The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Detailed Summary

 

Introduction

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde that explores themes of aestheticism, moral duplicity, and the nature of beauty. Set in late 19th century London, the story follows the life of a young man whose pursuit of pleasure leads to his ultimate downfall.

The Portrait and the Wish

The novel begins with artist Basil Hallward, who becomes infatuated with the striking beauty of a young man named Dorian Gray. Basil paints a portrait of Dorian, capturing not only his physical appearance but also the innocence he possesses. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a charismatic and cynical aristocrat who advocates for hedonism and the pursuit of pleasure as life’s ultimate goals. Under Lord Henry's influence, Dorian expresses a wish that he could remain young and beautiful forever while the portrait ages in his place. Mysteriously, this wish is granted.

The Life of Excess

As Dorian indulges in a life of excess, he engages in romantic affairs and hedonistic pursuits, becoming increasingly obsessed with the idea of youth and beauty. He enters into a tumultuous relationship with actress Sibyl Vane, who initially captivates him with her talent. However, when Dorian cruelly rejects her after she delivers a poor performance, Sibyl takes her own life. This tragic event marks a turning point for Dorian, but rather than feeling remorse, he becomes fascinated by the idea that he remains unchanged while the portrait bears the marks of his sins.

The Transformation of the Portrait

As Dorian continues his reckless lifestyle, the portrait reflects the degradation of his soul. While he remains outwardly youthful and attractive, the painting becomes increasingly grotesque, bearing the scars of his immoral actions and the guilt of his choices. Dorian's relationships deteriorate, and he becomes increasingly isolated, consumed by fear and paranoia about the portrait being discovered.

 

 

The Confrontation

Haunted by the consequences of his actions, Dorian attempts to escape the weight of his conscience. He hides the portrait away, believing that he can distance himself from the moral implications of his lifestyle. However, the internal conflict continues to grow. Eventually, he confronts the portrait, which has transformed into a horrifying reflection of his true self. In a moment of desperation, Dorian attempts to destroy the painting, believing it will free him from his sins.

The Downfall

Dorian’s act of destruction leads to his downfall. He is found dead, aged and grotesque, while the portrait reverts to its original, beautiful form. This moment serves as a powerful commentary on the consequences of a life lived without moral accountability.

Conclusion

Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" serves as a critique of societal superficiality and the dangers of valuing aesthetic beauty above all else. It raises profound questions about the nature of the self, the relationship between art and life, and the repercussions of indulgence. Ultimately, the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray illustrates that one cannot escape the consequences of their actions, making it a timeless exploration of the complexities of human nature and moral dilemmas.

The Dark Arena

Who doesn’t know Mario Puzo? Surely, all of us.

The splendid creator of the character The Godfather was incredible that no one has ever beaten that story.

 Possessed with the distinctive writing and storytelling style, the Mario Puzo is an author with the wit. Personally, I have always felt that he has an influence over his reader. We get to learn something new and get social awareness too that how can we understand the people around us.

Mario Puzo has always focused on the stories of Italian Mafia and events occurred during Second World War. That was mainly because during his times, these two events were on hike.

The Dark Arena is another bestselling novel of Puzo, which was published in 1952 (that is a longest time back), in which he has described the story of an American soldier named Walter Mosca. Mosca came to fight in Germany where he meets a German girl named Hella who lost her family in the war.

The story revolves around these two when they fall in love and start living together at Mosca’s apartment. After 3 years, Mosca gets a chance to return to the States where he already had a girlfriend, but he sets her free because he was in love with Hella.  His family gets shocked, but he returns back shortly to Germany with his firm decision of being with Hella.

Although, the relationship story sounds too affectionate one, but it was very matured and simple with less interaction. Mosca is portrayed as a kind of man who thinks a lot while speak little and this is what, his girlfriend understands. His tough job and ruthless incidents during war turns  him into a cold man.

The story shows that how difficult the time was when there is war around and how painful experience it is for the soldiers and for the civilians, both. Mosca gets into selling cigarettes in black with his friend to earn some extra money as it was one of the most demanding items in the times of war.

There are many interesting scenes happening in the story telling you about the coarse outcomes of the war. Puzo is an expert in defining these scenarios better becsue he himself has served in the Army during the world war, thus, he knows the suffering well and the way people are being treated.

There is a lot to read and understand in The Dark Arena that will make you believe that Mario Puzo is a genius!

I gave 9 out of 10 to this novel.

  

Azur Like It

Cannes Life Be This Nice??

