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The ESL Times / December, 2001
"Faces We See, but Hearts We Do Not Know"
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
Heinemann 1993
By Dario Soto
Are you interested in a picture of a person's soul? Then, you may enjoy The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of the many stories written by Oscar Wilde, a famous English writer from the nineteen-century. Through a mysterious and terrifying drama of daily life, Wilde shows the conflicts that exist inside human beings. Every day each of us have to choose because we are free; therefore, each of us can elect to do good or bad actions. Consequently, whatever good or bad actions a person chooses will affect all his/her life and will lead to the construction of the personality. This is similar to an artist who can reflect his own feelings when he paints. The Picture of Dorian Gray is good to help you reflect on how your actions show your feelings and build your dreams. All of us have our own feelings inside of us, which are reflected in many ways throughout our lives; nobody can hide from oneself all the time, and sooner or later, everyone needs to develop wholly all of their own personality's dimensions.
The Picture of Dorian Gray teaches you that it is not possible to hide what you really are. It illustrates that it is necessary to keep a balanced view of all the different dimensions of your own life; likewise, it is necessary to maintain good relationships within the social rules of correct human behavior. It is true because your personal feelings will be reflected in your actions, and your actions are then eventually going to be reflected in your personality. Wilde shows this dynamic of life dramatically by showing how the artistic picture of Dorian Gray changes and becomes progressively more horrible as Dorian acts more and more evilly. Dorian tries to hide the portrait from people; but when he looks at it, he can see his soul.
Oscar Wilde, the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. He wrote many essays but one of his best, and most well-known works, is The Importance of Being Earnest, written in 1895. This comedy play makes fun of the hypocritical British society of Wilde's era. It is still a popular play and is often performed.
Many times in his works, Wilde reflected his own strong, homosexual feelings. Therefore, some of his plays and poems were banned in England; and in 1893, Wilde had to undergo two trials as homosexuality was illegal. In the second trial, Wilde was found guilty of homosexuality and was sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor, the maximum penalty allowed by law. The conditions in prison were so bad that they affected Wilde's health seriously and he died in 1990 when he was only 46 years old.
This theme of homosexuality is hinted at in Wild's The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was written in 1890 as a play, and later it was published in book form. Recently, Heinemann Publishers have published a special version that has been adapted with simple language for English as second language students. Thus, the words are comprehensible for students that are beginning to learn English, and the story is excellent. Works that are known all over the world and have been written by famous authors are an excellent way for students to become motivated to enjoy reading when they are learning a new language. If you are a new learner of English, I recommended this edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray for you to read.
Read The Picture of Dorian Gray and think about how your convictions and values are reflected in your actions; and also, if your daily actions are enriching your personality or harming you. Wilde said, "All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars"; The Picture of Dorian Gray will make you think about your ideals - are they lofty enough? Take a little time to read The Picture of Dorian Gray and to learn a little more about yourself. You will be glad you did.
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