The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray takes place in the late 19th century, and follows a young man named Dorian Gray, a young, cheery youth, who is friends with Basil Hallward, a serious artist. While Lord Henry, a hedonistic nobleman, and Basil are talking at his home, the subject of Dorian comes up, and it is revealed that Dorian is coming to Basil's home soon to pose for his portrait. Lord Henry talks to Dorian while he is sitting, and when Dorian is told of how his good looks and youth will soon vanish and he will no longer be valued, Dorian cries out how he wishes that the portrait, which shall never change, ages while he stays the same, for the price of his soul. Influenced by Lord Henry, Dorian soon engages a lifestyle of passions, both moral and immoral. This novel has themes of greed, passion, death, romance, vanity, passion, and hedonism. Wilde uses English typical of that time, for both the working/under classes and upper classes, and he uses a third person view, but mainly portrays Dorian's thoughts and emotions.

This novel has issues that pertain to people of all ages, excluding very young children, because anyone can learn from the examples of moral corruption in this novel. Dorian, who initially symbolizes youth, is a beautiful, innocent young man, but through the influence of Lord Henry, who can be interpreted as the devil, becomes nothing but a shallow, greedy, materialistic, vain man who lives only for himself and his various passions and pleasures. There are also interpretable issues of homosexuality. Before Basil meets Dorian, he experienced feelings that he had never felt before, and after he meets him, he frequently states that Dorian "completes" his art, and feels a deep infatuation for him, as expressed when he initially disapproves of Sibyl Vane, an actress who Dorian was in love with.

I have not read anything in the past, both curricular and extra-curricular, that is similar to this book, and that was one of the charms of reading this novel; it was such a new experience. Never before had I read a book, which so efficiently and fluently mixes drama, morals, fantasy, and philosophy like this novel. Therefore, I feel that Oscar Wilde couldn't have done anything to improve this novel, because it is such a masterpiece, with such a great plot and exquisite writing.

Oscar Wilde uses personification in many places, especially in the chapter where he is describing all the things that Dorian is interested in, such as the many pieces of art and perfumes. He also uses symbolism to a great extent, using Dorian as a misguided youth, tempted by the ideals of Lord Henry, who can be seen as a devil or desire, and is tried to set straight by Basil, who can be seen as an Angel, or some holier being, or reason.

I recommend this book to anyone who is sufficiently mature to handle the subject matter, as there is suicide, murder, and use of drugs. I also recommend it to anyone who can appreciate writing of this style, so in most cases, they would be older teens and onwards, although not necessarily so. Anyone who can handle these, however, should read this novel as soon as they can, because it is a wholly enriching experience, regardless of gender or most ages.

The Pearl, John Steinbeck

The Pearl takes place on the Gulf of Mexico, and it follows the story of a man named Kino, who is, like his ancestors, a pearl diver. Unfortunately, his son, Coyotito, is bitten by a scorpion, and the doctor will not help him since he has no money. So he goes diving for pearls the next day, and finds a pearl, large as a seagull egg and as perfect as the moon. He goes to the doctor, and since he now has the pearl, which we will sell, he treats Coyotito and is cured of the poison. The next day, he goes to town to sell the pearl, but they tell him that his pearl is not worth much because most people will think it is fake. It is then up to him to leave, or to settle for the price they are offering him.

This book really emphasizes the nature of man, greed, ambition, and music. When Kino initially finds the pearl, he is very hopeful because the pearl represents the answer to all his problems, but when he is lead to believe that it is not worth as much as he thought, he becomes crazed and leaves his town to go to a bigger city to get a better price and becomes obsessed with the pearl, greed overtaking him. The people in this book spoke english, but certain words would be spoken in spanish. The author would speak from a third person view, but would focus on the thoughts of Kino, never delving into the people around him, making the story feel like it was someone else telling Kino's story. Ambition and greed are issues that are prominent in my life, as well as many other people's. The pearl represents hope for many people of better opportunities to get things, like money or other possessions, and if they don't get it, people will get caught up in it and do anything to succeed.

I noticed similarities to nothing that we have studied in class so far, however, I noticed certain similarities with Animal Farm. In animal farm, the people are promised a better life by overruling the establishment, but are jilted of their dreams by the pigs subtly taking command. This is similar to The Pearl because it shows that people's ambitions and hopes are often twisted and taken advantage of, like how Kino is led to believe that his pearl is worth little. The author wouldn't have to do anything to improve this book, because it is a very well written story about the hopes of a man that led him astray, and gives a strong moral lesson to anyone who reads the book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books about Mexico, lower-class struggles, and books with strong and harsh moral lessons.

He uses themes of greed, ambition, and hope to outline the rise and fall of the life of Kino. He also makes great use of symbolism, making the pearl a symbol of hope, promising him lots of money, but eventually greed and trickery, making him think that the pearl is worth a lot but not letting him get his rightful money and making him greedy enough to go out to try to get the money, killing someone on the way.