The Selfish Giant

The story begins with the kids playing in the Giant's garden each afternoon after school. The garden was beautiful, and big, with soft grass and fruit trees. The trees bore bountiful fruits, and birds sang pleasantly while sitting on them.

After seven years, the giant returned. He was staying with his friend the Cornish Ogre. The kids were afraid to see him. He noticed the children playing and said he would not allow anyone to play there because it was his private garden. He constructed a wall around it and installed a noticeboard. The notice board stated that 'trespassers will be prosecuted'.

The children got upset since they had no other place to play. They would roam about the garden's high walls, remembering the gorgeous garden inside.

The spring season arrived, and there were blossoms and small birds everywhere. But it was winter in the giant's garden, so there was frost and snow. In the absence of children, birds did not sing. A flower blossomed from the grass, but it went back to sleep when it saw the noticeboard. Then came the North Wind and a hailstorm. Because of the giant's selfishness, autumn's golden apples did not reach his garden.

Then one morning, the giant heard some exquisite music. There was a linnet singing outside his window. The hail and North Wind had stopped, and he could sense the spring. He noticed the children enter his garden through a little opening. The youngsters were sitting on the branches of trees, which were flowering. He also noticed birds flying and heard them chirping. Flowers had also sprouted up.

Surprisingly, winter remained in one corner. He observed a young youngster standing there, unable to reach the limbs of the trees. The tree dropped its branches, but he was still unable to ascend.

At this point, his heart softened. He realized he was quite selfish. He put the boy on top of the tree, knocked down the walls, and let the children play there indefinitely. But when the children saw him, they fled, and the garden became winter again. However, the small child did not run because he was crying. The giant placed him on top of the tree, and the tree blossomed immediately. He kissed the giant.

When the other children saw that the giant was not evil, they returned. The spring returned with them. The giant used to play with the kids every afternoon, but that tiny guy was nowhere to be found. He became progressively weaker over time. One winter morning, he noticed a beautiful tree with white blossoms in a corner. The tree branches were golden, and the small child stood beneath them.

The giant was furious because the boy had been harmed. He told the youngster that he would kill the individual who had mistreated him. The boy said that these were the wounds of love. The child grinned and invited the giant to his garden. Later, the youngsters discovered the monster dead beneath the tree covered in white petals.

Some Important Questions

1. The story makes use of personification as one of the main figures of speech. Cite three examples of personification from the story. What is the significance of the seasons personified in the story?

ans: Personification is the practice of depicting objects, traits, and other concepts as human people in art and literature. Three examples of personification in the story are the beautiful small flowers that return to the garden after viewing the notice board, the snow, and the frost, which indicate that spring has forgotten this garden.

The story embodies the value of the seasons. At first, the seasons bring good weather to the garden, but the Giant sends the children away. Because of the Giant's cruelty to the children, the spring season leaves the garden. The season's disfavor signifies that the Giant's selfishness violates the natural order and hence warrants punishment. Thus, the season of personification serves to demonstrate that if someone does anything wrong, he or she will suffer the consequences.

2. When the little child smiled at the Giant, and said to him, "You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise," shortly afterward, the happy giant dies. What is the coincidence of this event? Describe it to this fairy story.

ans: The coincidence of this event is that once, the giant allowed the little child to play in his garden and make him happy, and now the same child wants to take him to his garden paradise to make him happy in return, implying that the giant's final time has come, and the little child is a messenger/fairy who wishes him to heaven for his noble works.

3. Which figure of speech is used for ‘winter, frost, snow, north wind, hail and little child’? Who is the little child compared to?

ans: As a fairy tale, the plot is rife with figures of speech. The figure of speech for 'winter, frost, snow, north wind, hail, and little child' is personification. The little infant is compared to God Almighty (Paradise).