American Research Journal of English and Literature

Volume 6, Issue 1, 1-8

Research Article | Open
Access ISSN (Online)- 2378-
9026

Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The

ABSTRACT
The Nightingale in OscarNightingale and
Wild’s very romantic short the Rose”
story overhears by ofOscar
the lamentation the Student,Wilde
who is in turmoil without knowing
how he, in that wintry weather, provides a red rose for his dream sweetheart, his Professor’s Daughter, who has demanded him to get one
Prof.
for her to match the colour of her ball dress, promising toEA
danceGamini
with himFonseka, PhD
if the latter manages. Having assessed the decisiveness of a red
rose for the attainment of the Student’s dream, the Nightingale embarks on a project to produce one for him, at the expense of her own life.
Finally, she succeeds, but dies on the spot, as the
Senior rose blooms,
Professor absorbing
in English, her heart’s
Department of flesh. The&red rose equips the Student to go ahead
English
with his plan but the Professor’s Daughter, overjoyed by the jewels she has received from
Linguistics, University of Ruhuna, MATARA, Sri Lanka, the Chamberlain’s nephew, changes not only her
ball dress but also her dance partner. She rejects the red rose along with the Student. Thrown on to the road by the frustrated Student, the
red rose gets crushed under a cart wheel, manifesting the indifference of the humans. Wilde exposes through the behaviours of both the
Student and the Professor’s Daughter the moral decay of the Victorian society, where material objects gather prominence, undermining the
ethical and moral foundations of human relationships.

KEYWORDS: Victorian England, gross materialism, class consciousness in love, human values, class-based indifference, prestige
psychology, romantic sacrifice, moral frustration

INTRODUCTION of their love proves futile when they reduce love to a means
Born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Irish writer Oscar of achieving their material ambitions. The red rose once the
Wilde is well known for his novels, plays, short stories and Professor’s Daughter expects from the Student as a token of
poems, as well as for his infamous arrest and imprisonment love loses its value at her hand when she receives some jewels
for being gay (bio.) His rich and dramatic portrayals of the from the Chamberlain’s nephew. The red rose, when it failed
human condition came during the height of the prosperity that to play the magic trick for the boy in winning the heart of the
swept through London in the Victorian Era of the late 19th girl, loses its value at his hand and ends up on a road to be
century. (Oscar Wilde Biography) According to many critics, crushed by a cart wheel. The rose, a pristine gift from nature,
no name is more inextricably bound to the aesthetic movement with or without the involvement of the Nightingale in its
of the 1880s and 1890s in England than that of Wilde. (Poetry production, loses its value in the presence of the corrupt values
Foundation) Wilde wrote many short stories, plays and poems of the humans. Therefore, the study of the short story in a
that continue to inspire millions around the world. Thereby moralistic perspective is significant in the context of the
he strived to revive some truly noble human values that used transformations the human psyche has undergone due to
to be drifting into oblivion under the hypocrisy of Victorian industrial revolution and several other socio-economic
morality. “The Nightingale and the Rose” is an onslaught upon phenomena experienced by the Victorian England.
the Victorian tendency to undervalue ideals that used to be Methodology
reinforcing the moral and ethical superiority of the humans
over the other species. In order to fulfill the research requirement in developing a
strong hypothesis about the moral decay experienced during
Objectives, Research Problem and Significance the Victorian era, an attempt is made to analyze the short
The paper aims at demonstrating Wilde’s exposition of story under several themes significant of the developments
class snobbery of the Victorian society by critically analyzing encountered in the plot construction. So the argumentation
his short story where two humans belonging to the 19th continues under twelve subtopics: 1) The Structure of the
Century elite of England fail to keep up with the altruism Short Story; 2)The Student’s Sorrow; 3) The Nightingale’s
of a tiny bird, implying that the moral standards of the Concern; 4) Indifference of the Other Creatures; 5) A Mission
humans, affected by a capitalist value system, have drastically Committed to Romantic Fulfilment; 6) A Dilemma of Life and
deteriorated to a level far below those of the other species. Death; 7) The Nightingale’s Renunciation of Life; 8) Absence
Wilde’s symbolism conveys how the sacrifice the Nightingale of Intuition in Institutionalized Education; 9) A Hard Sacrifice
makes for the sake

