Children’s Stories · Theme
Love and Selfishness
How Children’s Stories develops Love and Selfishness.
True love is portrayed as selfless and sacrificial, while selfishness—embodied by the Miller, the Rocket, and the Star-Child—leads to isolation and moral decay.
Where it surfaces
- The Happy Prince
The swallow's initial love for the Reed is self-centered, but his later devotion to the Prince becomes selfless and sacrificial.
- The Nightingale and the Rose
The Student's love is shallow and self-centered, contrasted with the Nightingale's genuine, selfless love.
- The Remarkable Rocket
The Rocket's obsession with his own importance contrasts with the genuine love of the Prince and Princess, exposing selfishness disguised as sympathy.
- The Fisherman and His Soul
The Fisherman's love for the Mermaid is portrayed as selfless and enduring, resisting the Soul's temptations of wisdom and pleasure.