Socialism In Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant

Wilde himself was a rather religious man. This was shown in many of his writings. He displayed this aspect of his life in his works like “The Selfish Giant.” The giant in the story is a very religious man. This is also a little ironic because the giant is a large, intimidating figure. However, we see that he has a soft side like everyone us. The giant’s faith allows him to reunite with his lost friend, the boy. This, in a way, is Wilde’s way of asking for forgiveness for the bad things that he has done in his life. This is evident because the giant himself received forgiveness and got what he wanted. This is yet another example of Wilde expressing some of his own thoughts and desires throughout his writings. His worries, too, are shared with his readers. Wilde was a firm believer in the Christian set of morals. He also thought that if one acted with proper Christian behavior, then that person would be rewarded for his or her actions. This was especially the case when it came to the afterlife. For him, Christian morals meant some sort of happiness after death.

In Wilde’s case, socialism has a lot to do with writing. He believes and shows is his works that people are sometimes disconnected from society. Socialism itself brings competition between people everywhere. This divides them even further. People begin to grow against each other instead of with each other. Wilde shares these thoughts with his readers in works such as his essay “The Soul of Man under Socialism.” Wilde saw cooperation as a necessity in society. This was something that was also something that must be for the sake of the economy. It was only healthy for some people to come together. This was, in Wilde’s eyes, the only way for people and industries to recognize their big flaws. This would, in the end, benefit society socially and industrially. His goal was not just to help individuals, but virtually everyone (Dellamora