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The Selfish Giant

By Oscar Wilde
1888

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet. He remains well known for his
literary talents, his sharp wit, and his memorable personality. His later years were characterized by failing
health and deep depression. As you read, take notes on how the seasons and their elements are
characterized.

[1] 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
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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
"Children's Garden" by Family O’Abe is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
happy we are here!’ they cried to each other.

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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.

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“What are you doing here?” he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

[5] “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.

1. produced
2. The term “Cornish” refers to inhabitants of Cornwall, a county on England’s southwestern tip.
3. Gruff (adjective): rough and low in pitch
 “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
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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.

[10] “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
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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
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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
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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 little boy was too tiny.

4. shingles on the roof

5. a small bird with a reddish breast and forehead
6. window
7. chirping
[15] 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.”

[20] "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.

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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 marvelous 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.

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[25] 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
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prints of two nails were on the little feet.

8. Feeble (adjective): lacking physical strength, especially due to age or illness

9. Hasten (verb): to hurry
 “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.”

[30] And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all
covered with white blossoms.

"The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde (1888) is in the public domain.

10. Holes in the hands and feet are called “stigmata” and are a reference to Jesus Christ, who was nailed to a cross by his
hands and feet.
 Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which TWO of the following best identify the central themes of this story?
A. Selfishness will be punished, while a gracious spirit will be rewarded.
B. It is impossible to treat all people equally; we will always have preferences for
some people over others.
C. It is only in death that people’s good deeds can truly be appreciated.
D. People are dynamic beings who can learn, change, and redeem themselves.
E. Living in agreement with a particular religion is the only way to live kindly.
F. People may behave differently over time, but they can never really change who
they are.

2. PART B: Which TWO phrases from the story best support the answers to Part A?
A. “So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost,
and the Snow danced about through the trees.” (Paragraph 11)
B. “’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.” (Paragraph 15)
C. "The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.” (Paragraph 18)
D. “‘Nay!’ answered the child; ‘but these are the wounds of Love.’” (Paragraph 27)
E. "’You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my
garden, which is Paradise.’” (Paragraph 29)
F. “they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white
blossoms.” (Paragraph 30)

3. How does the giant’s first interaction with the children shape their perspective of him?
A. It makes them fearful of him.
B. It encourages them to continue playing in his garden.
C. It motivates them to befriend the little boy.
D. It makes them feel bad for him.

4. How does the following phrase help develop the plot of the story: “He did not hate the
Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were
resting” (Paragraph 23)?
A. It emphasizes how miserable the giant was during the period of time when it
was constantly winter on his property.
B. It shows that the giant became a more understanding and optimistic person
after his interaction with the little boy.
C. It demonstrates that the presence of the children has ensured that it will never
again be winter in the giant’s garden.
D. It symbolizes the giant's mood: since he is unkind and insensitive to the children,
he does not care whether it is spring or not.
5. Explain how the seasons and natural elements in the story help develop the major
characters in the story.
 Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to
share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Why do you think the giant is initially so unwelcoming to the children who wish to play in his
garden? What might this suggest about his past experiences?

2. The text uses Christian symbols throughout (the holes from nailing hands and feet to the
cross). What is the significance of these symbols on the little boy at the end of the story?
What does this add to the story?

3. In the story, the seasons, the North Wind, Hail, Frost, and Snow are all personified
(Paragraph 11). This means that they are given the attributes of human beings by being
able to make conscious decisions. In the context of this story, who is in control: man or
nature? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or
history in your answer.

4. In the context of this story, what is a friend? Cite evidence from this text, your own
experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

5. After forming a special bond with the boy he placed in the tree, the giant allows the children
permanent access to his beautiful garden. In the context of this story, how are we changed
by love? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or
history in your answer.