A book that you did not like at first then appreciate - Essay Example

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde My thirteen-year old brother studying in Paris has similar testimonies to Dorian Gray, the main character in Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece work. One summer, while we were having an evening feast, he started complaining as to why people have to grow old. He told us how all along he has been imagining that death and misfortune was upon the elderly in society. As a result, he would have wished to remain young, elegant, and energetic for the rest of his life.

His main argument was that the youthful lifestyle is favorable, and the individual feels motivated. He argued that attaining old age would make him lose his youthful and young outlook, an attribute he most likes. As part of British Literature class, all students had to read Wilde’s book during the summer session. I had essentially developed a negative attitude towards the book after reading the preface, which criticizes the book as being immoral. The preface also concisely sets forth the beliefs of Wilde’s philosophy of art, which is devoted to the aestheticism school of thought.

However, I had to read the book because it as recommended by the school for the summer holiday. The book was meant to make use learn a life lesson; it was also an assignment from school because despite bringing out the character of Dorian the book was meant to help use in English learning as it portrayed, different themes and styles of writing. The book is based on Dorian Gray, who, is the subject of a lengthy portrait by Basil Hallward. Basil Hallward is impressed and infatuated with the beauty of Dorian that he thinks that he is accountable for the new mode in his art as a painter.

After meeting Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian is enthralled by the noble debauched worldview, where he thinks that sensual fulfillment and beauty are the only things that a person should pursue in life. Because Dorian knows, that beauty will fade with time he resolves to sell his soul to ensure that only his picture will age and not him. Basil grants Dorian his wish, and he pursues all the worldly pleasure by doing different immoral things. He does not age even a single day, but his portrait records all his soul-corrupting sin.

In the first instance, when he decides to go and view his picture he finds that the picture bears a subtle smirk of cruelty. The smirk of cruelty appears in the picture after his heartbreaks Sibyl a girl she falls in love with after she sees her perform in the theatre. Dorian pursues his worldly pleasures, but realizes that they are not doing him any good and goes to reconcile with his portrait where he stubs it and dies. The book is considered good because it gives people a life lesson where it makes it clear that beauty should be used for good and not evil.

Additionally, although the book has experienced negative critics’ due to its sensual nature it is an important book, especially in this generation. The way I felt about the book at in beginning changed as I continued to read it, because despite the nature of the story the book has a life lesson that is moral in some way. This is because it makes people understand although their outer beauty is not being tainted by their actions their inner beauty suffers most. The thing I did not like about the book at first was that it enumerated an immoral sense and from what about the book from other people made me not want to read it.

I changed my mind because I wanted to know really what the book was about and not rely on other peoples experience on the book. I would recommend the book to other people as it is inspiring as it helps people understand about their inner and outer beauty, as well as how to reconcile them. Because even at the end of the book, Dorian accepts that he has done wrong and is ready to atone his mistakes only that he does not know how as he ends up losing his life after all.