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 Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar

for Love; 10) Birth of a Red Rose; 11) Anti-climax Suggesting “This fairy tale is very incisive and, despite its apparent
Class Snobbery; and 12) Conclusion: Brutal Undermining of simplicity, leaves the reader with a clear moral message: it is
Altruism. important to remember that some people sometimes sacrifice
Results and Findings their life or suffer to help others, but at the end they aren’t
returned with the same emotional intensity and their actions
The outcome of the analysis of the short story depicted are not even fully understood” (Struzziero, 2009).
in twelve subtopics as in the above appears in terms of an
evaluation of Wilde’s genius nurtured upon his in-depth Thus, what is conveyed is a criticism of the brutal way
exposure to a multiplicity of disciplines known as classical of thinking experienced in the Victorian society, affected by
and folkloric mythology, narratology, psychology, sociology, materialism. Wilde makes an effort to promote sensitivity to
ethics, aesthetics, and culture, and his application of a wide emotions in a society where people identify each other by
range of literary devices such as parable, allegory, imagery, class. The story inspires a humanitarian approach to life.
symbolism, soliloquy, dramatic irony, suspense, sarcasm,
satire, and anticlimax. The findings achieved in terms of The Student’s Sorrow
verisimilitudes suggest the boundless humanity of Oscar The Student’s sorrow is about a demand the Professor’s
Wilde. Daughter has made, regarding his request for her to become
his dance partner in the ball supposed to be given by the Prince
The Structure of the Short Story
the following night. The demand is “a red rose” to match her
The story is structured in the shape of a parable where there costume. “A red rose” is a standard symbol to express, “I love
is an ensemble of human as well as non-human characters. you” (www.flowerexpert.com). The young lady’s demand for
Among the non-human characters there are three animate “a red rose” alludes to the “red roses” in the old fairy tale
Rose-trees producing roses of three different colours. They “Beauty and the Beast” written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince
also smoothly interact with their counterparts. So, the short de Beaumont (1756). It is a simple demand indeed but really
story is a classic demonstration of personification and fantasy. ominous, as ominous as the simple request that Beauty made
Wilde provides a dramatic opening for the short story by to her father.
verbalizing the Student’s sorrow and the Nightingale’s concern
about the Student, and by depicting the expressions they The Student continues to visualize how lucky he would be
possibly use in articulating their feelings from their respective at the ball the following night if he could find “a red rose”.
domains. The Student’s lamentation over the absence of a red Wilde soliloquizes the Student’s feelings in poetic language to
rose that could win him the Professor’s Daughter and the demonstrate the spirit of romance that exposes desires of the
Nightingale’s commiseration with the Student for his fashionable young people of the time. When his expressions
frustration without a red rose appear in alternate succession in lyrical prose are segmented into meaningful idea-units, the
like soliloquies in a piece of theatre. The cynical remarks the lines that are broken down from the paragraph appear as an
other creatures make on the Student’s sorrow and the incantation in blank verse.
Nightingale’s genuine commitment to romantic fulfilment in
favour of the Student clash. The Nightingale starts a mission “The Prince gives a ball to-morrow night…
to procure a red rose for the Student. She negotiates with
the Rose-trees to obtain “a red rose” to equip the Student for and my love will be of the company.
the ball, where he would please his dream sweetheart. She
finds the process of producing a red rose would cost her life. If I bring her a red rose, she will dance with me till dawn.
On calculating how it would help the Student she makes up
If I bring her a red rose, I shall hold her in my arms,
her mind to go ahead with her mission. Yet the student
misunderstands her. However, after a nightlong effort, the and she will lean her head upon my shoulder,
Nightingale succeeds in producing a marvellous rose crimson
in colour, but at the cost of her life. Wilde provides a powerful and her hand will be clasped in mine.” (Wilde 1888)
formula for the creation of the rose that involves a blood
transfusion from the Nightingale to the Rose-tree accompanied Wilde conjures up a moment of pleasure, beauty, love,
by melodies of different shades of love sung by her. When the and romance through images that illustrate the elegance of
red rose is complete the Student plucks it with no the ballroom, the young lady’s graceful appearance, and the
acknowledgement and produces it to the Professor’s Daughter romantic atmosphere the Student would enjoy with the young
as a promise in a business agreement. By the time the lady dancing “till dawn”, holding her in his “arms”, with “her
Professor’s Daughter has been presented with jewels by the head” lying on his “shoulder” and “her hand” “clasped” in his.
Chamberlain’s nephew. She rejects the Student along with the Wilde provides visual, auditory, kinetic, and tactile imagery to
red rose, calling him “rude”. Agonised by this, the Student engender the sensational pleasure the Student is dreaming of.
throws away the red rose, leaving it to get crushed by a cart
wheel. The Nightingale’s endeavour was reciprocated by the The image of a dancing couple formulated thus in a
two humans concerned in the shabbiest manner imaginable. romantic spirit is impinged by an image of a wretched
youth full of

