The Selfish Giant

“The Selfish Giant” is a fairy tale written for children by Oscar Wilde, an Irish writer. [A fairy tale is a children’s story that features imaginary or magical places and beings.] Following is the summary of the story.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful garden. The children of the village used to come and play in the garden. They were very happy. But the garden belonged to a selfish giant. When the giant returned from his friend’s home, he found children playing in his garden. He became angry, and frightened the children away. Then he built a big wall around the garden to prevent the children from entering and also put a notice that said, “Trespassers will be prosecuted”.

Time passed and the seasons changed. Everywhere it was Spring, but Winter remained in the garden. The trees and flowers forgot to blossom, and the birds did not care to sing. Snow, Frost, North Wind and Hail reigned in the garden. The giant wondered, “Why the Spring is so late in coming?”

One day the giant saw the Spring appear in the garden. He went out and found a small hole in the wall. The children had entered through the hole and were playing in the garden. The trees were happy to receive them and had blossomed. The birds had also returned. Only at one corner of the garden there was still Winter. The giant went near and saw a little boy who was trying to climb a tree, but was not able to. The giant was moved with sympathy, and he lifted the little boy and placed him on the tree. The tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang. Now the giant understood what caused the Spring to come in the garden. It changed him completely. He knocked down the wall, removed the notice, and allowed the children to play in his garden thereafter.

The children came and played in the garden freely. The giant longed to see the little boy but never was he seen again. Naturally, the Winter came into the garden. When everywhere it was Winter, the giant saw the Spring had come at one corner of the garden. He saw carefully and to his surprise there was the little boy he had loved so much. He went near to him and saw the prints of nails in his hands and feet. Somebody had wounded the little boy. The giant became angry and asked the boy to tell the name of the person who had harmed him. But the boy said that those wounds were the wounds of Love.

The little boy further said, “You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.” Then, in that afternoon, the giant was found lying dead under the tree. So, the little boy was none other than Jesus, the God himself, and he had come in the form of a little boy to teach a lesson to the giant. We shouldn’t be selfish, but be kind and generous to others. The giant learned the lesson very well.