“And Beauty is a form of Genius- is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation. It is one of the great facts of the world…” (62). This is a quote by Lord Henry (the book’s most immoral character) and really highlights the main theme of aestheticism that sets the problems of this novel into motion. The main problem for our main character, Dorian, is that the only thing he has known for his whole life is being pretty. The first thing that people notice about him (admittedly) are his boyish good looks and from that surface-level attention and luck in the station he was born, he never had to develop any other skills to make him more of a well-rounded human being. Thus, when he meets Lord Henry it is basically impossible for him not to be entranced by his seedy morals and his path into the other ways of living. This is where Dorian’s surface level aestheticism takes a turn into narcissism. I’ve included a picture of Narcissus from the Greek myths, who dies while staring at his own reflection in a pond, because his story is eerily similar to Dorian’s. In fact, it wouldn’t shock me if Wilde took inspiration from the myth as both men become obsessed with how they look, often times finding it hard to peel their eyes away from reflective surfaces (ponds, mirrors, portraits). The most interesting thing to me, though, is how Dorian wholly entrusts his beauty to be his savior. He thinks because he is beautiful, life will be beautiful and if he can continue to inhabit this basely aestheticism his actions will have no repercussions. However, we (the audience) find that this isn’t true. Even though his portrait is absorbing the ugliness he is exhibiting, he still suffers the anguish of killing Sybil Vane, Alan Campbell, and Basil Hallward. He also feels the guilt of tarnishing the reputations of anyone who hangs around him, even though he denies it his avoidance of recognizing his actions shows that he knows what he’s doing is wrong. Overall, by Dorian meeting his end by stabbing his now hideous portrait and turning into the ugly thing, Wilde finally nails home that his beauty could never save him from the terrible person he was becoming.