Implications of Human Values and Ethnicity in O Henry's the Last Leaf, Oscar Wilde’s the Selfish Giant and the Rattrap by Selma Lagerl

Abstract

The paper discusses themes related to human values and ethnicity in O. Henry's The Last Leaf, Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant, and Selma Lagerlöf's The Rattrap. This paper is symbolic in describing these narratives as routes to empathy, selflessness, and transformation across cultural and social boundaries. Each story focuses on a protagonist who, due to moral dilemmas experienced, undertakes acts that could be described as kindness, sacrifice, or redemption. While in the case of The Last Leaf, the self-sacrifice of Behrman turns out to symbolize resilience and hope as a reflection of the struggle of immigrant communities. Wilde's Selfish Giant underlines love's redemptive power when it transforms because the giant finally shows a huge need for other people and compassion. In Lagerlöf's The Rattrap, the transformation of the peddler has happened from cynicism to redemption through human kindness amidst the criticizing materialism. These two tales together show how, behind ethnically and culturally diverse covers, universal human values-compassion, pardon, and benevolence-indeed bond people and inspire their growth.