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 Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar

frustration and sorrow that contrasts with it, in the absence of predicament as his garden has white roses everywhere, but not
“a red rose”. The student visualizes how unlucky he would be a single red rose. “No red rose in all my garden!” The
at the ball the following night if he could not find “a red rose”. Student’s cry reaches the Nightingale, who has “her nest in
From the joyous fantasy that emerged from the assumption of the holm- oak tree” in the Student’s garden. The Nightingale’s
having “a red rose” the Student moves on to the sad reality deep- rooted consciousness of beauty emerges in her
predicted by the absence of “a red rose”. He feels pathetic observation of the handsome features of the Student - “his
about his would-be destiny to “sit lonely” in the ball room, beautiful eyes filled with tears”, “lips … red as the rose of his
and watch her “pass” him “by” without any regard for him. desire”, and “hair … dark as the hyacinth-blossom”– that help
So helpless without “a red rose” he surrenders himself to his her confirm, “Here at last is a true lover”. She bases her
destiny, murmuring, “my heart will break”. He also imagines position about the Student’s potential to be a lover on his
how she will become the most attractive and charming among attractive physical features and lamentation without “a red
the crowd of people dancing on the floor, under the inspiration rose” to offer his would-be sweetheart. Her sensitivity to the
of the music produced by “the harp and the violin”, and Student rises in her observation of the changes that have taken
indirectly expresses his jealousy of “the courtiers in their gay place on his countenance, “but passion has made his face like
dresses” who “will throng round her”. The volatile nature of pale Ivory, and sorrow has set her seal upon his brow”. The
the young lady appears in the reactions he expects from her comparison of his dark hair to a hyacinth-blossom suggests his
when he appears there without “a red rose”. So, the Student’s vulnerability through its allusion to the sad destiny of the
worry cannot be interpreted as love. Rather it springs from his handsome young man Hyacinthus in Greek mythology who
ambition to dance with a beautiful girl in the middle of an elite gets killed by Apollo while learning to throw the discus.
social gathering associated with royalties. Therefore, more (Encyclopaedia Britannica) She demonstrates her realization
than love and romance, one notices in the Student’s desire, that the Student is really worried about the young lady. The
an adventure associated with class-consciousness and self- confession the Nightingale makes to singing of him and
promotion. telling his story to the stars every night implies that, for quite
some time, she has been praising the Student for his elegant
So helpless without “a red rose” to impress the girl he is personality, though he is not known to her. Wilde adds some
infatuated with, the Student regrets the futility of his lyrical charm to the Nightingale’s voice through the repetition
education. This reveals that his education has not got any of the phrase, “night after night” that implies the continuity of
elements to ensure his intellectuality and maturity as a young her admiration of the Student. In classical Greek literature
man. and even in Keats “Ode to a Nightingale” the nightingale is an
eternal bird associated with things that are beautiful.
“Ah, on what little things does happiness depend! I have
read all that the wise men have written, and all the secrets of Yet the Nightingale notices a tremendous paradox in
philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose is my life made the terms of the relationship between the Student and the
wretched” (Wilde 1888) Professor’s Daughter. She understands that the Student’s
failure to have “a red rose” would cost him a separation
Wilde ironically presents here the shortcoming of the
from her. In fact the Nightingale’s attitude to love is far more
bourgeois type education of Europe of his time. Dependence
spiritual, immaculate and natural than that of the humans.
on material gifts for the sustenance of personal relationships
Unaffected by class or any other social values, she wonders
signifies a primitive and immature level of thinking. Education
about the worries love can precipitate for humans. She
basically helps to overcome materialistic desires and false
considers that all the material gifts men use to win the love of
values, and the student’s inability to realize it suggests that
women in society, such as “emeralds”, “fine opals”, “pearls”
his education has not helped him at all to become resilient
and “pomegranates” are worthless. Also, she denies that love
or resistant in the presence of challenges posed by material
is merchandise displayed “in the marketplace”, “purchased of
wants and needs and vainglorious ambitions people harbour
the merchants” or “weighed out in the balance for gold”. In
in a competitive society. He claims to have a rote memory
fact, through the words of the Nightingale, Wilde attacks the
of “all that the wise men have written” and “all the secrets
institutionalization of love on the basis of class and wealth
of philosophy”. It is absurd to consider that one can possess
and all the materialistic values that surround the institution of
the knowledge represented by what one has committed to
marriage in terms of dowry, power, status, etc.
one’s memory. But the Student calls them “mine”. That means
the education the Student talks about has been conducted on Indifference of the Other Creatures
mundane concerns of everyday life. Even the bits and pieces
The other creatures in the garden are curious about the
of knowledge seem to have been collected in the light of
Student’s sorrow. They all ask the Nightingale, “Why is he
gathering paraphernalia. Wilde ridicules the education of his
weeping?” Yet they are not ready to share her concern. The
time as a commercial venture dealing in spiritual objects.
little Green Lizard shows his curiosity while running “with his
The Nightingale’s Concern tail in the air”. The Butterfly does so while “fluttering about
after a sunbeam”. The Daisy does so “in a soft, low voice” but
The young lady’s demand puts the Student in a real

