This fable-like story by Oscar Wilde begins with a baby seemingly falling from the sky. His life-story unfolds through themes of poverty, social class, narcissism, cruelty, karma, loss, repentance and redemption. Finally, as lord of a great city, he rules with justice and mercy to all. In the last paragraph, the story takes an unexpected and some say disappointing turn. He dies three years later, and his successor rules evilly. Interpretations of this depressing denouement include the futility of one man trying to change the way of the world, and the benefits of democracy over autocratic rule.

The major themes of this Oscar Wilde story are sacrifice and the nature of love. A nightingale sacrifices its life in exchange for a red rose to help a love-smitten student. The story contrasts the selfless, unconditional love of the nightingale, the student’s naïve infatuation with a fickle girl, and her materialistic love of another. The student, who only knows things that are written down in books, not only laments that the nightingale’s song doesn’t do any practical good but, angry about being rejected, dismisses love as quite unpractical. Other themes include compassion, naivety, materialism, and intellectualism vs. aesthetic appreciation.

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.