The Selfish Giant - Oscar Wilde (II Semester Additional English)

A Selfish Giant - Oscar Wilde

A giant had a beautiful garden. It had soft green grass and twelve peach-trees. Schoolchildren used to visit it to play there in the evening when they came from school. Once, the giant went out to see his friend, Cornish Ogre. He stayed at his house for seven years. After seven years, he returned to his own castle. To his surprise, he found the children playing in his garden.

“My garden is my own garden”, he said to himself. Therefore, he built a high wall around it.Then he put up a notice board declaring “TRESSPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED”. It was clear that he had become selfish.

Now the Children felt very sad. They had no place to play. So, they played outside the garden around the wall.Time went on. In the spring, flowers grew all over, but in the Giant’s garden, there was no spring. There was no summer also.It was always winter there. Neither birds nor flowers could be seen there. Only snow and frost covered the trees. The Giant wondered as to why there was no spring in his garden.

Once the Giant lay in his bed awake. He heard a sweet music.A little linnet (a bird) sang outside his window. The music appealed to him. The sweet smell of flowers passed through his nostrils.He saw the most wonderful sight. Children had crept in through a hole.Children sat on branches.The trees were covered with flowers.In the farthest corner of the garden a little boy was sitting.He was too small to climb on the branch. He cried bitterly. The giant went up to him and kissed him. He picked him up and placed him on a branch.

Now the Giant knocked down the garden wall. He felt sorry for building it. When children saw him, they ran away. The garden became winter like again. He called out the children and said, “It is your garden. Come and play freely.”

In the evening, when they came to him to say goodbye, he asked them about the little child. They said they did not know. The Giant loved him the most. Now due to children’s frequent visits the spring returned.

Many years passed. The Giant had become old. He could not play anymore. One day suddenly he saw the little child he had loved. He went downstairs and walked near him. However, he felt angry to see his wounded palms and feet. On asking who had wounded him, he replied, “These are the wounds of love.”At this, the Giant fell on his feet, “I’ll let you play in my garden which is paradise” said the little child, “Because you let me play in your garden once.”

In the evening, when the children visited the garden, they saw the Giant lying dead and flowers were showered upon him. At last, the little boy took the giant to his own garden, the Paradise as a reward.

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