For such a small novel, there is plenty of content. And that is how it should be, for if the main theme is Art (as the prologue might suggest)it ought to be complicated and thoughtful. After all, how would you answer the question: what is art?

In Wilde's only novel, Art is personified in Dorian Gray. The artists (there are two, Basil and Lord Henry)each contribute to this Art in their own way, and together with Dorian Gray, prove that "Art is quite useless." But what draws us to the Art? What is its soul? Is it constant like the Dorian's youth or does it change like his portrait in the attic? Does the application of Art determine its morality? Does it have morality?

This, of course, is just one layer of this insanely complex novel. It is also an analysis of a sort of nihilism, of innocence vs. experience, of that age old question of whether it is better to be just than to do whatever you want, vanity, etc. All of which are treated in the same manner: questions raised, but are there any answers?

Perhaps there are, but there are only hints at them, and perhaps they change as we do with each experience and with each change. Perhaps this change is better carried by us then by a portrait. Perhaps there is ultimately no significant difference in the end.