Mazlyn Ortiz Pd.5
In the book The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, “Prince Paradox” according to Dorian or simply Lord Henry mentors and encourages Dorian to live a life devoted to nothing but pleasure. The impact Lord Henry haves on Dorian gave him a whole new perspective on life when it comes to women, money, and everyday life decisions. Overall the purpose of Lord Henry and his aphorism somewhat shifted Dorian’s opinions on life and led him to a tragic life in the end. However the aphorism also shows a purpose of forcing readers to step out of their views and think about what these saying actually meant, making the reader think and wanting to know more. “…There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about,” Lord Henry states to Basil who no longer seeks the hype of having a reputation as an artist. In this aphorism, Lord Henry tries to explain to Basil that throwing away his reputation isn’t worth it. As a human being, Lord Henry recognizes that the fame and such can all be overwhelming, especially when you start to hear whispers about you in the air. However when it comes down to it regardless of if the rumors are good or bad, most people crave for attention even when they claim they don’t. People for the most part feel like they have somewhat accomplished something by being highly recognize within the community. It is almost like a natural feeling that runs through every person. No one wants to be a deadbeat and to be spoken nothing of because no one wants to feel alone and invisible. “Beauty is the wonder of all wonders. It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearance,” Lord Henry quotes at his first meeting with Dorian Gray. Most people, especially people who live in our day and age would first skim across this aphorism shaking their head in disagreement. However, something readers can receive from this saying is that the human race is so