{"id":17769,"date":"2024-12-13T21:56:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T01:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/?p=17769"},"modified":"2024-12-13T21:56:25","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T01:56:25","slug":"oscar-wilde-the-selfish-giant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/short-stories\/oscar-wilde-the-selfish-giant\/17769\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscar Wilde: The Selfish Giant"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n

In Oscar Wilde’s 1888 short story The Selfish Giant, a giant returns home to find that children are using his garden as a playground and drives them out, building a wall to keep them out. Without the children, the garden is plunged into a perpetual winter, deprived of life and joy. One day, a mysterious child enters the garden. The giant, seeing their sadness, is moved and decides to tear down the wall to allow the children to return and with them, spring. The story is a reflection on selfishness, kindness and the redeeming power of love and childlike innocence.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n
\"Oscar<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Selfish Giant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Oscar Wilde
(Full story)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant\u2019s garden. It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl,  and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. \u201cHow happy we are here!\u201d they cried to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy own garden is my own garden,\u201d said the Giant; \u201cany one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.\u201d So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was a very selfish Giant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it. They used to wander round the high wall when their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. \u201cHow happy we were there!\u201d they said to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children  that it slipped back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. \u201cSpring has forgotten this garden,\u201d they cried, \u201cso we will live here all the year round.\u201d The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. \u201cThis is a delightful spot,\u201d he said, \u201cwe must ask the Hail on a visit.\u201d So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming,\u201d said the Selfish Giant, as he  sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden; \u201cI hope there will be a change in the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant\u2019s garden she gave none. \u201cHe is too selfish,\u201d she said. So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King\u2019s musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring,  and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. \u201cI believe the Spring has come at last,\u201d said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did he see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the children\u2019s heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely scene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was so small that he could not reach up to  the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree was still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. \u201cClimb up! little boy,\u201d said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy was too tiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the Giant\u2019s heart melted as he looked out. \u201cHow selfish I have been!\u201d he said; \u201cnow I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children\u2019s playground for ever and ever.\u201d He was really very sorry for what he had done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter again. Only the little boy  did not run, for his eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant\u2019s neck, and kissed him. And the other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. \u201cIt is your garden now, little children,\u201d said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were going to market at twelve o\u2019clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to bid him good-bye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut where is your little companion?\u201d he said: \u201cthe boy I put into the tree.\u201d The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know,\u201d answered the children; \u201che has gone away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow,\u201d said the Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. \u201cHow I would like to see him!\u201d he used to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden. \u201cI have many beautiful flowers,\u201d he said; \u201cbut the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, \u201cWho hath dared to wound thee?\u201d For on the palms of the child\u2019s hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho hath dared to wound thee?\u201d cried the Giant; \u201ctell me, that I might take my big sword and slay him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNay!\u201d answered the child; \u201cbut these are the wounds of Love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho art thou?\u201d said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, \u201cYou let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE END<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Oscar Wilde’s 1888 short story The Selfish Giant, a giant returns home to find that children are using his garden as a playground and drives them out, building a wall to keep them out. Without the children, the garden is plunged into a perpetual winter, deprived of life and joy. One day, a mysterious child enters the garden. The giant, seeing their sadness, is moved and decides to tear down the wall to allow the children to return and with them, spring. The story is a reflection on selfishness, kindness and the redeeming power of love and childlike innocence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[906,594,592,772],"class_list":["post-17769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-stories","tag-8-en","tag-ireland","tag-oscar-wilde-en","tag-united-kingdom","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":559,"label":"Short stories"}],"post_tag":[{"value":906,"label":"+8"},{"value":594,"label":"Ireland"},{"value":592,"label":"Oscar Wilde"},{"value":772,"label":"United Kingdom"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/lecturia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Oscar-Wilde-El-gigante-egoista2.webp",1024,1024,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Juan Pablo Guevara","author_link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/author\/spartakku\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":559,"name":"Short stories","slug":"short-stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":559,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":420,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":559,"category_count":420,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Short stories","category_nicename":"short-stories","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":906,"name":"+8","slug":"8-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":906,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":594,"name":"Ireland","slug":"ireland","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":594,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":592,"name":"Oscar Wilde","slug":"oscar-wilde-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":592,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":772,"name":"United Kingdom","slug":"united-kingdom","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":772,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":93,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}