You must be aware of the Wendy Holden if you are a regular reader & looks to read some humorist content.

Writing in her usual style, Holden has gathered story & humor together. 
Azur Like It is a story of a young journalist, Kate who lives in a northern town named Slackmucklethwaite with her mum, dad &  gran. She works in a magazine called Slackmucklethwaite Mercury & is totally unhappy with her job. She feels like her job is taking her nowhere & she won't be able to get a chance to grow from this small town. Her career took steep step when a corrupt business tycoon, Peter Hardstone takes over the Mercury. He slashes all the budgets & put more advertisements than news or entertainment content in the paper, which pisses everyone off. Cutting off the budget also affected Kate's dream of going to Cannes, France to cover the biggest film festival.

While the things are going so down, uneventful & dull for Kate, the story takes a turn & she gets to meet Hardstone's son Nat Hardstone, who also joins the office as a punishment from his father. He draws his plans around Kate & used her to reach Cote d'Azur for the Cannes festival so that he could make his contacts for entering into the film industry. 

Kate, an innocent girl, gets into his trap and even pays for his plane fares while herself traveling in economy class. As expected, Nat abandons her from the flight and never meets her until she sees him at the festival with, of course, we know the diva Champagne D'Vyne! They ran a fling that had no end like other ones of Champagne. 

The story has some very interesting moves that will direct your attention entirely on to the novel and you would want to know that what is going to happen next. 

Kate get to meet Celia in Cote D'Azur with her cheating husband who late Celia kicks off. Together, Celia and Kate does some adventures like putting the hotel back into running condition, in which they were staying. 
Kate also meets Fabien here, who is an intelligent painter and they fall in love later. There are some catchy scenes also scripted about both of them. 
Later on Kate gets few jobs in Azur like working in a low profile, only magazine of teh island. The other job she get is at the house of Comtese who happens to have some relationships with people close to Kate. To get to know that, you will need to read this novel. 

The natural scenery of Cote D'Azur is beautifully described by Wendy that will make you going for the place. 
I totally loved this novel like other ones from Wendy Holden. She makes simple scenerios into the funny ones that you enjoy reading them. 
Do read Azur Like It if you want to change your reading taste from serious to the humorous. 
I gave this novel 7.5 out of 10. 

To Kill a Mockingbird!!

Shoot All the Blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mocking bird.

A classic novel by Harper Lee that was written 50 years ago. 

Lee won Pulitzer Prize for this & when you will read it, you'll get to know Why!

The story revolves around Atticus Finch (a lawyer) who lives with his two minors, Jem (13 years old) & Scout (nearly 9 years old) in Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus is raising his children alone with a black housemaid whom he highly regards. His parenthood depicts the clear view of how Father raise kids as a lone parent. But, Atticus is a man of value who has taught his children to be peace loving and kind with everyone.

Scout is narrating the story with her perception of a 9 years old when she gets to experience changing behaviors & discrimination of White & Black when Atticus (who is White) chooses to contest a case of a black man Tom who was falsely accused with the rape charges.

The story explains the social injustice & racism that used to exists at that time in an American society & surprisingly, it still exists. 

Atticus faced hypocrisy of justice system for his client Tom Robinson, the wrath of the national extremists who tried to harm him & his children, but he advises his children to face it with dignity & morality (something which is very rare these days).

Harper Lee has explained the overall story in such a manner that you feel like being part of every scenario. There are very simple day to day happening being told in the story and you do not get to know that when do you have learned so much from this book as the end arrives.
The basic idea of the novel is to tell others that how discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, color, and language causes destruction to the generations as it was happening with the Tom's family in this story. Not only with the victims, but such behavior is harmful for the society as a whole. Lee explains all this everything from Scout's point of view to her adult readers.
There are many parts of this book, which are my favorite. for instance, when Scout had her first day in the school and totally hates it.
Other one is when Scout, Jem, and Dill bet to make Boo Radley (One of their mysterious neighbors) coming out of his home.
One scene was when their aunt Alex comes to live with them and both children have to adjust according to her.
The scene of court proceedings is also a very powerful chapter to read, it gives you the idea of being present there yourself and witnessing it.
Along with these, there are number of events in this book that you will remember forever.


Written in a flow with humor, logic, simplicity & tragedy, Lee proves that she is one of the splendid writer that English Literature has ever received.
The uncomplicated story has a heart melting effect. You will feel so close to every character and will want to know more about them. 

This book is a recommendation for everyone. Even if you are not a reader type of person!