In no more than a mere two hundred and thirty pages, Oscar Wilde manages to deliver a scathing critique of London's elites during the Victorian Era, while also promoting his personal philosophy, discouraging hedonism, and delivering the entire affair as a lofty comedy of manners. "The Picture of Dorian Gray," although originally intended for wealthy European socialites with too much time on their hands, appears to hold just as much relevance today as it did a century ago. Lord Henry and Dorian Gray appear to be the physical incarnation of today's general mentality towards the self, and the people whom these two steamroller in their quest for endless pleasure the virtues that society has lost. In an age where status is assumed based on the cost of one's handbag and the model of the iPhone in one's hand, this novel offers a refreshing reminder of the consequences of insistent self-gratification. Most of us are terrified of (and will freely complain about) things such as aging, or not being able to afford that shiny new …show more content…
As the story progresses, the reader witnesses his rapid descent into moral depravity as he proceeds to place personal pleasure on a pedestal and turn his every action as a means to that end. When his own end comes, Dorian is nothing more than a shell of a person, for whom the pursuit of pleasure has become an addiction that he cannot escape. Although Dorian's descent is heavily influenced by Lord Henry, much of his actions began when he no longer had cause to fear the plights of typical humans. He was rich, so there was no reason to fear the law. He was attractive, so there was no reason to fear loneliness. He would never age or feel the repercussions of his actions, having placed his soul inside a painting, so there was also no need to worry about consequences when he was off committing murders, becoming intoxicated,