In this novel, Oscar Wilde delves into the myth of eternal youth by creating a diabolic pact to preserve the beauty and be forever young. Dorian Gray, a young, wealthy, and extremely handsome man discovers how sad it is to grow old after being painted in a picture and wishes that would never happen to him. Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. His wish translates into a pact that makes Dorian commit every kind of atrocity, including crime.