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 Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar

without any commitment to help the Student. But when the The Rose-tree is appreciative of the Nightingale’s “song”
Nightingale reveals that “He is weeping for a red rose,” they and directs her to his brother “round the old sun-dial”. While
just cry with surprise, “For a red rose?” Further, the Green assessing the whiteness of his roses, he compares them to “the
Lizard cynically laughs, shouting, “how very ridiculous!” foam of the sea” and claims them to excel “the snow upon the
Altogether they represent the society of the Victorian England mountain”.
that enjoyed the grievances of the others as material for
speculation. Accordingly, the Nightingale distinguishes from The Nightingale’s encounter with the Rose-tree “round
them all, as she is sensitive to the Student’s grief as a young the old sun-dial” is very much like that with the Rose-tree
lover. standing “in the centre of the grass-plot”. Unfortunately, he
produces yellow roses.
“But the Nightingale understood the secret of the Student’s
sorrow, and she sat silent in the oak-tree, and thought about the “My roses are yellow … as yellow as the hair of the
mystery of Love” (Wilde 1888). mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne, and yellower than
the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before the mower
Without following suit with the others, the Nightingale comes with his scythe” (Wilde 1888).
ponders upon “the mystery of Love”, in the firm determination
to help the Student. Wilde uses this episode, where the The second Rose-tree respects the Nightingale’s offer of
grotesqueness of the Lizard is prominent, to expose the her “sweetest song” and directs her to his brother “beneath
moralistic hypocrisy of the Victorian upper class that had the Student’s window”. While assessing the yellowness of
double standards and had got used to looking apathetically at his roses, he compares them to “the hair of the mermaiden
the desires of the underprivileged. who sits upon an amber throne” and claims them to excel “the
A Mission Committed to Romantic Fulfilment daffodil that blooms in the meadow”. Through the allusion to
“the mower [who] comes with his scythe”, Wilde suggests the
Wilde portrays the Nightingale as an active angel during humans’ control on nature.
her flight in search of a red rose for the Student. Fully resolved
to help the Student, she uses her positive energy in the flight. Even the Nightingale’s encounter with the Rose-tree
“beneath the Student’s window” is very much like those with
“Suddenly she spread her brown wings for flight, and the first two Rose-trees “in the centre of the grass-plot” and
soared into the air. She passed through the grove like a “round the old sun-dial” respectively.
shadow, and like a shadow she sailed across the garden”
(Wilde 1888). “My roses are red … as red as the feet of the dove, and
redder than the great fans of coral that wave and wave in the
The vivacity she demonstrates with her wings, suggests the ocean-cavern” (Wilde 1888).
inspiration she has drawn from love. Wilde compares her to “a
shadow” while describing her movements “through the grove Like his brothers did, the Rose-tree “beneath the Student’s
… “across the garden”. A shadow normally does not have a window” also values the Nightingale’s offer. While assessing
forceful impact on any object it falls on. So the Nightingale’s the redness of his roses, he compares them to “the feet of the
is meant to cause no pressure on anything. Thus the dove” and claims them to excel “the great fans of coral”. In the
Nightingale epitomizes love through her delicate behaviour. Rose-tree’s mention of “the ocean-cavern”, Wilde establishes
the oneness of nature despite the vastness of the area it has
Excited by the sight of “a beautiful Rose-tree” standing “in spread.
the centre of the grass-plot”, “she flew over to it, and lit upon
a spray”. A “spray” in this context is “a small branch bearing But the winter has chilled my veins, and the frost has
buds, flowers, or berries”. Therefore, it is understood that the nipped my buds, and the storm has broken my branches, and I
Nightingale landed on a tiny branch of the Rose-tree. She takes shall have no roses at all this year” (Wilde 1888).
no time to ask the Rose-tree for “a red rose” in exchange of
her “sweetest song”. In the deal the Nightingale wants to make The complaint the Rose-tree makes here in an anaphora
with the Rose-tree, Wilde confers some commercial value suggests a tragic irony. The acts of cruelty made by “the
on her song. This suggests indirectly Wilde’s tremendous winter”, “the frost”, and “the storm” respectively reduce the
appreciation of nature. The response the Rose-tree makes to spirit of the Rose-tree and turn his existence into a struggle.
the Nightingale’s offer suggests a long-standing reciprocity
among various creatures of nature. Thus the philanthropic mission the Nightingale embarks
on comes to a turning point, through the three consecutive
“My roses are white … as white as the foam of the sea, and encounters she has with three potential sources of help. The
whiter than the snow upon the mountain. But go to my brother first two prove irrelevant and the third, impossible. Yet the
who grows round the old sun-dial, and perhaps he will give Nightingale’s courage does not leave her. On the whole this
you what you want” (Wilde 1888). section of the story formulates a vast anaphora with a similar

