The Selfish Giant

“The Selfish Giant” is full of biblical allusions—references to another work of literature, or a well-known person, event, etc. These allusions are often straightforward and would be clear even to a young Victorian reader. As mentioned above, the Giant’s garden evokes both the Garden of Eden and the garden of paradise, to which it is directly compared at the end of the story. The stigmata and other Christ-like attributes of the little boy, such as his reappearance (a figurative resurrection or second coming), would make it clear to Victorian Christians that the boy represents Jesus. Similarly, the tree the boy appears beneath symbolizes the cross, and its gilded fruits and blossoms are reminiscent of artistic and decorative depictions of the cross. These frequent allusions to the Bible support themes of Selfishness, Selflessness, and Self-Reliance and The Journey of Contrition, Penance, and Redemption, offering a familiar moral framework for readers.

The story frequently uses juxtaposition, or the placing together of two unlike things, to show what is moral and immoral. As Wilde intended this story for a young audience, many of the problems in the plot allow for little gray area: Good actions (such as the Giant putting the boy in the tree) and bad actions (the Giant keeping the children from his garden) are clearly distinct from one another. However, other juxtapositions lend themselves to more nuanced interpretation. The Giant’s largeness contrasts with the children’s smallness, which initially underscores his selfishness; it seems particularly wrong for someone so big and powerful to behave cruelly toward those who are small and weak. However, following his moral transformation, the Giant is not the opposite of the children in anything but size. The unexpected commonality, highlighted by the Giant joining the children in their play, underscores that anyone can change their nature and become kind.