After finishing Dorian Gray, The Stranger and our human nature unit, I've come to form a connection between the three, realizing that society has become not only judgmental and ignorant but also "under the influence." When I say this I'm not talking about alcohol or drugs, I'm talking about the influence of other people. In "The Picture of Dorian Gray," Lord Henry Wotton had taken complete control over Dorian just because of the intriguing, knowledgeable character that Wotton was. Lord Henry posed as someone who Dorian wanted to become, and opened up a window of new opportunity and exploration that Dorian wanted to take advantage of. By providing almost a new life and suggesting new risks, Dorian couldn't resist the temptation and in doing so surrendered his soul and turned into a completely different person.
Although this may seem like a stretch, this simple interaction between Dorian and Lord Henry is an epitome of teenage interactions and how they act towards each other. Every teenager wants to be the "jock" or "the cheerleader," conforming to a certain clique so they can "fit in." No teenager is ever satisfied with what they're given and always crave for something more, usually something unobtainable or even dangerous. Teenagers constantly travel in groups because they're afraid of being their own or an independent which is how these cliques become formed in the first place. Many teenagers start out innocent and naive, but after being exposed to the real world full of hazardous truths they being to enter into another world, as did Dorian. People nowadays become too worried and obsessed with the idea of becoming someone better, someone perfect, and lose themselves to this fantasy.
Human nature in general, is a concept that I will never be able to completely understand. As for why people must follow one another, and can't be their own person completely baffles me yet about ninety percent of teenagers demonstrate this kind of behavior. I hope that eventually this can come to a gradual stop, and people realize that it's OK to be an individual and act outside what is expected or what is "cool." Teenagers need to stop devoting their life to looking like an artificial person in a magazine, and come to understand the reality of what they've been given in life and use it to make themselves into a great person, not into a person they're not.
very good!
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