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Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. “Spring has forgotten this garden,” they cried, “so we will live here all the year round.” The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney pots down. ‘‘This is a delightful spot,” he said, “we must ask Hail on a visit.” So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.
Days passed. Nothing brought a change in the giant's character. Then came a spring season when a strange thing happened. While the whole country enjoyed the perfect spring temperature, winter filled the giant's garden. Nature punished him for his arrogance and selfishness. Since there were no children around, the birds didn't like to sing, and the trees forgot to blossom.
A lovely flower had once emerged from the grass, but it felt so sad for the children's absence. It went to sleep upon seeing the noticeboard of the giant. The author here added this line to bring out the reason for readers why the giant's garden alone had suffered from winter. The Snow and the Frost were the only happy ones as they enjoyed prevailing the whole garden for a longer period. "Spring has forgotten this garden," they exclaimed and decided to occupy the giant's garden the whole year. The spring season is considered the perfect season of the year since it is the season of new beginnings.
A lovely flower had once emerged from the grass, but it felt so sad for the children's absence. It went to sleep upon seeing the noticeboard of the giant. The author here added this line to bring out the reason for readers why the giant's garden alone had suffered from winter. The Snow and the Frost were the only happy ones as they enjoyed prevailing the whole garden for a longer period. "Spring has forgotten this garden," they exclaimed and decided to occupy the giant's garden the whole year. The spring season is considered the perfect season of the year since it is the season of new beginnings.
During the spring season, flowers would bloom everywhere. Earth will have a new life again during spring. Also, the spring season has more sunny hours compared with other seasons. Here, we can realise the author compares children to flowers without whom the garden remains unhappy, affected by the winter season. When spring decided not to enter the giant's garden, it was winter that completely took over the giant's garden, which was nature's punishment. Grasses and trees left frozen with Snow. The whole garden was filled with Snow.
Snow and Frost then invited North Wind to stay with them in the giant's garden. The term North Wind in here clues on never-ending cold weather. It blew the chimney-pots down. Then, they invited Hail to the garden. Hail refers to small balls of ice that comes from the sky. The Hail knocked on the castle roof for three hours a day and broke most of the slates, and then he dashed as hard as he could across the garden. His breath was like ice, and he was dressed in grey. In this lesson, Oscar Wilde had personified nature, flowers, seasons etc., which were portrayed as punishing the selfish giant for his selfish deed.
Meaning of difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meaning |
1. | Arrogance | The behaviour of a person that they are more important than others |
2. | Hail | Small balls of ice |
3. | Rattle | To make a noise like hard things hitting each other |
4. | Slate | A small thin piece |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2008). The Selfish Giant – Oscar Wilde (pp. 17-24). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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