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 Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar

type of episodes, exchanges and figures of rhetoric. Wilde Wilde describes it using the same words he applied before as if
applies a sublime form of poetics to emphasize the noble to give a fresh beginning to the narration. He makes a pathetic
intention of the Nightingale’s mission. portrait of the education of his time through the helpless look
A Dilemma of Life and Death of the Student “still lying on the grass”, whose “tears were not
yet dry in his beautiful eyes”. As a benefactress from heaven,
On hearing of the precarious condition of the Rose-tree the Nightingale twitters her address to the young man.
“beneath the Student’s window” the Nightingale is frustrated.
In desperation, she cries, “One red rose is all I want … only “Be happy … be happy; you shall have your red rose. I
one red rose! Is there no way by which I can get it?” As she will build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with my
insists on it, the Rose-tree reluctantly provides a solution, but own heart’s blood. All that I ask of you in return is that you
with a terrible warning. In achieving it one commits suicide. will be a true lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy, though
she is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty.
“If you want a red rose … you must build it out of music by Flame-coloured are his wings, and coloured like flame is
moonlight, and stain it with your own heart’s-blood. You must his body. His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like
sing to me with your breast against a thorn. All night long you frankincense” (Wilde 1888).
must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, and
your life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine” “Be happy … be happy; you shall have your red rose.” The
(Wilde 1888). Nightingale tries to pacify the Student as if a mother does
with her little son crying for a toy or a lozenge in the middle
The method to have a red rose from the sickly Rose-tree of a shopping spree. In order to get the Student to agree to a
overnight involves a magical formula. It is basically a ritual condition, she reveals the suicidal process she would follow
where the Nightingale, while singing in the moonlight, should in building the relevant red rose for him. Her condition is
get her heart pricked by a thorn of the Rose-tree and set her that the Student should be “a true lover”. Talking about Love,
heart-blood to flow into the latter’s veins. In modern medicine Philosophy, and Power as characters from Greek mythology,
it is indeed a person to person blood transfusion. On realizing she tries to establish Love’s superiority over the other two.
that she will die in the process of producing a red rose in this In her feminine identity, the Nightingale considers Love a
manner, she weighs the pros and cons of the sacrifice she is masculine character with “flame-coloured wings”, “lips [as]
supposed to make in a series of parallelisms. sweet as honey”, and “breath … like frankincense”. So it
is understood that the Nightingale has decided to sacrifice
“Death is a great price to pay for a red rose … and Life
herself not to the person of the Student but to the character
is very dear to all. It is pleasant to sit in the green wood, and
of Love in Greek mythology. Her notion of love is different
to watch the Sun in his chariot of gold, and the Moon in her
from that of the humans as they consider love marketable on
chariot of pearl. Sweet is the scent of the hawthorn, and sweet
the basis of class, looks, education, and power and involve
are the bluebells that hide in the valley, and the heather that
material objects in exchange of it. Also she has no intention
blows on the hill. Yet Love is better than Life, and what is the
to possess the person she helps to achieve his romantic dream.
heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?” (Wilde 1888)
Absence of Intuition in Institutionalized Education
These utterances altogether form an incantation dedicated to
Life that rhapsodizes Love as the culmination of all pleasures Wilde ridicules the dogmatic outlook the Student has
of nature. Wilde does not fail to highlight the Nightingale’s cultivated all his life, through the latter’s inability to perceive
consciousness that “a red rose” is not worth dying for. While the Nightingale’s words uttered in the language of nature. He
she considers “Death” an unreasonable fine for such a trivial highlights here the artificiality of the education of his time.
object, she considers “Life” a precious gift that allows many What the Student is unable to perceive, the Oak-tree, in whose
great pleasures. She recalls how Life allows watching from branches the Nightingale has built her nest, perceives well.
“the green wood” the majesty of the Sun and the Moon in Very sad to lose her companionship, the Oak-tree whispers
their respective chariots - “gold” and “pearl”. She recalls how “Sing me one last song … I shall feel very lonely when you are
Life allows the enjoyment of the fragrance of “the hawthorn”, gone.” Wilde signifies the melodious sweetness of her voice
“the bluebells” and “the heather” that beautify “the hill” and in a simile formed of “water bubbling from a silver jar”. The
“the dale”. Yet she finds “the heart of a man” far superior to student’s response to the song contrasts with that of the Oak-
“the heart of a bird”. Here lies the ultimate irony of the story. tree.
Thus, amidst all melancholy yet sweet recollections of a life
of contentment, whether to sacrifice her life for the sake of the “She has form … that cannot be denied to her; but has she
got feeling? I am afraid not. In fact, she is like most artists; she
Student or not remains a question.
is all style, without any sincerity. She would not sacrifice
The Nightingale’s Renunciation of Life herself for others. She thinks merely of music, and everybody
knows that the arts are selfish. Still, it must be admitted that
Serious about the sort of danger she is heading for, the
she has some beautiful notes in her voice. What a pity it is that
Nightingale makes another angelic flight over the garden.
they do not mean anything, or do any practical good” (Wilde
1888).

