The Selfish Giant
by Oscar Wilde
The Selfish Giant, one of our Favorite Fairy Tales, was first published in 1888 as part of Oscar Wilde's collection of children's stories entitled The Happy Prince and Other Tales. That collection of children's stories also includes: The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Devoted Friend, and The Remarkable Rocket.
Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant's 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. "How happy we are here!" they cried to each other.
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.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.
TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED He was a very selfish Giant.
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. "How happy we were there," they said to each other.
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. "Spring has forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the year round." 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. "This is a delightful spot," he said, "we must ask the Hail on a visit." 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. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming," said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
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.
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's 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. "I believe the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out.
What did he see?
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. 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 boy was too tiny.
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.
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'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.
All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to bid him good-bye.
"But where is your little companion?" he said: "the boy I put into the tree." The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.
"We don't know," answered the children; "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow," 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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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, "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."
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.
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."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
This story is included in our collection of Favorite Fairy Tales, 50 Feel-Good Stories and Short Stories for Middle School II
A pairing recommendation: read with The Coming of the King by Laura E. Richards
Frequently Asked Questions about The Selfish Giant
What is "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde about?
The Selfish Giant tells the story of a Giant who returns home after a seven-year visit to a Cornish ogre and finds children playing in his beautiful garden. Angry at the intrusion, he builds a high wall and posts a trespassing sign, banishing the children. As a consequence, his garden falls into perpetual winter — Spring, Summer, and Autumn refuse to visit, and only Snow, Frost, Hail, and the North Wind remain. When the children sneak back through a hole in the wall, spring returns with them, and the Giant realizes his selfishness has been the cause of his misery. He knocks down the wall and opens the garden to the children forever. Years later, a mysterious little boy with nail wounds on his hands and feet — a figure of Christ — returns to take the dying Giant to Paradise.
What is the theme of "The Selfish Giant"?
The central theme of The Selfish Giant is that selfishness leads to isolation and suffering, while generosity brings renewal and redemption. The Giant's decision to wall off his garden and exclude the children is an act of possessiveness that brings literal winter to his world. Only when he opens his heart — and his garden — does warmth and life return. Wilde also explores the theme of Christian love and salvation: the mysterious little boy with stigmata represents Christ, and the Giant's act of kindness toward him ultimately earns the Giant entry into Paradise. On a simpler level, the story teaches that joy is multiplied when shared and destroyed when hoarded.
What does the garden symbolize in "The Selfish Giant"?
The garden in The Selfish Giant functions as a symbol of the Giant's soul. When the Giant is selfish and cold-hearted, the garden is trapped in perpetual winter — barren, frozen, and joyless. When he opens himself to love and generosity, the garden bursts into spring with blossoms, birdsong, and fruit. The garden also carries echoes of the biblical Garden of Eden, a paradise that can be lost through sin and regained through grace. Wilde reinforces this by ending the story with the Christ-child inviting the Giant to "my garden, which is Paradise," explicitly linking the earthly garden to a heavenly one. On a practical level, the garden also represents childhood innocence — it flourishes only in the presence of children.
Who is the little boy at the end of "The Selfish Giant"?
The little boy who appears at the end of the story is a representation of Jesus Christ. When the elderly Giant rushes out to see him, he discovers "the prints of two nails" on the child's hands and feet — a direct reference to the stigmata, the wounds Christ received during the Crucifixion. The boy tells the Giant, "these are the wounds of Love," and invites him to come to "my garden, which is Paradise." This reveals that the Giant's original act of kindness — lifting the small child into the tree — was unknowingly an act of service to Christ. The ending draws on the Christian principle from the Gospel of Matthew: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
What literary devices does Oscar Wilde use in "The Selfish Giant"?
employs several literary devices throughout this fairy tale. The most prominent is allegory — the entire story operates as a Christian parable about selfishness, redemption, and divine grace. Wilde also makes extensive use of personification: the Spring, Snow, Frost, North Wind, Hail, and Autumn are all given human qualities and motivations. The Snow "covered up the grass with her great white cloak," and the Autumn "gave golden fruit to every garden" but refused the Giant's. Symbolism is woven throughout, from the wall (emotional barriers) to the seasons (spiritual states) to the white blossoms covering the dead Giant (purity and grace). Wilde also uses foreshadowing — the little boy's mysterious appearance and disappearance early in the story hints at his supernatural identity, which is confirmed only at the end.
What is the moral of "The Selfish Giant"?
The moral of The Selfish Giant is that love and generosity are rewarded, while selfishness brings only misery. The Giant's possessiveness over his garden — "My own garden is my own garden" — results in a cold, barren existence. Only when he tears down his wall and shares his garden with the children does he find happiness, companionship, and eventually salvation. For younger readers, the lesson is straightforward: sharing brings joy, and shutting others out brings loneliness. For older readers, Wilde layers in a deeper Christian moral — that acts of compassion, even toward the smallest and weakest, are acts of service to God and are rewarded with eternal life.
What does the wall represent in "The Selfish Giant"?
The wall the Giant builds around his garden is a symbol of the emotional and spiritual barriers that selfishness creates. By walling off his garden, the Giant physically separates himself from the children and from joy itself. The wall represents his refusal to share, to connect, or to love — and its consequences are immediate, as the garden falls into permanent winter. When the Giant finally has his change of heart, his first act is to take "a great axe" and knock the wall down. This destruction of the barrier is the decisive moment of his transformation. Wilde makes the symbolism unmistakable: the wall is not just stone but the Giant's own selfishness made visible, and tearing it down is the act that restores both his garden and his soul.
When was "The Selfish Giant" published?
The Selfish Giant was first published in 1888 as part of 's collection The Happy Prince and Other Tales, which also included The Happy Prince, The Devoted Friend, The Nightingale and the Rose, and The Remarkable Rocket. The collection was Wilde's first book of fairy tales, written partly for his own two young sons. Though primarily known for his plays and novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde considered his fairy tales among his finest work, and they remain widely read in schools and homes around the world.
Why does it remain winter in the Giant's garden?
The perpetual winter in the Giant's garden is a supernatural consequence of his selfishness. After the Giant builds his wall and banishes the children, Spring refuses to come. The birds will not sing because there are no children to listen, the trees forget to blossom, and even a flower that tries to emerge retreats back underground when it sees the trespassing sign. In their place, the Snow, Frost, North Wind, and Hail take up permanent residence. Wilde uses this extended personification of the seasons to create a moral universe where nature itself enforces justice — the Giant's cold heart produces a cold garden. The winter only breaks when the children creep back through a hole in the wall, and each child sitting in a tree causes that tree to burst into blossom, making the connection between the children's presence and spring's return unmistakable.
Is "The Selfish Giant" a fairy tale or a religious allegory?
The Selfish Giant is both. On the surface, it is a fairy tale in the classic tradition — a simple narrative with a Giant, magical seasons, talking trees, and a clear moral lesson. It was written for children and published alongside other fairy tales like The Happy Prince. However, it is also the most explicitly Christian of all Wilde's stories. The little boy with nail wounds in his hands and feet is unmistakably Christ, his invitation to "my garden, which is Paradise" is a direct promise of heaven, and the Giant's death under the tree covered in white blossoms echoes imagery of crucifixion and resurrection. Critics have noted that Wilde, who converted to Catholicism on his deathbed in 1900, wove religious themes throughout his fairy tales, and The Selfish Giant is the most transparent example.
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