“Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland.” He earned a degree from Oxford University. “At Oxford he was captivated by the aesthetic theories of John Ruskin and Walter Pater… emphasizing aesthetics rather than “utility” or social and moral usefulness…”. The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of his greatest successes, was seen as an expression of his own personality and beliefs. “Almost no other writer has been the subject of so many biographies, novels, films and plays.” Wilde identified as homosexual and wrote novels and plays displaying his true identity, which was not acceptable in his time. “In the Victorian era, men had to hide their homosexuality, but Wilde found a way to show his feelings.” The Picture of Dorian Gray was one of his books that featured homosexual behavior and one of two reasons he was sentenced to prison for "gross indecency." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayBeauty can be described in two terms: internal or external. While outer beauty is always valued and based on facial and body features, inner beauty is the most truthful as it reflects the pure soul of an individual. In the novel, beauty is primarily defined by physical appearance and is considered the greatest gift. The idealization of beauty can consume a person's identity and lead to self-destruction. Once Dorian Gray embraced his own beauty, he transformed into another individual who was not himself. At the beginning of the book Dorian did not realize its beauty and impact, after a comment from Lord Henry he became obsessed with retaining his youth. Lord Henry said: “No, you don’t feel it now. One day, when you are old and wrinkled and ugly… you will feel it, you will feel it terribly” (Wilde 28). The book's self-destruction can be seen at the end where it loses the most important thing of all, its soul. In Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde presents his personal philosophy, alludes to narcissism, and reinforces the continuing belief that youth and appearance are everything. Oscar Wilde believed in the philosophy of aestheticism. Aestheticism emphasizes beauty, art and moral thought, which is reflected in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, combining these aspects. “It is Lord Henry who persuades young Dorian Gray to live for beauty and pleasure and to damn all else is dehumanizing vulgarity” (Allen 25). His aesthetic was the main theme throughout the novel. Readers constantly notice a fluctuation not only between youth and age, but also between good and bad morals. As Dorian showed greater youthfulness, this translated into an increase in his desire to commit bad acts, which reflects the outcome of his painting. Oscar Wilde had many different perspectives when it came to idealism and realism. “Wilde's view of realism can perhaps be described as contradictory” (Waldrop). Even so, Wilde's view of realism became increasingly negative, with even Pater, in an infamous review of his student's novel, chastising Wilde for "a certain aversion to the commonplace… {which } leads him to insistently protest against so-called 'realism'. 'in art'. Although a certain philosophy is used in his infamous novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, there are certain contradictions when it comes to the novel "Although aesthetics believed that artexisted for itself, the novel can be interpreted as contradicting this point of view… Thus, the painting, the work of art itself, is not simply an object of beauty, but it is also a reflection and a direct manifestation of the soul of Dorian Gray.” The portrait in the novel was supposed to represent only her outer beauty but contradicts itself by showing her inner beauty. Portraits are not meant to show flaws, thoughts and actions. Not only has his portrait aged but it has come to reflect his soul which was tainted. When Dorian decided to look at the portrait one last time, he hoped for a change in appearance but realized it was worse than before. “A cry of pain and indignation escaped him. He saw no change, except that in the eyes there was a look of cunning, and in the mouth the curved wrinkle of the hypocrite. The thing was always disgusting…”. Narcissism is a characteristic that is used in most cases to describe a person who is self-centered, who makes any situation about themselves or perhaps blames others rather than taking responsibility for their own actions. Thus, the term best used to describe the character of Dorian Gray. Once Dorian Gray speaks to Lord Henry, he then realizes that it was important to retain his youth and beauty: Then came Lord Henry Wotton with his strange panegyric of youth, his dire warning about its brevity. It had moved him then, and now, as he looked at the shadow of his own beauty, the whole reality of the description flashed across his face. Yes, there would be a day when his face would be wrinkled and shriveled, his eyes dull and colorless, the grace of his figure broken and distorted. The scarlet would disappear from her lips and the gold would fly from her hair. The life that was to shape his soul was going to spoil his body. He would become awful, hideous and gross. Dorian Gray