The Role of Swallow
The Swallow is a very lovely character in the short story "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde. At the start of the story, he is shown to be a romantic bird who believes in physical love. However, as the tale advances, he falls in true love with the statue of a prince. Gradually his love is transformed into agape. The love for which he postpones his seasonal migratory flight towards Egypt, becomes an agent of charity and even sacrifices his life.
The Swallow is migrating to Egypt where he is awaited by his friends. However, on the request of the statue, he procrastinates his journey three times. On the first night he stops to help a seamstress and his ill son with the ruby from the statue's sword-hilt. On the second night he delays his trip to help a starving playwright with one of the sapphire eye of the statue. On the third night he stays to succor a destitute match-girl with the other sapphire eye of the statue.
When the statue becomes blind of both eyes, the Swallow decides to live with him forever, He flies over the city and narrates the sufferings and miseries of the people to the statue. One by one he plucks the gold leaves that cover the body of the statue and distributes them among the indigent of the city. In the meantime, snow is followed by frost. The Swallow grows colder and colder. In his moribundity, he flies to the statue's shoulder, kisses him on the lips and falls down dead at his feet.
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