The Red Rose
Red roses are traditionally associated with romance, so it is not surprising that Wilde uses one to symbolize true love in "The Nightingale and the Rose." Its significance, however, shifts over the context of the…
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Silk
The blue silk the girl is winding is a symbol of her shallowness and materialism. Silk is a luxury fabric, so its appearance foreshadows the girl's rejection of the rose in favor of more monetarily…
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The Dusty Book
At the end of "The Nightingale and the Rose," the Student rejects loves and returns to studying metaphysics. The book he opens is dusty, which suggests that no one has read it in a long…
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