Themes in The Picture of Dorian Gray “Perfection on the outside. Murderous corruption within.”
Theme #1 The importance and purpose of art
Theme #2 The supremacy of youth and beauty
Theme #3 The superficial and hypocritical nature of society
Theme #4 The negative consequences of influence
Theme #5 The negative consequences of hedonism
Theme #6 Appearance versus reality (beauty is only skin deep)
Theme #7 Love of one’s self supersedes the love one might have for other people
Theme #8 You can lie to others, but you cannot lie to yourself
Theme #9 The conflict between good versus evil
Theme #10 The tragic loss of innocence