Nightingale and the Rose free essay sample

â€Å"The Nightingale and the Rose† by Oscar Wilde Situational Irony is very evident in â€Å"The Nightingale and the Rose†. The outcome of the story is far from what readers expect. First, the readers would assume that there is actually true love between the student and the Professor’s daughter and that the in the end of a story lies a happy ending for the two. From the introduction to almost the end of the story (except the last 6 paragraphs from 57-62), the author tries to establish that the story is about true love- understanding it, finding it, and sacrificing to get it. From paragraph 3, the student gives us the impression that he has a deeper understanding or meaning for true happiness, he thinks that happiness must not depend on such a little thing like a single red rose. Furthermore in paragraphs 5, 7 and 37, we see how the student’s life seems to revolve around the Professor’s daughter. More than anything, he wants to find this red rose that will allow him to share a dance with this girl and be able to profess his â€Å"true love† for her because not being able to do so will break his heart [#57: â€Å"But there is no red rose in my garden, so I shall sit lonely and she will pass me by. She will have no heed of me, and my heart will break† and he flung himself down on the grass and buried his face in his hands, and wept]. However, there is a great irony waiting in the end of the story. As we are given hope that the impossible might be possible when the student is able to get a red rose, unexpectedly, as he gives it to the girl, they still do not share a romantic moment together. Rather, the girl seems indifferent [paragraphs 57-60], saying that she wouldn’t go the ball because she doesn’t like her dress and not even showing the smallest appreciation for the red rose she requested. In these same paragraphs, we also see how she really has a materialistic view on â€Å"love†. She liked the red rose because it was a flower that was sure to cost a lot yet she loses interest in it when she gets real jewels that cost more than the flower. In paragraphs 59-62, we also see a great change in the student who was supposedly had deep feelings for the girl and who was expected to fight for his love. However in the end, after he hears what the girl had said, he just snaps, throws the red rose he had given so much time inding, easily gets over the girl he â€Å"loved† and moped about and suddenly gives a different view on love- [#6162: â€Å"what a silly thing love is. It is not half as useful as logic. † So he returns to his room, pulled out a great dusty book and began to read]. â€Å"The Nightingale and the Rose† leads the readers to think that it is about true love and there is actually such a thing as true love however, as we read further, we realize that as we were expecting a story of true love and happiness, ironically, we actually get a story of unrequited love and materialistic happiness. As explained, the supposed â€Å"love† between the student and the girl proves to be just infatuation, a shallow love based on materialistic happiness. Secondly, the story’s irony lies on the relationship between the nightingale and the student. Throughout the story, we see how the nightingale thinks that she is finally being able to witness true love and does all she can to help the student and his dream girl have their happy ending. She is one with the sorrow that the student feels tries to find the red rose that will be the supposed key to the happiness of the two people [paragraph 6, 13-29]. This nightingale also agrees to sacrifice his life for what she sees is â€Å"true love† between the student and the professor’s daughter [#31: â€Å"Death is a great price to pay for a red rose and life is dear to all†¦Yet love is better than life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man? †]. One irony here is that it seems to us that the only character that gives pure and unconditional love in the story is the nightingale. She was ready to give up her life for the student’s rose. It is quite intriguing to see that the one character that really shows true love is not repaid even the slightest bit. The bird gives up his life and yet the student doesn’t even notice its dead body lying in the long grass nor does he know how much the bird had to suffer for that single rose which he will only in the end throw. Another irony is that the nightingale sacrifices his life for love and happiness, which turns up to be useless and shallow [#34: â€Å"be happy; you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moonlight and stain it with my own heart’s-blood. All I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for love is wiser than Philosophy and mightier than power]. We also see the irony in that exact line, the nightingale expects that the student will appreciate, understand and prioritize love above anything else yet in the end of the story, the exact opposite happens. What the nightingale did not wish to happen, happened. Power and Philosophy triumphed over love. [#60: â€Å"who are you? Only a student. Why I don’t believe you even got silver buckles on your shoes like the Chamberlains’ nephew has] [#61: â€Å"What a silly thing love is†¦ In fact, it is quite unpractical, and as in this age to be practical is everything. I shall go back to studying Philosophy and study metaphysics. †]. Oscar Wilde definitely gives a new view of love. What may seem as true love may turn out to be nothing but selfish desire that blinds people from what is real. This was seen in â€Å"The nightingale and the rose†, the story gives the readers the idealistic feel that a true love will develop but in the end of the story, we see that realistically, this isn’t how life and love always turns up. Not everyone ends up in a fairy tale like that of beauty and the beast..