Symbols.

     Obviously the main symbol in The Picture of Dorian Gray is the painting. I think the painting is a symbol of memories.  Because what actually drove Dorian to destroy the painting was the fact that he could not escape his past.  Every time he viewed it he remembered the murder of Basil from the bloody hand and the suicide of Sylva from the sly smirk.  It also spares Dorian from the consequences of his actions.  So virtually he should be able to live a perfect, carefree life, except for the fact that his conscience eventualy caught up to him.  Another symbol that I was not completely sure about was the yellow book.  I think since the author was not a Christian he might of been using that as a symbol for the Bible and its "corrupt" views that eventually corrupted Dorian.  One other thing I think the painting could resemble is fate and how if you try to work outside of it your life will become a disaster. The symbols in this book were very hidden and hard to seek out which I really enjoyed.