The Selfish Giant

“But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant’s garden she gave none. ‘He is too selfish,’ 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.”

Like the previous quote, this illustrates the consequences of the Giant’s lack of charity. Wilde uses direct and straightforward language to communicate the problem to young readers, noting that the Giant “is too selfish.” This quote also suggests that the Giant’s actions have violated the natural order by affirming that the normal course of seasons continues outside the Giant’s garden.

“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’s heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing.”

This quote contains several examples of the way Wilde anthropomorphizes nature to show divine providence’s effects on the garden. The trees, birds, and flowers all express their delight at the children’s return to the garden, showing how nature rewards the children for their innocent virtue.

“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. 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. ‘Climb up! little boy,’ said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the little boy was too tiny.”

Though it’s spring where the children are playing, the sadness of the little boy prevents warmth and new life from reaching all corners of the garden. Like the Giant, the little boy is saddened by winter, but he has not done anything to deserve divine punishment. This quote also reveals exactly what changes the Giant’s frame of mind regarding his selfishness; the little boy’s innocent suffering shows him the necessity of being charitable toward the children.

“And the Giant’s heart melted as he looked out. ‘How selfish I have been!’ he said; ‘now 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’s playground for ever and ever.’ He was really very sorry for what he had done.”

This excerpt succinctly sums up the story’s action, exemplifying the direct and explicit way Wilde communicates the story’s message to his audience. The melting of the Giant’s heart is comparable to the melting of the winter snow, which coincides with The Journey of Contrition, Penance, and Redemption. Having recognized the error of his ways, the Giant now resolves to make concrete amends by helping the little boy and pulling down the wall.

“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.”

Winter briefly returns when the children flee, underscoring the importance of the Giant’s penance in his redemption: It is only the act of putting the boy in the tree that fully restores the natural order of the garden. This is also the first time the Giant physically joins the children in the garden, allowing their innate goodness to positively influence him.

“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’s 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. ‘It is your garden now, little children,’ 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’clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.”

This quote shows the various ways that the Giant, the little boy, and the other children influence one another’s behavior. The little boy is the first child the Giant loves, and that love catalyzes his love for the other children. Similarly, the other children see the goodness in the Giant after the little boy kisses him. This quote supports the message of loving your neighbor, which is prominent throughout the story.

“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. ‘How I would like to see him!’ he used to say.”

Though the Giant loves all the children, he loves the little boy first and foremost. As the little boy is a stand-in for Christ, this quote suggests the importance of loving God above all else while also loving one’s neighbor.

“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. ‘I have many beautiful flowers,’ he said; ‘but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.’”

The Giant is the only character in the story who is explicitly depicted as aging—an indication of his humanlike nature that encourages readers to identify with his moral journey. The metaphor comparing the children to flowers also continues to connect them and their playing with the divine harmony of the garden.

“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.”

The garden is not in an eternal spring following the children’s return; rather, it follows a natural order and changes seasons regularly. The Giant’s acceptance of Winter shows the change in his mindset: His time with the children has given him a positive outlook on life even toward its end, and he sees the wisdom of divine providence.

“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.”

The tree the boy reappears beneath is also the tree where the Giant originally found him, underscoring that his appearance is a return or resurrection. The little boy’s return as an unchanged, unaged child also alludes to Christ’s resurrection. The ornate description of the tree is reminiscent of various artistic depictions of the cross. Christianity also commonly associates gold and silver with heaven, foreshadowing the Giant’s death and entrance into paradise.

“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, ‘Who hath dared to wound thee?’ For on the palms of the child’s hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet. ‘Who hath dared to wound thee?’ cried the Giant; ‘tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him.’”

The Giant briefly returns to the cruel behavior he exhibited at the beginning of the story. Though his threat to slay the person who wounded the child shows his love for the little boy, its vengefulness and violence aren’t in keeping with the spirit of Christianity. As such, Wilde suggests that behavior and morality are continuous choices rather than singular actions; the Giant could change for the worse as well as for the better.

“‘Nay!’ answered the child; ‘but these are the wounds of Love.’”

The capitalization of “Love” highlights its importance as a central theme in the story. Where the Giant sees the boy’s wounds as the marks of cruelty, the story frames the child’s stigmata as “wounds of Love,” focusing not on the literal crucifixion of Christ but rather on Christ’s love for humanity, which motivated his sacrifice.

“And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, ‘You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.’”

While the Giant’s garden is comparable to the Garden of Eden, the boy’s words clarify that it is distinct from it: God’s realm is the true “Paradise,” which is the Giant’s reward for his good deed in helping the little boy. In this way, Wilde encourages readers to be charitable and lead a selfless life.