The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book The Picture of Dorian Gray was an extraordinarily well-written book due to the reaction of its themes from society. In the novel's preface, Wilde introduces the view that "...there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all." Numerous points of view can be taken on this annoying comment. Many would agree that Wilde is right because the preface was written with the intention that his readers understand the deeper meaning of the themes rather than worrying about whether they are considered morally acceptable; or perhaps the idea that it can be considered moral or immoral due to the impact it has on readers' lives. Although there are different positions on what the most important meaning of The Picture of Dorian Gray is, the most important is the novel as a moral book. Lord Henry Wotton immediately begins to corrupt Dorian's mind after their first meeting by forcing his immoral thoughts to "give in to temptation" which allows Lord Henry to keep his attention. After listening to Lord Henry's opinions for a while, Dorian begins to change his own to suit, and thus begins to live a life of immorality. The yellow book is a device that Lord Henry uses to further corrupt and push Dorian deeper into the depths of sin. Through the influence of Lord Henry, the changes in Dorian Gray, and the impact of the detective story, Oscar Wilde effectively reveals The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book. Lord Wotton sees Dorian as "wonderfully beautiful... all the passionate purity of youth," and I cannot resist the... middle of paper......self from the influence of this book. Or perhaps... that he never tried to get rid of it." Dorian procures nine copies from Paris to have them bound in different colors to suit his mood, which implies that in all likelihood he has never been without them. From the yellow book the moral learned is that "every access as well as every renunciation" leads to punishment. In conclusion, it was reiterated that the influence of Lord Henry, the changes in Dorian and the immorality of the detective story further strengthened The Picture of Dorian Gray. as a Moral Book. Oscar Wilde allows those who could understand the true meaning of the novel by understanding the importance of these three things to discern that he intended to write this novel as a moral book...