Sphinxes without secrets.

In 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', Henry Wotton described women as 'Sphinxes without secrets'. This describes the view of women in this society perfectly. They are meant to be mysterious and secretive, but in actual fact, there is nothing underneath this facade of mystery. Indeed, the book focuses on male relationships, and women are portrayed as shallow and holding no real value in society, described by Wotton as being the 'decorative sex'

This is highlighted by the fact that there are no lasting female relationships, while the male relationships in the novel are very, very strong, lasting the entirety of the book. The only two prominent female relationships in the novel are the one between Dorian and Sybil, and the marriage of Henry and his wife, who get divorced at some time during the course of the book.

The presentation of women themselves also highlights this fact. Sybil Vane, the most prominent female character in the novel, is portrayed as being rather childlike and shallow. This is shown when she is talking to her brother about he romance with Dorian, and she proclaims 'I shall love him for ever!'. The over dramatic exclamation emphasises her childlike nature, and illustrates how she dramatises her life. Indeed, she views Dorian as her 'Prince Charming', as though she is in one of the Shakespearean plays she performs. Another instance which highlights the novel's depiction of women is when Dorian meets Victoria Wotton, Lord Henry's wife. She is portrayed as rather foolish and romantic, with this being her only appearance in the novel, despite being married to one of the main characters.

eternal youth, infinite passion

The society portrayed in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' place youth and beauty above all else, even the morals that the society are supposedly bound by. Even though Dorian is surrounded by rumours of sin and debauchery,  he is still accepted into upper class society as he looks innocent due to his youthful face. As Basil states, 'sin is a thing that writes itself across a man's face', the only difference with Dorian is that it is not his own face he is destroying, but the one in the painting. This idea allows Wilde to reveal the hypocritical nature of victorian society, as the society do not care what anyone does, so long as they appear to be upstanding members of society. All in all, 'every gentleman is interested in his good name'; the only thing that matters is reputation.

Youth and beauty are also portrayed as the most important part of society by Henry Wotton, highlighted when he says 'youth is the one thing worth having', and 'beauty is a form of genius'. Wotton uses his opinions on youth to influence Dorian into a life of hedonism, by almost scaring him with the prospect of a life without beauty and youth, a life without meaning, 'when your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and thn you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you'.

The stakes for beauty are shown to be extremely high, indeed Dorian must pay the price of his soul for eternal youth, however his demise suggests that too much importance was placed on his youth and beauty.    

all art is quite useless, or is it?

'All art is quite useless'. These words, written by Wilde in the preface of the novel portray what at first seems to be the message of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. Wilde was a major proponent of the movement known as aestheticism, and its main ideal was that art is intended simply to be beautiful and to be admired, not to have any deeper meaning or cause social enlightenment. It was also a backlash against the bourgeoise middle class of victorian britain, and against romanticism, which had dominated the first half of the 19th Century.

The way in which the novel is written seems to highlight this message, with long descriptive passages, full of beautiful images, serving no purpose other than to set the scene. Indeed, the first sentence of the book,  'The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.' highlights to the reader the importance of beauty and aesthetics in this society. This theme is also highlighted throughout the novel, with Henry Wotton constantly reiterating this philosophy, saying things such as 'beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins'. Wotton highlights the aesthetic philosophy present in late 19th century victorian society, as he constantly spouts controversial 'theories' which are simply designed to shock the upper middle class company he keeps.

However, despite Wilde's advocacy of the aesthetic movement, the book does seem to portray a message opposite to that of aestheticism. The two main symbols for this are the book which influences Dorian into hedonism, and the painting itself. The book acts against the aesthetic movement, as it influences and corrupts Dorian, sending him into a life of hedonism and sin, while aesthetics believe that art should have no moral impact on a person. Wilde himself stated both that 'there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book' and that Dorian Gray was 'poisoned by a book', two conflicting ideas. The painting is a symbol against aestheticism, as Basil states that art must be 'unconscious, ideal, and remote', yet his painting of Dorian is anything but that. In fact the painting serves as a moral compass for Dorian, acting as a mirror to his soul so that he can see clearly the sin and corruption he is inflicting upon himself. It also almost acts as a prophecy, with its decline signaling the demise of Dorian himself. Henry Wotton also emphasises the deeper meaning of art portrayed in the novel, as in the first half of the book, his words seemimportant and majestic, with his ideals going against the main victorian values, yet by the end of the book, his grand theories no longer seem so grand, instead they seem rather silly and shallow.

