This is mostly a rant and my interpretation of Dorian Gray
For my Grade 12 year, we began reading Dorian Gray. It's relatively easy to understand so I thought of my own interpretation of it completely different from the notes we've been given and I occasionally bring it up with peers but instead of being up to interpretation, they simply deny my analysis of it as, "it can't work"
Now to explain (btw I'm not totally sure whether this is a commonly discussed topic or not, I'm just seeing whether or not I'm crazy) Dorian Gray is a Gothic Horror Novel with supernatural elements such as Dorian's forever youth and a portrait that can turn old through the sins Dorian commits I thought "What if we just strip away all the magic from Dorian" turning it into a more grounded psychological story
Firstly, Dorian's aging: Dorian stays appearing as he's 20 due to the Faustian deal he had to replace the portrait's appearance with his soul but in a more grounded version, Dorian's good genetics and obsession with youth could have led to him preserving his looks and aging fascinatingly well, like those celebrities that somehow look 20 even though they are 40/50/60-something such as Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Parsons and Paul Rudd. Also to bring about the theme of reputation vs character, many people could have perceived Dorian as younger and more innocent than he already is. Rich and beautiful people do get special treatment I suppose.
The portrait's changes: Everytime Dorian commits a sin, the portrait grows more uglier and older due to him exchanging his soul with it. The portrait is a representation of his moral decline. I'd like to keep that symbol but maybe the portrait's changes is a result of psychosis probably brought about by his feelings of guilt and smoking opium like a factory. Dorian might have left it in the same condition as he's dirty school room and throughout time, the portrait gets more worn and mouldy and dusty and through seeing it with whatever damaged his brain, he may perceived it differently. Dust, marks or faded colours could be exaggerated into wrinkles and blood.
Basil's reaction: The realistic aspect sorta breaks down when you read how Basil reacted to seeing the portrait but if you think about it, there may be an explanation. It's been about 10 years since you have seen the man you have devoted your life and art over and longer since you have seen the portrait you have gifted him. To explain the rumours that have been circulating about him he invites you to his house and shows you the gift you have worked hours probably weeks over in a poor condition while he goes on a manic rant about how "it was your fault" and "these are my sins". This may have been a soft-coded admission of Dorian's guilt, he has some understanding of how Basil feels about him especially after his confession and by showing that even he can be in ruin, he destroys Basil's perception of him. Basil's own guilt is probably him believing that he has put too much pressure on Dorian and that Dorian couldn't handle the moral obligations Basil imposed on him. Another thing I'd like to point out is that for a person you love that's in a similar state, people would try to indulge in their delusions in order to better relate to them and seem more convincing.
James sparing Dorian: James Vane, brother of Sibyl Vane, the woman who killed herself after Dorian brutally insulted and broke up with her, is a figure fuelled by vengeance to kill the "Prince Charming" that led to his sister's suicide. In Chapter 16, James finds Dorian and confronts him but Dorian denies his guilt by saying that he looks too young to be the culprit two decades ago. James let's him go. My explanation is that Dorian does have an understanding of people and circumstances. He knows that there's nothing connecting him to Sibyl and that James has no proof that it was him. James is driven by grief and vengeance, he has no name, face or way of knowing the culprit, this doubt is enhanced by the possibility that Vane probably assumed that a pretty boy like Dorian couldn't have possibly do something like this, expecting a more bulky aged person. Dorian also doesn't show stress publicly so James may have thought it as a misunderstanding but was still suspicious of Dorian's calm demeanor. Killing Dorian without certainty would leave his sister's death unresolved and make him a murderer. All these led to him unfortunately sparing Dorian
Dorian's rapid aging and the painting: Chapter 20, Dorian kills himself Dorian decides to become virtuous and thought maybe he could change the portrait but once he gazes upon it, it looks so be at its worst possible state. This is a sign that Dorian can never escape his past and that the painting is the only proof left of his immorality. He attempts to destroy it but in the end he stabs himself. His servants find him and the painting, the painting resembling the master they know and Dorian an old shrivelled man. How can this possibly be explained without magic? My view is that Dorian and his narrator are unreliable. You cannot take every line as a fact, especially with a book that makes use of such diction and imagery. Dorian's aging may be a description of how Dorian's drug abuse and stress may have finally taken effect coupled with the horror of finding his dead body after what may have been hours. Maybe he was aging and due to his status, heavy use of cosmetics and aristocratic society's superficiality, people among his circle may not have noticed; it was quite well established that he'd become a neet during his last years. The painting may have been cleaned as a way of honouring the memory and guilt of Basilo r that it still looked like Dorian but was never in pristine condition. The last sequences of the story can come about as the repressed guilt and heavy influence of opium mentally destroying him and when he tried to destroy the portrait, his psychotic breakdown directed the knife to his heart, committing a rage-induced suicide.
That's my thoughts on the book. I tried to search if anyone felt the same online so I thought of writing this to properly explain this "grounded" Dorian Gray. Of course, it wouldn't be satisfying to say "The drugs did this, don't do drugs kids" or "there's no such thing as magic, it was all in his head" part of what made this novel popular is its supernatural elements. I feel that the themes in this novel were properly made evident and if that's clear then themes and such yknow. That's literally what Oscar Wilde detailed in the preface, The Portrait of Dorian Gray has no meaning other than that which is given by the readers. If you wanted it to be realistic and grounded, that's my interpretation, and if you want it to be magical and horrifying, for all who cares Dorian may have metaphysically dapped up Satan himself when he made the deal. Maybe we're both right and that Oscar Wilde implemented elements of realism to showcase Dorian's decline and magic as a mode of storytelling. Just because one analysis sounds more correct, doesn't mean that other ones have no credibility, different interpretations can co-exist and even be synchronous, multiple thoughts combined in the same story can enhance reading rather than be confusing. We all read the same story and learnt the same thing. My problem is people who take the analysis of what they learnt as an axiom and never realises the diversity of opinion. If that was to be the status quo, then the age of art might be a dying concept to the human race. Maybe Harry was right saying that priests don't think, they just read and recite and are spared from the "ugliness" of intellect. We'll never know what interpretation is the truth unless the author says it themselves — it would be hard to know since Oscar Wilde is very dead (he'd probably give some ambiguous answer like "Whatever you think" or "beats me")
I'd like to know what are some unpopular interpretations of books you have come up with, it will never not be a fun experience to think about a story in a way different from what you originally thought.