The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde is one of the best classics I've had the chance to read. The basics of the story are these: Basil Howard paints a portrait of his friend, Dorian Gray. Dorian is young, ignorant, impressionable and most of all, beautiful. Basil introduces him to a cynical hedonist named Lord Henry, who begins to play games with Dorian, planting the idea in his mind that good looks are the only thing he has to live for. When the portrait is finished, Dorian makes a wish that the picture would age and he would forever look as young and gorgeous as he was the day the picture was painted. This wish is granted.

Lord Henry is my favorite character, he is definitely not a moral person, but his rhetoric is interesting. You can't trust a word he says, but his arguments win over people's hearts, despite the fact that he is simply toying with them for his own entertainment.

Dorian listens to Lord Henry's words, entranced, and the result is that he throws away any concern over the well-being of others, only looking to have fun, regardless of the consequences. Dorian becomes more and more selfish. He begins to hurt people to get what he wants. For every foul deed he commits, his portrait changes. It becomes ugly, no longer depicting his physical self, but the hideousness of his soul.

In a nutshell, if you're in the mood for a classic, pick up The Picture of Dorian Gray. You won't be disappointed.

Contact Emma Hamming-Green, a senior at The Academy for Technology and the Classics, at happycamper156@hotmail.com.