PODG Ch. 15

Stephen Simmons-Uvin
Ap English/Mr. George
3/23/10
PODG Ch. 15

"A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her"(184).

This questionable response to the topic of happiness in marriage is said by Lord Henry, proposing the idea that happiness is not found in commitment, but in the absence of love. This line stuck out to me because although it seems irrational, I for one agree with it. The catholic church teaches that marriage is unitive and is the climactic phase of love and happiness. Religion teaches that marriage is a very important sacrament, uniting the man and woman, and in doing so, happiness is given, eventually. However, if you were to ask ten couples if happiness were a recurring theme in their marriage, I guarantee that at least three would say "no." It is a known fact that marriage does not constitute eternal happiness, it only reflects what was once love and what is now an emotional bond that some fail to break through. Happiness is not something that can only be found through a relationship or love. It can be found in friends, family, and even those that you hate. Happiness is a universal feeling in the sense that it comes and goes, and can be found whenever, wherever, and in whoever. This feeling is not something that can only be achieved by loving someone. I personally hate some of the people that I know, but whenever I am with them, I am happy. Lord Henry creates very obscure theories about life and morals throughout the novel, and for once, he proposes a very interesting concept, which is still reflected on today.


"Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast"(185).

Once again, Lord Henry's crazed logic floods the content of this chapter. In this quote he states that the whole concept of consuming things or doing things in moderation is silly. He states that "enough of something is as bad as a meal," meaning that just "enough" of something is too little, and that "more than enough is as good as a feast," meaning that too much of something is phenomenal, because you can not turn back. I picked this quote because it completely combats what we are taught as human beings today. In this modern age, we are taught from the way way we eat, to the amount we exercise and do things, that anything is good, as long as it is in moderation, meaning that everything is good for our bodies as long as we are exposed to it over time and not all at once. What seems to be logical to us and has been logical for many generations before us, is not to Lord Henry, and he makes a very valid point. This quote can be applied to the character of Dorian in the sense that Henry's influence on him happened in the course of a couple of chapters or all at once. Now that Dorian has been so exposed to Henry's teachings and done so many horrible things, he is able to "feast" because there is nothing worse that he can do to his corpse.