While many of the characters in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' do advocate an aesthetic approach to art, and life, the deeper meaning of the book is one quite opposite to the ideals of aestheticism, almost coming across as a cautionary tale.

Christina, Where Are You Going?

It has been decided: pregnant Christina and Vittorio Innocente are moving to Canada. Though the more appropriate question would be whom are they going to? Up until now it was believed that Christina was moving with her two children to Canada, in hopes of living with her long-gone husband. Howbeit, this quotation proved otherwise.

"'You're not going to him,' my uncle said, barely audible. 'I saw it in your eyes the moment I came in.' But my mother turned away. 'Vittorio, damn it, I told you to go in to your grandfather.' I hovered a moment by the table; but my mother rose suddenly and prodded me with an abrupt push into my grandfather's room. As we came in my grandfather's eyes shot sharply towards her; but she stepped out of the room almost at once, closing the door behind her." pg187

This passages discloses that Christina will be sharing her new life with her lover, not husband. Personally I don't believe that it was a shock to her father, solely due to her antagonistic behaviour. Once Vittorio enters his grandfather's room, his grandfather says to him "I hope to God that she doesn't ruin your life the way she has ruined hers." Unfortunately due to Vito's innocence and vulnerability he does not know what is going on. Whether fortunately or not, Christina dies on the ship to Canada, never reaching her destination. Her betrayals and lies have finally come to a halt.

BEATEN.

In the beginning of the novel we are introduced to Fabrizio, Vito's best friend. The two boys spend their days smoking cigarettes and rebelling against their childhood. Unfortunately, we soon realize that Fabrizio is no ordinary boy. His defiant mannerisms are evidently portrayed because of his fathers actions towards him, literally.

"'Looking for Fabrizio eh?' he said, catching my glance as I passed. 'He's got a broken ass.' The boys around him laughed." pg.95

This quotation is expressed by Fabrizio's brother Fulvio in a laughing manner; more importantly, it shares with the reader that Fabrizio is getting physically abused by his father. Not only has he lost an abundance of weight, but he has also been taken out of school to work in the fields. Regardless of his age, Vittorio stops visiting Fabrizio because he cannot bear the sight of seeing his good friend being beaten.

Though this may not seem to have a dramatic impact on Vittorio's life, it most definitely reveals an aspect to his personality. Through this we see that Vito is very aware. Vittorio is a caring, young boy who does not want to witness anymore pain in his life. He lacks confidence and nerve. Personally, I believe that his mother is to blame for this.

The Snake That Sought Revenge

"'Mamma's been bitten by a snake!' I yelled out. The village women who had come out after siesta to knit on their front steps stared after me as I ran; others popped their heads out of doorways and over balconies." pg 9

This passage within "Lives of the Saints" by Nino Ricci discloses the predominant occurrence in the beginning of the novel that contours the rest of the plot. Incipiently, seven-year-old Vittorio Innocente proclaims to the village people that his mother Christina Innocente has been bitten by a snake. Valle De Sole, the village where the story takes places, is a village that is morphed by its superstitions and religion. The snake symbolizes both evil and temptation. Subsequently to the snake bite, Christina is cursed. She acts abnormally. Her proud nature disallows her to compromise with her family and she winds up alienating herself from society. Most importantly, she was also with her lover at the time of the bite. An Italian myth proclaims that if you are bitten at the time of an affair; you will birth a child with a head of a snake. From this point on in the novel, Christina's stubborn habits perturb her son Vito traumatically.

Strong at the Broken Places

“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry” p 226

This quote is taken from Henry’s stream of consciousness when he is lying with Catherine after they had reunited in Stresa. This powerful quote can be seen as foreshadowing: Henry has referred to Catherine as “very good”, “very gentle” and “very brave” in the past. From this point on it seems as though there is a dark presence following the couple. Earlier on in this scene, Henry is describing his feelings for Catherine. He is content, optimistic, and in love. However, throughout the passage his thoughts turn pessimistic as his life philosophies are revealed. Henry believes there is no hope for anyone in this world, no matter how good you are. He begins to take on the perspective of an existentialist: that human life is in no way complete and fully satisfying because of the suffering and losses that occur.