What would you do to be forever young? To be forever youthful and beautiful while still managing to accumulate the wisdom and confidence developed over time is of course the dream of most humans, particularly Americans. Oscar Wilde's novel
The Picture of Dorian Gray showed me this dream, and many of the horrors that could come with it. Ultimately, beauty is held by most in the novel to be above all else. Beauty in all forms is seen as the most important thing. In today's society, making people look "good" is a billion-dollar industry, yet we do not appreciate it in the same way as they. For both, beauty is all about outward appearance. We however, have become far less infatuated with the way true beauty makes one feel. Since there is such a large market to make people look young and beautiful even when they are not, the frequency of seeing something marked gorgeous or sexy or stunning has increased. We have lost sight of the fact that true beauty in any sense is rare. In the beginning of the novel, Basil's painting has the ability to change Lord Henry's mood. Much as Mr. Gray lost his soul to be youthful and beautiful, we have lost our ability to appreciate true, unadulterated beauty. Now, i am not saying that I see things as they really are or anything like that, but even the superficial beauty in
The Picture of Dorian Gray was recognized as beauty and the perfection even awwed some of the characters. Today, products and outfits and knowing the right people can make you "beautiful". Yet, as more and more people become "beautiful" the word starts to lose its meaning. To combat this ever-growing lack of appreciation and lack of importance put on the word, others, like those i mentioned before, have become synonymous with beautiful and made it even less reputable of a word. All im saying, is would Mr. Wilde have called Mr. Gray hott? or sexy? or any of those other new-age words that are synonymous to but aren't beautiful?
I also managed to read Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, and actually managed to enjoy it. Most people I talked to about the book said I wouldn't like it because it is a "chick book". After reading it I definitely get where they are coming from, yet i think it is a book that has a lot more to offer than just being a "chick book". First, I learned a surprising amount about bees. But it was also a well written book, and the struggle with her father can be related to, to a lesser extent usually, by quite a few children.
Crime and Punishment is a long book and it can be a boring drawn out book. There were times when I would read 5 pages and then go to sleep. But there were also times when i read for hours and didn't even notice, so in the end I'd say I'm glad I read it but I'm not sure I would do it again.
I read Pride and Prejudice mid summer. For the first time I can remember, I didn't save the assigned book for last. However, I remember the book surprisingly well. The different types of love and the different stories of hidden love and deceit were actually entertaining, and the class struggle and social issues that arose throughout the book only added.
I don't usually read as much over the summer as I do at home. Primarily because I work at a summer camp with little kids, but this summer I found myself actually making time to read.
