REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

UNIVERSITY “ALEKSANDER MOISIU” DURRES

FACULTY OF EDUCATION
BRANCH: GERMAN-ENGLISH
COURSE: ENGLISH THROUGH LITERARY GENRES

Coursework Assignment

Topic: Analyze a short story of your choice according to the elements studied in this course

Worked by: Brisilda Kalia Accepted by: Dr. Florinda BORICI

Durrës 2021
TITLE: THE SELFISH GIANT
AUTHOR: OSCAR WILDE
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1888
PLOT:
There was a giant that lived in a big place that had been visiting a friend for the past seven years.
During that time the children in the town played in his lovely garden filled with flowers and
singing birds everyday. When he returned he forced the children out of his garden and built a
wall around it, so he could have the garden all to himself. The giant was very selfish so winter
came upon his house and didn’t leave for an entire year. Then one day he looked out his window
and saw that the children had crept into his garden and caused spring to come. The giant helped
this one special little boy climb a tree and the little boy kissed him and loved him and the giant
loved him back. The little boy never returned…for a long time the giant kept playing with the
children until he became to old. One day when he was alone he saw that one little boy he loved
nailed to the tree in the garden, at first he was upset, but when he talked to him he invited him to
come to paradise with him. The next day the other children found the giant dead on the ground
covered with white flowers.
SETTING:
The setting of the story takes place in the giants beautiful, peaceful garden outside of his huge
castle.
CONFLICT:
The first conflict is when the children are playing in the garden when the giant is away. Once he
comes back he is very upset and yells at the children. “My garden is my own garden, no one
shall play in it but myself”. So he built a high wall and put up a sign that says “Trespassers will
be prosecuted”.
Another conflict in this story is when the giant sees the boy he loves nailed to a tree in his garden
and he is incredibly angry.
CHARACTERS:
The giant
At the beginning he was very selfish and wouldn’t let any children play in his garden. By the end
he learned not to be selfish and that sharing and showing kindness is the ultimate happiness. In
the story the author says “He was a very selfish giant”. This was direct characterization. Later in
the story the giant says “How selfish I have been! It is your garden now little children”. This is
indirect characterization, because the giant is not selfish anymore.
The little boy
Throughhout the story the little boy doesn’t change much. He is there to help the giant do better
his life. He taught him that love and kindness are the most important things in life. “You let me
play once in your garden, today you shall come to my garden, which is paradise”. This is indirect
characterization because the giant has now done his good in the world for his life.
POINT OF VIEW:
This story is written in third person limited. You only hear the thoughts of the giant. “It sounded
so sweet to his ears, it seemed to him the most beautiful music in the world. I think he chose the
view because it lets you know details about the giant and makes you feel what he is feeling and
help you imagine the story better. “He saw the most wonderful sight”.
NARRATOR:
This short story has a nonparticipant narrator, writing in the third person. The narrator is all
knowing (seeing into any of the characters).
TONE:
The tone of the story is cheerful. The giant learns his lesson about sharing his garden with the
children. By the help of a little boy, at the end of the story the giant helps the little boy by going
to his garden paradise.
IRONY:
Dramatic irony
In the beginning the children are playing in the giant’s garden when he is away.
Situational irony
At the end of the story when the little boy comes back. You wouldn’t suspect that he was an
angel of heaven to help the giant. Also you wouldn’t guess that the giant would choose to die and
go to a better place with the little boy.
THEME:
The author wants you to learn that being selfish doesn’t help you. You should share and be nice
to others.
SYMBOLS:
The seasons (spring, winter)
The seasons symbolize the behavior of the giant. when he misbehaves with children and shows
selfishness his garden turns into a deserted and gloomy place with snow, without color and
without bloom. And when he changed his behavior and towards children his garden returned the
beautiful spring colors, the voices of children and the chirping of birds. Also the garden
symbolizes the mood of the giant as when his garden is beautiful he is happy and calm.
The little boy
The little boy symbolize the God, an angel of paradise. Only through the opportunity presented
by the little boy, giant was able to demonstrate his goodwill to the children and atone for his
actions.
The tree
The tree in the corner of the giant’s garden is a symbol of the little boy’s true identity.
Oscar Wilde uses the tree in the giant’s garden because it is by raising “the paradise’s angel” into
his tree that the giant begins to be redeemed. The other children fled from the giant just before
this moment, the only one who remained was the little boy, who was in fact an angel from
paradise.

“The Selfish Giant” is of the most famous and didactic fairy tales by Oscar Wilde, called after its
main character - a capricious and egoistic giant. This is a parable about the transformative power
of love and kindness that brings spring even to the coldest heart.