The Influence of a Fictional Character

A fictional character that directly influenced me was Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray. Dorian taught me to never let the influence of others deflate who I am as a person. Dorian's trusting disposition was his true downfall. His looks only mattered to him once he had been fooled into valuing them. He taught me to never lose sight of who I am, or who I intend to be. The character Dorian Gray also taught me wisdom. I learned to determine who my real allies are before I allow the synthetic ones to betray me. Dorian's naïve attitude sealed his fate. From him I learned that trust should be the fore runner in all of my relationships. Dorian's countless transgressions and iniquities taught me to always concern myself with the preservation of my own integrity. Dorian's tragic tale forced me to create a code of ethics for myself out of fear that I could one day become the mishap that he became. In life, we must all slay our “dragons”. The most important part of slaying our “dragons” is the way that we do it. We must do this in a way that does not compromise who we are as human beings. Dorian allowed his self to be transformed into his own dragon, which eventually led to him slaying his self. In summation, Oscar Wilde's fictional character Dorian Gray from the book The Picture of Dorian Gray had a largely direct influence on me. Dorian Gray taught me to treat myself like a sentimental keepsake. He taught me to never allow the influence of others to taint my integrity and to trust my own moral compass. Dorian Gray made me who I am today, and without him, I shutter at the thought of who I would have been.