Critical Analysis of The Selfish Giant

Oscar Wilde’s one of the stylish fairy tales, “The Selfish Giant” was included
in, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, published in 1888. It seems to be
superficially simple yet a story with in-depth meaning, multiple moralizing
lessons and Biblical allusions. “The Selfish Giant” is considered to be a story of
selfishness, sacrifice, morality, eternal happiness, innocence, love and salvation.
The story centres around two main characters, The Giant and the Child. The
Giant embodies selfishness, a sinner and also a repenter while the Child comes
as a savior, a harbinger of salvation; as Jesus Christ. In fact, The Selfish
Giant moves around a person who is very selfish by nature but he evolves into a
kind person who shares and does not hoard so he achieves salvation in the end.

Selfishness is the main highlight of the story with a variety of sub themes.
People who are selfish do not want to share their things with others like the
Giant did not want to share his garden with children. The selfish people want to
keep everything for themselves. But when they do that, they quickly find
themselves all alone. As the Giant was left alone desperately waiting for the
Spring.

This story certainly depict’s a selfish giant’s long trip to self-realization

and self-rule, a journey which can be seen where a broken man who has lost
everything but challenges for autonomy, yet in the end learns a good deal about
love and sacrifice. As the critic, Richard Gribble, said that: “Oscar Wilde’s
story, “The Selfish Giant” speaks of one who learned that a selfish attitude
toward the things of the world keeps the joy and the love of God at bay. Today
the parable of the rich fool presents with a very similar message.”

Wilde’s classic tale, “The Selfish Giant”, may indicate how prophet Jesus
Christ is capable of altering and changing the hearts of all, even those who seem
to be misdirected from God. He can and does lead to the improvement of one’s
character as the Giant altered from a selfish hoarder to a kind, compassionate
man. Another important message in the story is the importance of friendship
and of little act of kindness, in human life. A little act of kindness can build
bridges between people and these bonds can bloom friendships which pave a
way towards a person’s salvation. The boy in the story was Jesus Christ in
disguise. He came to the Giant once again to take him to his garden, Paradise, as
a reward for letting him play once in his garden. The Giant was redeemed by
Jesus. He was absolved of all his sins. His soul became pure and sacred. The
‘white blossoms’ symbolize the purity and sacredness that the Giant’s
soul attained and the ever-lasting peace that he obtained after death. He was
taken to Paradise for his unselfishness by Jesus Christ.

The story is so appealing because it is not only about love and

immortality alone which is masterfully told by Wilde, but also it was about the
role that children play in facilitating the situation for a great Giant to repent of
his selfishness and donate his lovely garden for them to play in.

In this stunning short story Wilde employed descriptive narration and lots
of literary devices like similes and analogies. He makes analogy between
flowers and stars, also between Giant’s breath and ice. It is clear that, each
flower can have a lot of definitions, especially acting as the welcoming symbol
of spring. Furthermore the ‘ice’ represented the cold attitude of the Giant and
his heartlessness. Also, the presence of different seasons in fact portray different
characters. Thus, Wilde breathed life into the environment of the story with all
the seasons and elements, be it Winter or Spring or the Wild Wind portrayed as
distinctive characters of the story. Additionally, the almond and plum are both
symbols of new life coming in spring. Wilde created a paradoxical atmosphere
in these sentences where two different worlds can be caused by human affairs
and thoughts.
 By having a deeper look at the story, one might easily find out that, there
is also a ‘companionate love’ in this story. It is pure and true; it comes deeply
out of body in a very real form and also spiritual one. The essence of the
importance the companion is due to the presence a child who’s a symbol of
innocence. Traditionally, innocence is a condition of moral purity. Specifically,
an innocent person is someone who is free of sin or guilt owing to not have
been corrupted by evil. Because this notion indeed fits into a morality whose
major anxieties are dirtiness and cleanliness, it has given way over time to
concepts of innocence that fit into less primitive views and practices. He
depicted this fact that how innocence can eliminate selfishness by means of love
which is morally pure and true and at the same time can lead to happiness.

The ending of the short story alludes to the biblical references where
Jesus will come to take the people with him on the path to salvation if only they
repent. Wilde uses the presence of Jesus to help end the story and assist the
moral. The giant who had sinned had been sent to heaven, purely because he
had realized that he was selfish and that he was going to be lonely unless he was
more kind. Thus, another message is that all humans make mistakes but to
recognize those mistakes and to repent on them may certainly lead one to
Heaven.