Wednesday, April 14, 2010

What is the message in "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde?

In "The Nightingale and the Rose," Wilde argues love is not always a pleasant and idyllic experience. We see this through the experiences of the student who first undergoes great distress when he realizes his garden does not contain a red rose. Even when he finally obtains one, he is rejected by the Professor's daughter, the girl he loves, because she found someone richer and in possession of fine jewels.


In fact, for Wilde, true love often involves sacrifice and loss. This is illustrated through the character of the nightingale, who sacrifices her life in the pursuit of a red rose for the student. In a tragic twist, however, the student does not realize her sacrifice produced the red rose because he cannot understand her song. Moreover, when the young girl rejects him, he turns his back on the idea of love, which further sullies the nightingale's sacrifice.

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