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 Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar

The Student betrays his intellectual and emotional handicap of a man and a maid”. The song reminds of the masterpiece
in the opinions he forms on the bird. Although he has some “Venus and Adonis” by the Renaissance maestro Titian (1505-
regard for her figure, he does not believe that the Nightingale 1576), where two lovers remain passionately intertwined. Still
is so full of empathy. He generalizes that artists are selfish and the work is going on. Wilde compares the “delicate flush of
insincere and casts the Nightingale also into their category. pink” that emerges from the leaves of the rose to “the flush
Like the oak, the Rose-trees appreciate the “beautiful notes in the face of the bridegroom when he kisses the lips of
in her voice”, but to the students they mean nothing. Thus the the bride”. He indicates that the rose makes progress in its
Student responds to the whole existence of the Nightingale in formation simultaneous to the progress the rose-thorn makes
an insensitive manner. He moves into his room without any in reaching the Nightingale’s heart.
acknowledgement or praise of her song. The dreariness of
the institutional education of the Victorian England emerges Birth of a Red Rose
through his utterances like a monster that protests against the In terms of violence and pain, Wilde suggests the climax in
aesthetic appreciation of life. Of the totality of his behaviour the Nightingale’s action. He denotes the moment when “the
in this situation, Wilde develops a paradox that highlights how thorn touched her heart” with “a fierce pang of pain shot
the artificiality of the Victorian values prevents intuition that through her”. He dramatizes the sensation of pain the
gives a composite perception of life and nature. Nightingale feels by emphasizing the change in the melody of
A Hard Sacrifice for Love her song, “Bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder
grew her song…” The change of her rhythm from the serene
The moon shines in the background. The Nightingale to the jive is meant to signal the change of the Nightingale’s
embraces a tiny spray of the “Rose-tree beneath the window mood. This time the theme of her song is “the Love that is
of the Student”. A rose-thorn pierces her breast. The perfected by Death” and “the Love that dies not in the tomb”.
Nightingale starts singing. The “cold crystal” Moon leans This binds together a series of representations of the
down and listens. The rose-thorn goes deeper and deeper into vicissitudes that love undergoes through the stages of
the nightingale’s breast. Her life-blood ebbs away from her adolescent innocence, mature and passionate sexuality, and
suggesting a blood sacrifice. Through all these images woven sacrificial death a female experiences in the process of
together Wilde conjures up a magic ritual in a serene nocturnal reproduction. By and by the Nightingale’s love becomes
atmosphere. The physical interaction between the Rose-tree immortalized.
and the Nightingale suggests that it is simply an overnight
honeymoon. The spectacle is tinged with elements of not only And the marvellous rose became crimson, like the rose of
beauty, romance, generosity, compassion, and courage but also the eastern sky. Crimson was the girdle of petals, and crimson
those of pain, consumption, violence, and fatality. “She sang as a ruby was the heart” (Wilde 1888).
first of the birth of love in the heart of a boy and a girl.” This
reminds of the two adolescents in the masterpiece “The Sea The nightlong effort flourishes in the blossom of a
Maiden” by the Victorian painter Arthur Hacker (1858-1919). “marvellous” crimson rose. To say how crimson it is, Wilde
compared “the heart” of the rose in “the girdle of petals” to
Wilde depicts a phenomenon realized in terms of “magical “a ruby”. The repetition of “crimson” signifies death and the
realism” (Rios 2015) through the “marvellous rose” that ominous nature of the task.
blossoms “petal after petal”, as song follows song from the
Nightingale’s throat. He relates in fascinating terms the entire The physical deterioration the Nightingale undergoes
process the rose follows in gathering its shape and colour. emerges in the symptoms she displays through her voice that
First the rose looks “pale”. In order to sound accurate about “grew fainter”, her wings that “began to beat”, and her eyes
its colour, Wilde draws examples of paleness such as “the mist covered by “a film”. The suffocation she suffers from in her
that hangs over the river”, “the feet of the morning”, and “the struggle to die reveals how painful it is for her to die in that
wings of the dawn” to depict its colour. Here he compares the way. “Then she gave one last burst of music.” Wilde finishes
morning mist to a bird or an angel white in colour. Moreover this episode in a crescendo culminating in a bang. The violent
Wilde suggests its formative stage in terms of “the shadow of a nature of the death she experiences appears throughout her
rose in a mirror of silver” and “the shadow of a rose in a water- suffering. Wilde dramatizes the entire process the Nightingale
pool”. Accordingly, in its paleness, the rose is only a shadow. follows in creating the red rose as one whole opera.

