The Selfish Giant: A Story About Love, Sharing, and Second Chances
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant (1888) is a short fairy tale that has been read in many different ways over the years. Some people see it as a Christian story about sin and forgiveness. Others see it as a political story about the problems of private property and inequality. Still others connect it to Wilde's personal life and his sexuality. This paper argues that the story works on all these levels at once. The Giant starts out as a character who only cares about himself and his own things. By the end, he learns that true happiness comes from sharing and caring for others. The story shows that a person does not lose themselves by being generous; instead, they become a better version of themselves.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.7592241
Author: Nirmal Gurung
Institution: Tribhuvan University
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7171297183
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