The Selfish Giant

"The Selfish Giant" is a metaphorical story written by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). The story revolves around the character of the Giant who once was selfish became generous after meeting a boy. "The Selfish Giant" opens with the children enjoying in the garden of the Giant while he was away. Due to the children's presence it was still spring in the Giant's garden irrespective of the weather outside. When the Giant returns from his friend's home after a long vacation he hears children playing in his garden and becomes annoyed. He was so annoyed that he scared the children and built a high wall all around and put up a notice "Trespassers will be Prosecuted". The poor children now have nowhere to play but the Giant was unaware that it was the children who brought spring in his garden. Without the children the garden was cold and lonely. One day the Giant heard the birds chirping from his bed. Thinking that it was spring , the Giant gets out and finds out the there were children in his garden. At one corner of the garden, the giant saw a boy crying because he was unable to climb the tree and that corner of the garden was still winter. The Giant assists the child to climb the tree, the tree immediately start to bloom. But later on, the Giant never saw him again. He opens his garden to the children and is now no longer selfish. Years later he saw his favorite boy again. The boy had wounds on his hands and feet and offers to take the Giant to his garden in "Paradise". The children find the Giant has died, but he was covered in blooms.

The main idea of this story is that being selfish makes us lonely and prevents us from experiencing goodness in life. When someone is kind and selfless their life is full of good things. Life is better when a person is generous and selfishness is not good for anyone. This short and beautiful story teaches us to show selflessness which is one of the basics virtues of human life. I agree with the author as it teaches us that when we show the act of selflessness then we end up in great things just like the Giant. The Giant becomes selfless and helped the boy and let him play in his garden for which in return he went to "Paradise". If we do good things in life there is always great things waiting for us. Similarly at the end of the story the author didn't gave clear clarifications on the Giant's afterlife. So if I was the author I would have mention the Giant's great afterlife in "Paradise".