Dorian Gray

All the talks we’ve had have really played one thing in my head. My favorite book is A picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. All of the discussions about Bluebeard’s closets especially brought up parallels. The closets were mirrors of the soul, and Dorian’s picture was representative of his soul. Without giving anything away, the book really explored the connections well. By comparing and connecting our “souls” to physical objects, we can really consider and contemplate the idea of a “soul.” Is the soul a mirror of our choices? Or does our soul proscribe our behavior? Can you see the soul in the physical body, or does the body affect the soul? Obviously we should try to define the soul first, but I believe we can only study and describe its effects, not its shape or nature directly. The soul doesn’t need to be spiritual, it could be a form of character. It’s like having soul in a music piece, or real feel.

Dorian had an interesting relationship with his soul, both closer and farther than most. We can learn so much if we only spend time getting to “know” our souls. Maybe through Zen, maybe through self-search. Maybe we can learn our souls by looking at our selves in new ways. What happens when you search your self? You see things you don’t like. Things that others can asses easily. Hopefully you’re not too far gone to change a bit here or there. Maybe it doesn’t matter… I’ll bet it does. Whatever you call it, a soul is a soul, and that’s not something to take lightly.

Read A Picture of Dorian Gray.