henry refers to Dorian as a young Adonis, who in Greek mythology was known for his beauty. "Dorian Gray's good looks-we shall all suffer for what the gods have given us, suffer terribly" (Wilde3). Some people use their beauty as a weapon and it can be a deadly one. This quote will play a major role in this book and this paper. Basil already knows that Dorian's beauty will cause problems. Basil and Lord Henry have different beliefs about beauty. Lord Henry thinks that beauty is one of the most important things in the world, but Basil on the other hand appreciates Dorian's beauty but feels in order to be beautiful one would have to pay a price. Lord Henry is fascinated by Dorian's beauty also. Dorian was supposed to
Power of Youth and Beauty
Some say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Others say that it(beauty) is only skin deep. A person that is considered to have overwhelming beauty can commit a heinous crime and be forgiven because they have such beauty. In a society that puts beauty on a pedestal, youth and physical attractiveness become valuable possessions. Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, prove all of these things to be true. Throughout this novel beauty reigns, it revitalizes the wearied senses. Beauty can be used to escape the brutalities of the world. One person's beauty can mask the ugliness they possess inside from the outside world. Basil Hallward is a painter who at one point was struggling with his pieces, but when he met Dorian everything changed. Basil started painting beautiful masterpieces because of his fascination with Dorian. There is one piece in this book that in some way becomes a character and that is the self portrait of Dorian. Basil's good friend Lord Henry comes to visit and sees the incredible painting. He tells Basil that he should exhibit it, but Basil refuses because he says he put too much of himself into the portrait. Lord Henry refers to Dorian as a young Adonis, who in Greek mythology was known for his beauty. "Dorian Gray's good looks-we shall all suffer for what the gods have given us, suffer terribly" (Wilde3). Some people use their beauty as a weapon and it can be a deadly one. This quote will play a major role in this book and this paper. Basil already knows that Dorian's beauty will cause problems. Basil and Lord Henry have different beliefs about beauty. Lord Henry thinks that beauty is one of the most important things in the world, but Basil on the other hand appreciates Dorian's beauty but feels in order to be beautiful one would have to pay a price. Lord Henry is fascinated by Dorian's beauty also. Dorian was supposed to
Bibliography: 1. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Bookrags. Google. 18, Jan 2006 2. Gates, Barbara T. Oscar Wilde 's Picture of Dorian Gray. The Victorian Web. Google. 30 Jan. 2006 3. Patterson, Marissa. Can we remove the Bias? Serendip/Google. 1 Feb. 2006 4. > The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Pinkmonkey. Google. 30, Jan 2006