Summary
Chapter 3 of the Class 8 English NCERT textbook (It So Happened), "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde, is a fairy tale about a Giant whose selfishness keeps his beautiful garden locked from the children who used to play in it, causing an unending winter. When his heart melts at the sight of a tiny boy, he tears down the wall, restores spring, and gives the garden to the children forever. Years later the same mysterious boy returns and takes the aged, dying Giant to paradise.
- Selfishness versus generosity — The Giant's decision to wall off his garden and bar the children is pure selfishness — and it condemns his world to perpetual winter. Only when he gives the garden away does life and joy return.
- Nature mirrors the heart — Spring, Summer and Autumn shun the walled garden while Snow, Frost, Wind and Hail move in. The seasons act as symbols: the frozen garden reflects the Giant's cold heart, and spring returns with the children's love.
- Redemption through love — A weeping little boy softens the Giant, prompting him to demolish the wall and welcome the children forever. His transformation shows how a single act of compassion can redeem a hardened, lonely soul.
- Christian allegory of paradise — The mysterious child who returns bearing nail-wounds he calls 'wounds of Love' evokes Christ, inviting the dying Giant to his garden — paradise. The tale reads as an allegory of grace, sacrifice and eternal reward.
Key points & formulas
- 01The Giant's garden had soft green grass, flowers like stars, twelve peach-trees, and birds whose song stopped children mid-game.
- 02After seven years away with a Cornish ogre, the Giant returned, drove the children out, built a high wall, and put up a notice saying 'Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted'.
- 03Spring, Summer, and Autumn abandoned the walled garden; Snow, Frost, North Wind, and Hail lived there year-round, making it always winter.
- 04Hearing a linnet sing and seeing the children back in the trees, the Giant realised his selfishness and knocked down the wall, declaring the garden the children's playground forever.
- 05A tiny boy who could not reach the branches stood weeping in the one corner still gripped by winter; the Giant placed him in the tree, which instantly broke into blossom.
- 06The little boy kissed the Giant and then disappeared; the Giant longed for him for years, calling the children 'the most beautiful flowers of all'.
- 07In old age the Giant found the boy again bearing nail-wounds he called 'wounds of Love'; the boy invited the Giant to paradise, and the Giant was found dead under white blossoms.
Frequently asked questions
01Who wrote 'The Selfish Giant'?
The story is written by Oscar Wilde, as credited at the end of the chapter.
02Why did the Giant build a wall around his garden?
When the Giant returned after seven years and found children playing in his garden, he declared 'My own garden is my own garden' and built a high wall with a notice-board reading 'Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted' to keep them out.
03Why was it always winter in the Giant's garden after he built the wall?
Spring, Summer, and Autumn refused to visit the garden because the Giant was selfish and had driven the children out. Snow, Frost, North Wind, and Hail moved in and stayed year-round.
04What sound caused the Giant to realise spring might have come?
The Giant heard a little linnet singing outside his window — a sound so sweet he thought it must be the King's musicians. This was followed by the Hail stopping and a delicious perfume coming through the casement.
05What wonderful sight did the Giant see when he looked out of his window that morning?
He saw children who had crept in through a hole in the wall sitting in the branches of every tree. The trees had covered themselves with blossoms and were waving their arms above the children's heads, and birds were twittering with delight.
06Who was the little boy in the farthest corner, and why was he weeping?
He was a tiny child standing under a tree that was still covered with frost and snow. He was too small to reach the branches and was wandering around the tree crying bitterly.
07How did the Giant's attitude change when he saw the little boy?
His heart melted. He said 'How selfish I have been!' and understood why Spring had not come. He crept quietly out, lifted the boy gently into the tree, and decided to knock down the wall so the garden would be the children's playground forever.
08What happened when the Giant placed the little boy in the tree?
The tree instantly broke into blossom and birds came to sing on it. The little boy stretched out his arms and flung them round the Giant's neck and kissed him. Seeing this, the other children ran back and with them came Spring.
09What happened to the little boy after the wall was knocked down?
He disappeared. The other children said they had never seen him before and did not know where he lived. The Giant longed for him for years but the boy was never seen again — until the Giant was very old.
10What did the Giant mean when he said 'the children are the most beautiful flowers of all'?
In his old age, sitting in an armchair watching the children play, the Giant said this to express that despite having many beautiful flowers in his garden, he valued the children's presence most of all.
11What were the 'wounds of Love' on the little boy's hands and feet?
When the boy reappeared in the Giant's old age, there were prints of two nails on the palms of his hands and on his feet. When the angry Giant asked who had dared to wound him, the boy answered 'Nay! but these are the wounds of Love.'
12How does the story end?
The boy told the old Giant 'You let me play once in your garden; today you shall come with me to my garden, which is paradise.' That afternoon the children found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
13Is the NCERT Class 8 English 'It So Happened' Chapter 3 PDF free to read?
Yes. The full NCERT PDF for 'It So Happened' Chapter 3 — 'The Selfish Giant' — is available free on CBSE PrepMaster. No sign-up or payment is needed.
More chapters in It So Happened
Read Chapter 3 of It So Happened, the Class 8 English NCERT textbook (2026-27 edition), online for free: the complete chapter as published by NCERT with every diagram, solved example and exercise, with a chapter summary, question answers and revision notes. Open the NCERT PDF above, or browse all NCERT Class 8 textbooks.
Read offline with notes, solutions & mock tests
CBSE Prepmaster — free on iOS & Android