The Irish writer Oscar Wilde is known for his plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his short stories. He also wrote children’s stories, and this is one of the best known of these. A giant finds that his beautiful garden has become a playground for children. He drives them away and builds a wall around it. The seasons close in and his castle becomes a cold, miserable place. Redemption comes in the form of a small child the giant comes to love. The two main themes of the story are greed vs sharing, and Christian love.
The Selfish Giant first appeared in a a book called The Happy Prince and Other Tales, published in 1888. According to Wilde, these stories were designed to be read TO children rather than read BY them.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (1,650 words)
We are always happy to receive requests for stories. The Selfish Giant was suggested by a reader from Scotland. She wrote:
“Another story which might be added is ‘The Selfish Giant’ by Oscar Wilde. When I was away at school over 40 years ago our Headmistress would always read us a story with meaning on Sunday evening. One of them was The House with Golden Windows already on your list. My friends and I have remembered these tales all our lives – they can still bring a tear to the eye !”
If you would like us to cover a particular story that you think would be of interest to other readers or is special for you, simply send a request through our “Contact” link.
Video Version
This 1971 animated film version of the story produced for Reader’s Digest Canada is very true to the original and has a wonderful musical score. Watch and enjoy!
The Selfish Giant: do the children represent something
Thanks for the question Carlos. The children are a collective symbol of purity and innocence. Their main purpose in the story is to highlight the giant’s selfishness in building a wall to lock them out of his garden. If you consider the story to be a religious allegory, they could be considered in terms of the teachings of Jesus when he said “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven”.