Book Review and COMMENTARY

 

A COMMENTARY

        I turned 85 this summer, which in anybody's book is OLD.   I have been cheered by a lot of positive feed-back from my family and friends who tell me how 'well preserved’ I am.    Even my doctor commented on this, and that holds considerable clout, so I am forced to conclude that these comments may have some merit, and are not mere flattery.   Several people have mentioned the condition of my skin, and ask my secret.  It is difficult to know how to respond to these comments.  Other than the Skin-Gods OLAY, and ESTE LAUDER whose skin products I have used for years, and which contain sun-screens, I have not a clue.  That and the fact that I have  never smoked, and do not care much for alcohol, and eat my veggies, might shed some light on the subject, but  I suspect genetics might have a lot to do with it.

            All of this brings to mind a movie that I saw as a teen-ager, and this is the reason for this introspection.  It was called THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY and it made a lasting impression on me.  The movie was taken from the book written by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1891.

            It is the story of a young man named Dorian Gray who was the subject of a painting by an artist, Basil Hallward.  The artist is greatly impressed by the young man's physical beauty and becomes infatuated with him.  The young man comes to realize that his physical beauty will eventually fade, and he makes a demonic pact, and cries out, wishing that his portrait would age rather than himself.  Dorian's wish is fulfilled, subsequently plunging him into a life of debauchery. (The plot is quite complex, and this is a distilled version of the story.) 

            The years pass, and everyone grows older except Dorian, who seems to get younger and more handsome every day.  The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each sinful act has upon his soul, with each sin being displayed as a disfigurement of his form.

            I remember the final scene of the movie where the portrait is unveiled and the monstrous face is revealed.  Dorian stands and stares with horror at his portrait. He realizes what he has done with his life and in a fit of rage, picks up a knife and plunges it into the painting.  His friends come into the room and find his crumpled body, suddenly aged and withered and unrecognizable, beside the portrait, which now has changed to reveal the young and innocent face of Dorian Gray.

            I do not know why this story has had such fascination for me. It has no parallels in my life; I have not made a pact with the devil nor have I lived a debauched life, but the story carries a heavy burden of truth, and I have pondered on it for these many years.

       The book THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY is considered one of the last works of classic gothic horror fiction.   It deals with the artistic movement of the decadents, and homosexuality, both of which caused some controversy when the book was first published.  However, in modern times the book has been referred to as "one of the modern classics of Western Literature."  This information taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Betty L. Owen  August 2007