In a city, the statue of the Happy Prince stands above. A little swallow has to stay overnight in this city because he has fallen out of line, and the prince, touched by his tears and kindness, chooses to stay for the first time. The little swallow is equally loving, and after delivering the ruby uses his wings to ease the pain of a sick little boy.
The next day, the swallow is ready to depart again, and at the prince's pleading, has to cry and give his eyes to the young man, choosing to stay for the second time. The growing cold of the weather and the call of his companion made him say goodbye to the prince again, but he removed his only eye and gave it to the little match seller.
The third time he chooses to stay. And the last time, because he decided to stay with the prince forever. Each choice between going and staying brings the little swallow one step closer to death. The first two choices were hesitant. The call of his distant companions and the warm weather of Egypt urged the swallow to move forward, but the prince's kindness and pleading touched his heart y.
Facing the blind prince for the third time. The swallow resolutely and voluntarily chose to stay, at the cost of his life. When the Happy Prince saw the little swallow die at his feet, his leaden heart instantly split in two. Without any decoration, the Happy Prince was regarded as ugly by the citizens, and the workers then melted the Happy Prince in the furnace and even threw the lead pieces on the garbage heap.
When spring came, angels came to the city to take away the two most beautiful things - the lead heart and the corpse of the swallow, and God resurrected them to live forever inside heaven.
Background of The Happy Prince
In the 1880s, the outbreak of the economic crisis in the capitalist world had a serious impact on the development of the British economy, which in turn dealt a heavy blow to the government's financial strength. To cope with the economic crisis, the British government implemented a laissez-faire model of economic development, and Social Darwinism was a social trend born in response to the British government's economic crisis.
However, although this mode of crisis resolution promoted economic development, it deprived the government of its sympathy for the poor, aggravated social conflicts, and caused social development to lag behind. The indifference of the upper class to the lower class in the fairy tale reflects the influence of Social Darwinism, which was prevalent in Britain at the time.