BSc BA English Notes Short Stories The Happy Prince (Oscar Wilde) Summary and Question Answers
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Summary
The story “The Happy Prince” has at least three themes. The first theme of the story is that outward beauty is nothing. It is just a show. The real beauties are love and sacrifices. The second theme is that love and sacrifice are two saving forces. The third theme is that there is great gap between the rich and the poor, the rulers and the masses.
When the happy prince is alive, he lives in a palace where sorrow is not allowed to enter. He lives a life of happiness. However, when he dies his courtiers set u his statute on a tall column.
The statue of the happy prince sees all the misery of the city. He weeps when he sees people in trouble. He wants to help them.
A swallow stays at the feet of the statue of the happy prince for the night. On happy prince’s request, he prolongs his stay and helps the poor with the ruby and the sapphires. When the happy prince cannot see any more, the swallow decides to stay with the happy prince forever. The he helps the people with the gold covering of the happy prince. At the end, he dies frost. The heart of the happy prince also breaks.
Once, the mayor and the town councilors pass by the stature of the happy prince. They are shocked to see it without ruby, sapphires, and gold covering. It looks ugly without them. They pull it down and decide to make another statue. The heart of the happy prince not melt in the furnace and the workers throw it on the dust heap where the dead swallow is already lying. An angel comes and takes both the heart and the dead Swallow to God as two precious things.
Question Answers
Story in Outline
The story is an allegory. It brings out the importance of charity. We learn that love and sacrifice can endear us to God. The prince in the story is no living prince. He is the statue of a dead prince decorated with gold leaves and precious stones. He is known as the Happy Prince because there is a smile on his lips. But the smile gradually gives way to tears. The Happy Prince cannot help crying over the scenes of misery in the houses of the poor. He decides to help them with his gold leaves and costly stones. The little swallow acts as his messenger, and he gives away all his wealth. The Swallow was on his way back to his homeland when the prince had detained him to help the poor. He still wished to go back but now it was too late. The intense cold killed him. Thus the little swallow lost his life in helping the poor. His death broke the prince?s heart. So the swallow and the prince perished for a noble cause. But their death was not the end. It made them immortal. That is why the angel selected the dead swallow and the lifeless heart of the prince as the noblest things on earth. The story teaches a very useful and very true lesson. We learn that God loves those who love their fellow human beings.
The Little Swallow's Role
The little swallow plays a very important role in the story. He acts as the agent of charity. He carries gold leaves and precious stones to the poor people who need these things. He does the noble work of rescue and relief. Being a migratory bird the swallow is on his way back home. The winter is coming, and soon it will be too cold for the swallow to live. But he is a kind-hearted swallow. He stays with the happy prince to help the poor in the city. He knows that this noble job will cost him his life. But he is too kind hearted to leave the noble prince. He stays on till it is too late. The cold kills him. He dies but his work for a noble cause makes him immortal. The angle of God carries away his dead body as one of the most precious things on earth. The role played by the little swallow has a lesson for us. We learn that even a little bird can help the poor and the needy if he gets a chance. Why not human beings? Why not little children? They can also do a lot of good if they try. We also learn that God loves those who do good to others. The little bird gets an opportunity to do good. He takes pity on the unhappy prince and consents to help him in helping the poor and the needy. He lays down his life for this noble cause. He dies of cold but his noble role makes his name immortal. In the same way we, too, can become immortal by doing good deeds.
Role of The Prince
The Happy Prince is not a living Prince. He is the statue of a prince, mounted on a tall column in the center of the city. It is the statue of a dead prince with the soul of the prince in it. He is decorated with gold leaves and precious stones. There is a smile on his lips. People call him the Happy Prince because of this smile. He is a supernatural character, because he can see, hear and speak. Standing on the top of the tall column, he can see the condition of the people of the city. He is deeply moved by the misery of the poor. When he was alive he lived a life of comfort. He neither knew nor cared for the sufferings of the poor people of his country. Now he regrets why he did not help them when he was alive. He requests the little swallow to act as his messenger. Through this messenger he gives away all his wealth. He loses his outward beauty and gains the beauty of the heart. Then the little swallow dies, and his heart breaks, but God treasures his broken heart as the most beautiful thing on earth.
The Prince's noble role teaches us that we can get real happiness, peace and love of God by helping the poor.
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