The Selfish Giant
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Themes
All Themes Christian Charity Divine Providence Redemption The Power of Children
Quotes
Characters
All Characters The Giant The Children The Little Boy Spring, Summer, and Autumn The Forces of Winter
Symbols
All Symbols The Giant’s Garden The Tree
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices Allegory Allusions Anthropomorphism Foil Genre Imagery Mood Motifs Setting Soliloquy Style Tone
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The Selfish Giant

by Oscar Wilde
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Introduction Intro
Plot Summary Plot
Summary & Analysis
Themes
  • All Themes
  • Christian Charity Theme Icon
    Christian Charity
  • Divine Providence Theme Icon
    Divine Providence
  • Redemption Theme Icon
    Redemption
  • The Power of Children Theme Icon
    The Power of Children
Quotes
Characters
  • All Characters
  • The Giant
  • The Children
  • The Little Boy
  • Spring, Summer, and Autumn
  • The Forces of Winter
Symbols
  • All Symbols
  • The Giant’s Garden Symbol Icon
    The Giant’s Garden
  • The Tree Symbol Icon
    The Tree
Lit Devices
  • All Literary Devices
  • Allegory
  • Allusions
  • Anthropomorphism
  • Foil
  • Genre
  • Imagery
  • Mood
  • Motifs
  • Setting
  • Soliloquy
  • Style
  • Tone
Theme Wheel Theme Viz
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Download the Teacher Edition
Download this Chart (PDF)
Previous
The Forces of Winter

The Selfish Giant Symbols

Next
The Giant’s Garden

The Giant’s Garden

The Giant’s garden mirrors the state of his soul—and, in a broader sense, symbolizes the journey that a person’s soul undertakes in order to find redemption. Before the Giant returns home from his seven-year…

read analysis of The Giant’s Garden

The Giant’s Garden Symbol Icon

The Tree

The tree in the corner of the Giant’s garden is a marker of the little boy’s true identity as Christ and a symbol of the redemption he offers to all sinners. In Christian…

read analysis of The Tree

The Tree Symbol Icon
Previous
The Forces of Winter
Previous
The Forces of Winter
Next
The Giant’s Garden
Next
The Giant’s Garden

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