Summary of Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

Summary for The Selfish Giant. 

The Selfish Giant is a wonderful short story written by Oscar Wilde. This story talks about a selfish Giant. The children used to visit the giant garden. They play in his garden every afternoon after returning from school. The garden remained a paradise for those kids. It was a heavenly place filled with tree bearing rich fruits and beautiful flowers all over. The birds sang melodiously perching on the top of the trees.

       The Giant stayed with his friend, Cornish Ogre. After seven years he returned home.
The children were frightened to see the giant. The giant chased away the kids playing in his garden. He disliked the kids playing in his garden.  So, he built a huge wall around the garden and hang a board stating that Trespassers would be Prosecuted. The children became sad as they lost a wonderful place for playing games. They roamed about the high walls of the garden. The kids missed the scenic beauty of the garden. 

Soon, Spring season began and the trees blossomed with colourful flowers. During this season the little birds sang full -
throated. But in the Giant’s garden Winter season persisted with Frost and Snow. The birds remained mute and flowers did not bloom in his garden.  Once a small flower bud bloomed out of the grass, but when it saw the notice-board, it slipped back to the ground and went back to sleep.

The Giant was shocked to discover, Spring season not visiting his garden. The Giants selfish character has turned the garden hellish. One fine morning the Giant  heard a sweet music coming from his garden. He was able to smell the fragrance of spring season into his garden. He jumped out of his bed and thought that Spring had finally arrived in his garden.

The Giant  saw  the children entering his garden through a tiny hole in the wall. The children  were sitting on the branches of trees. The flowers started blossoming in his garden. He was surprised to see the birds flying and chirping.

The Giant was perplexed to see Winter in one corner of the garden. He saw a little boy standing near a tree. He was striving hard to climb the tree. The tree stooped its branches towards him. But the boy was not able to reach the branches. Watching this the Giants heart melted. He realised how selfish he was with the kids. The Giant approached the little boy. He took the weeping boy gently in his arm and put him on the top of a tree. Soon, the tree blossomed again. The little boy kissed the Giant’s cheek.

The children rejoiced in the Giants garden. Thereafter, the Giant used to play with the children in his garden every afternoon. But the little boy never visited the garden. Many years passed, the Giant became weak and old. One winter morning, he saw the little boy standing under it.

The Giant was happy about seeing the little boy in his garden. He saw the palms of the child’s hands. It had prints of two nails and were wounded. The boy smiled and invited the Giant to come to his garden which was paradise. Later in the afternoon, when the children came to the garden, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree covered with white blossoms all over his body.

The Selfish Giant dwells on the message that we should not be selfish and try to be open-minded and spread love among others and make everyone around us happy.