By interpreting Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray on the allegorical rather than the literal level, the portrait never physically changes, but rather it simply represents the progressive degeneration of Dorian’s soul. Wilde creates several references and uses many symbols, so that the reader may be able to interpret it in this manner. In the preface, Wilde set the premise for the rest of the novel by stating “All art is at …showed first 75 words of 448 total…

…showed last 75 words of 448 total…reveals how different the unblemished Dorian was, and what he is now. This is why Dorian locks up his portrait. He does not want others to come to the same realization. By doing this also, he places his own soul and conscience under lock and key. Dorian explained it best, saying, “It is the face of my soul.” Only when he started looking at it again, did he become slowly aware of his heinous self.