embracing his own beauty for the first time, he understands that Lord Henry has been trying to make him realize that this beautiful young face he has over time will turn into an old, unattractive face. Dorian Gray soon begins to display hints of narcissism in the novel. . Sybil Vane was a woman he met and fell in love with in the novel. Sybil Vane was an actress and she starred in the play Romeo and Juliet. Dorian Gray has bragged to Lord Henry and Basil Hallward about her performances and wants them to come see her. Lord Henry was not moved by Sybil Vane's acting. As a result, Dorian Gray was furious with the way she had performed that evening and went to her and expressed his anger. “When he entered, she looked at him and an expression of infinite joy came over her. “How badly I have acted this evening, Dorian!” she cried. “Horribly!” he replied, looking at her in astonishment: “horribly!” It was terrible. Are you sick? You have no idea what it was. You have no idea what I suffered. (Wild 76). Dorian Gray felt like she was a representation of him, he bragged to his friends about his great acting and she performs poorly which makes Dorian Gray look bad. Dorian's treatment of Basil Hallward was the same as that of Sybil in which he no longer takes their character into account. After Basil Howard shows his magnificent portrait, which he painted years ago, it has now become hideous and Dorian Gray blames Basil Hallward for the result. "Dorian Gray glanced at the picture, and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred towards Basil Howard came over him, as if it had been suggested to him by the image on the canvas, whispered in his ear by those smiling lips” (Wilde 134). Dorian Gray did not take responsibility for the events he caused and, like theMost narcissists blame others and ultimately kill Basil Hallward. Dorian Gray embraced his beauty and never wanted to let his youth explain his history to Basil. reveals that he prayed a "prayer" that, in so many words, he souled his soul to the devil. “One day you introduced me to a friend of yours, who explained to me the wonders of youth, and you completed a portrait of me which revealed to me the wonders of beauty. Even in a moment of madness, where even now I don’t know if I regret it or not, I made a wish – perhaps you would call it a prayer…” (Wilde 132). While praying this prayer, he did not realize that the path would lead him to self-destruction. Dorian Gray sees the portrait change before his eyes and he sees the image as his soul and he realizes that his soul was ugly. Was it really true that we could ever change? He longed for the untouched purity of his childhood – his rosy-white childhood, as Lord Henry once called it. He knew that he had tarnished himself, filled his mind with corruption, and given horror to his imagination; that he had been a bad influence on others and that he had experienced terrible joy in being so; and that of the lives that had passed through his, it had been the most beautiful and the most full of promises that he had shamed. But was all this irremediable? Was there no hope for him? Dorian Gray knew he had to destroy the portrait. He wanted to erase what he had become and erase the past. He then proceeded to stab the image indicating to free his soul. “It will kill the past, and without its hideous warnings it would be at peace. He grabbed the thing and stabbed the painting with it” (Wilde 188). By stabbing the image, he also committed suicide. As a result of the stabbing, the painting appeared to become as Basil Howard had painted it years ago and Dorian Gray's body resembled the hideous painting before he stabbed him. “When they entered the house, they found hanging on the wall a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the ground was a dead man… He was withered, wrinkled and had a disgusting face… “Retaining youth and beauty is still an important factor today. Nowadays, all women, even men, want to be as perfect as possible. Plastic surgery, Botox and liposuction are what individuals such as celebrities turn to to keep their bodies and faces looking youthful. Today's society's opinion has a great influence on what beauty is supposed to look like. The obsession with beauty has become an all-time phenomenon. high. People everywhere are taking selfies using filters on snap chat that enhance their appearance. Woman, instead of just making sure their clothes are clean and wrinkle-free and walking away from the mirror, they have to spend hours in front of the mirror to make sure their appearance is perfect. Just like men, a man can change his clothes five times until the right outfit suits him. There are many disorders linked to the obsession with beauty. One of the most common disorders is body dysmorphia. This is where the individual notices defects in their body that only they can detect. Little girls/boys are introduced into the world of teenagers, which is when looks seem to start to matter. Especially for teenage girls, this is when they get into hair, nail polish and makeup and just finding their place in the world. Although beauty is defined in different ways by different individuals, it is evident on television that, 1906