The Picture of Dorian Gray -Preface Analysis-

Wilde utilizes the artist as a metaphor for all people and art as a metaphor for all action. Happiness and sadness can be viewed as metaphors for right and wrong in terms of morality. Wilde claims that, "No artist is ever morbid" (Wilde 1). When this viewed metaphorically, Wilde is claiming that no person is ever wrong. Wilde is using the analogy of art and artists to plead ethical relativism. Through his metaphors Wilde claims that actions are simply actions and they cannot be judged objectively, but subjectively depending on the critique. Wilde claims, "All art is quite useless" (Wilde 2). In other words, morality is useless, the words of a true ethical relativist.