I finished this book last night and I’m still sitting here wondering what to think about it.
Never have I read a book that more clearly shows how mortal sin utterly sinks a soul.
Dorian Gray is a young, wildly handsome man who captures everyone he meets. Basil Hallward, a painter, is enraptured with his perfect looks and wants to paint him. He creates his “magnum opus” by painting a very realistic and superb painting of Dorian which he ends up giving to him.
Lord Henry is a “friend” to both men and is a man who believes that the purpose of life is to basically just look for the next pleasurable experience to engage the senses. Beauty and youth are everything and he encourages Dorian to live a hedonistic life while he’s still young and handsome.
The impressionable Dorian basically sells his soul in exchange for always remaining handsome and youthful. Ever listening to Lord Henry’s advice, he lunges into a life lived only for the senses and for pleasure. This utterly sinks him.
Mysteriously, Dorian never ages or loses his good looks but the painting of him seems to absorb his wickedness and begins to externally show the inward state of Dorian’s soul. Tortured by this, Dorian hides the hideous painting away.
If you are a sensitive soul, I don’t know that I can recommend this book, as it will disturb you. Nothing is overly graphic, but the author, Oscar Wilde, does such an effective job of making you see the cost of sin, that you will be sick at reading the state of Dorian’s soul. At least, I felt that way.
Lord Henry represents the voice of the world calling out to people and encouraging them to only be ruled by their passions and whatever makes them feel good. He has no regard for the state of anyone’s soul because he doesn’t believe in it. Consequently, he is an utterly shallow, weak, apathetic, and pathetic man who leads Dorian into destruction.
After I finished this book, I thought to myself, “Thank you, Jesus, for Confession. Thank you for mercy and forgiveness.”
We have never sinned so badly, Catholic Pilgrims, that we are beyond God’s help. When we forget that or don’t believe it, hope is lost. So, don’t forget it.
Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