So engrossed in the work they have embarked on, the The sublime purpose of the Nightingale’s sacrifice is
“Rose-tree” warns repeatedly, “Press closer, little Nightingale acknowledged by the “white Moon” who “lingered on in the
… or the Day will come before the rose is finished.” They sky” despite “the dawn”, “the red rose” who “trembled all over
are both in a fight against time. Together they strive in giving with ecstasy, and opened its petals to the cold morning air”,
shape and colour to the rose, and the theme of the song comes Echo who “bore it to her purple cavern in the hills, and woke
to a mature stage of sexuality and love. It is not about innocent the sleeping shepherds from their dreams” and “the reeds of
adolescent love this time but “the birth of passion in the soul the river” who “carried its message to the sea”. Echo in this
situation is the nymph in Greek mythology, who rejected the
love of Pan, the lustful God of shepherds and flocks, and,

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 Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar

as punishment for it, underwent gang-rape by a group of and, as in this age to be practical is everything. I shall go back
shepherds. (See Chew, 2012) to Philosophy and study Metaphysics” (Wilde 1888).

The Rose-tree cries in excitement, “Look, look! … the The boy does not have any emotions to share with the girl
rose is finished now,” and the Nightingale lies dead “with the and he offers her the flower as a requisite procured as part
thorn in her heart”. It is simply a sexual suicide. The thorn of an agreement in a business transaction. He does not have
is obviously a phallic symbol and it, stuck in the flesh of the any words of his own to tell her how he loves her but expects
Nightingale, alludes to insect mating such as that among the the rose to do it. The absence of a genuine expression of love
honey bees where the penis of the drone gets stuck in the makes it easy for the young lady to reject his rose and cancel
vagina of the queen and later gets detached from his body her agreement. She simply states that the red rose does not
causing his death in the end. (Armstrong 2009) In this case go with her dress, and boastfully mentions the jewels she
what is special is the Nightingale who dies is the female received from the Chamberlain’s nephew, that are of more
counterpart in the mating. The Nightingale is no more to see financial value than a rose. The blue silk she is rolling on a
the masterpiece of the red rose on the Rose-tree she nurtured reel may have been bought to suit the jewels. So her old red
with her own heart- blood. Together they contribute to a dress is going to be replaced by a blue one designed to match
powerful irony. the jewels. In the transition the Professor’s Daughter makes in
her choice of a colour from red to blue it can be surmised that
Anti-climax Suggesting Class Snobbery she makes a symbolic move from sentimentality to discretion.
Wilde develops the episode where the Student plucks According to David Johnson (2016), blue “causes the opposite
the rose with a deliberate lack of emotion. “Why, what a reaction as red” and blue “can also be cold and depressing”
wonderful piece of luck!” Although it is an exclamation of while red “is also the colour of love”. She indirectly reveals
thrill it conveys no feeling of gratitude or love. The only that her innocent romantic feelings are now replaced by
relevance it has to him lies in his belief that the Professor’s crude materialistic values. In his agony the Student calls her
Daughter will dance with him if he presents her a red rose. So, “ungrateful” and the young lady retorts, calling him “rude”.
for him it is only a commodity that can be used as a token of She even raises an issue about sartorial elegance, by referring
love for the Professor’s Daughter. “It is so beautiful that I am to the silver buckles the Chamberlain’s nephew has to his
sure it has a long Latin name.” So affected by his education he shoes whereas the Student has none to his. Her grotesque
is worried about its botanical name rather than its beauty and egoism and her physical beauty together contribute to an
fragrance. Wilde characterizes the Student as a robot rather oxymoron such as a “lovely-looking monster”. Disillusioned
than a human with flesh and blood. For emotions there is no with the young lady’s indifference he blames Love. On his
room in his heart. He is as dry as dust. way home he soliloquizes his determination to get back to
“Philosophy and study Metaphysics” calling Love useless,
