Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a story of corruption, sin and the power of influence. The young and beautiful Dorian becomes so selfish and hedonistic that he completely disregards those that care for him and refuses to take ownership of his actions. Although Dorian at first appears innocent and modest, the influence of Lord Henry feeds his vanity and destroys his morality. He acts like a child who craves only pleasure, as he discards those he once called his friends when they no longer satisfy his hunger.

Dorian is easily despised, even though he is young and impressionable. His actions are selfish, and his vanity and self-absorption make him ignore the feelings of those around him. He treats his 'love' Sibyl Vane as though she is a "thing," and fails to notice the evil in his treatment of her. In fact, Sibyl's suffering is a catalyst for Dorian to become even more hedonistic and vulgar.

As a reader, I felt a lot of sympathy for Basil Hallward, the artist that painted the portrait that would "bear the burden of [Dorian's] shame" and show the hideousness of his personality. Basil was so devoted and attached to Dorian, but his friendship was pushed aside and replaced with the ideals of Lord Henry because his own views were too moral for Dorian's behaviour. When Dorian begins to realize how he has "marred [his own] soul," instead of owning up to his crimes, he places the blame on Basil and never feels much remorse for his actions. Basil was an innocent and honest person, but Dorian's hate of the portrait that showed the ugliness within him caused him to forget that Basil was once his best friend.

However, I do not feel that Dorian's vanity is entirely his fault. At times, I felt really sorry for him because of how naïve he is and because of how he finds his whole sense of worth in his physical appearance. The society he lives in has a large part in fuelling his vanity. People would judge and praise Dorian after seeing the "purity of his face" so I understand why he feels the necessity to prize and preserve his beauty and youth.

Dorian's lack of responsibility really began to anger me towards the end of the novel. He treats the portrait as a scapegoat for his sins and vices. The painting shows the destruction of his soul and becomes almost like a detached conscious. Yet Dorian finds amusement in the distortions of the portrait, which shows the ignorance of his character. Instead of putting in a real effort to become a better person, he rejoices in the fact that he can enjoy "eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joy and wilder sins" while watching the portrait take the consequences of his actions. He becomes so hedonistic that he loses his self-worth and integrity as a human being.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" was an enjoyable read and presented a lot of thought-provoking ideas. The characters seemed very real and Wilde used great descriptions and imagery to form pictures in my mind. Even though some conversations were a bit long and dull, the plot and philosophical ideas created interest for me to keep reading. At times I even felt guilty for agreeing with the views of Lord Henry because, although they influence Dorian to become so evil and destructive, I still think his ideas of people and life are very true. Wilde has written a thoughtful novel that combines the fantasy of the magical portrait with the realism of human corruption to create an enjoyable and imaginative story.