The encounter between the Student and the Professor’s unpractical, fickle, delusive, and outdated. Through the failure
Daughter is only a social satire, “a literary work holding the Student makes in his approach to the young lady, Wilde
up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn” (Marian- indirectly criticizes the education of Victorian England which
Webster). Wilde draws attention to the little dog at her feet as blatantly disregarded what is appreciated as emotional
a symbol of class. competence. He exposes the scholarly people’s tendency to
use Philosophy and Metaphysics as a camouflage to cover the
“You said that you would dance with me if I brought you a limitations of their characters and uses “a great dusty book” to
red rose … Here is the reddest rose in all the world. You will symbolize the grotesqueness of the whole affair of education.
wear it to-night next your heart, and as we dance together it
will tell you how I love you.” Conclusion: Brutal Undermining of Altruism
“I am afraid it will not go with my dress … and, besides, Wilde uses dramatic irony to distinguish between what the
the Chamberlain’s nephew has sent me some real jewels, and reader knows about the mysterious red rose from what the
everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers.” Student and the Professor’s Daughter know. The rose causes a
commotion in nature: the Nightingale considers the Student’s
“Well, upon my word, you are very ungrateful…” love to be genuine; she takes the Student’s desire for a red rose
seriously; she believes that the Professor’s Daughter would be
“Ungrateful! … I tell you what, you are very rude; and, satisfied with a decent red rose and keep the promise she made
after all, who are you? Only a Student. Why, I don’t believe for the Student to dance with him at the ball; she visits all rose
you have even got silver buckles to your shoes as the trees in the surroundings in search of a red rose; she embarks
Chamberlain’s nephew has…” on a painful project to produce a rose; and finally she produces
a red rose at the cost of her life. The din of the “last burst of
“What a silly thing Love is … It is not half as useful as music” from the Nightingale’s altruism confuses the moon and
Logic, for it does not prove anything, and it is always telling resonates over the hills and the sea, exciting the whole system
one of things that are not going to happen, and making one of nature. It shakes the entire universe. So, the marvellous red
believe things that are not true. In fact, it is quite unpractical,

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 Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar

rose is by all means a product of the Nightingale’s altruism. published in 1756.

5. Bio. “Oscar Wilde Biography - Writer (1854–1900).” http://www.
Yet it has no meaning to either the Student or the biography.com/people/oscar-wilde-9531078
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the red rose she was once desperate to have, rubbish. The http:// search.credoreference.com/content/entry/mcgods/echo/0
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Professor’s Daughter again treats it as rubbish. Disappointed 8. Johnson, David (2016). “Do different colors affect your mood?” Color
by the moroseness of the Professor’s Daughter, the Student Psychology. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html
“angrily … threw the rose into the street, where it fell into the 9. Poetry Foundation. “Oscar Wilde – Biography.” http://www.
gutter, and a cart- wheel went over it”. Thus, the two humans, poetryfoundation.org/bio/oscar-wilde
who depend on Nature for achieving a personal relationship, 10. Struzziero, Maria Antonietta (2009). “The Nightingale and the Rose by
disappoint her, by treating her gift in the most callous manner Oscar Wilde.” “Voices and Their Echos” Atripalda: Liceo Scientifico
one can ever imagine. Wilde illustrates the callousness of the Statale “V. De Caprariis”
Victorian class-conscious society through this simple 11. The Flower Expert. http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/
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tale written by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont and

Citation: Prof. EA Gamini Fonseka, ”Sacrifice Unacknowledged: A Literary Analysis of “The Nightingale and the Rose” by
Oscar Wilde”. American Research Journal of English and Literature, vol 6, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-8.

Copyright © 2020 Prof. EA Gamini Fonseka. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original
work is properly cited.

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