The Giant Killer and the Giants We Face
A Literary Look at An Allegorical Tale
A Literary Look at The Giant Killer - Wildflower Library by ALOE 1856 Lamplighter Publishers
Let me read my literary analysis of The Giant Killer to you! Click the “play button” above!
“He was bound tightly, cruelly bound with cords by the giant Hate, till he could scarcely stir hand or foot. Now did it appear to Fides, as his reason gradually returned, that he was in worse case than when struggling in the pit of Selfishness.”
The story of the Giant Killer really two stories, or rather a story inside a story. We follow a family with 3 children named the Roby’s and two boys named Adolphus and Constantine Probyn who come to stay with them to under the tutelage of Mr. Roby. The children have their natural struggles that follow the sudden addition of 2 strangers living with them from a different social class, but they learn to get along.
The 2nd story inside is a book that Mrs. Roby is reading to the children named “The Giant Killer” about a noble knight named Fides, which means faith. The mother reads one chapter at a time and the children discuss it and think about what it means and how it plays into their lives.
The Giant Killer is an allegory of the Christian’s fight against the devious ways of Satan. Fides is a knight who serves the King and must pass alone through hostile land, to slay every giant who should oppose him on the way. At the end, he will receive a treasure promised to him and wear the crown prepared for him. Indeed, the treasure and crown already belong to him, but he has yet to hold them in his hands.
The King has given him strong armor and a sword with the power to always obtain victory when wielded by one who was not a coward or traitor. He is also accompanied by a fair lady named “Conscience” who is sent as his aid by the King. She gives him wise advise and spurs him on when he is doubtful.
Fides encounters five great giants, each one has a different name and a different tactic to fight Fides.
The first, Giant Sloth, lives in an unkept castle littered with of unfinished projects. Fides must overcome a strange feeling of weariness the fills the castle in order to slay the giant before he awakes.
The second Giant Selfishness, has a lady servant who named is Pleasure. He sends her to delay Fides until dark by spreading him a feast of tempting delicate food, then to entice him to follow her lantern off the path to Selfishness’s great pit. Selfishness “was resolved to keep him in it till he should perish by a slow, lingering death, as thousands had done before him.”
After falling and despairing because his own efforts are useless, Conscience comes and shows him a hidden silk cord called Love that he uses to climb out of the pit. When Giant Selfishness sees that Fides has escaped, he turns to flee because he knows he cannot cope with the invincible sword, and he is slain. Fides is ready to slay Pleasure also, but Conscience stops him saying she can be changed, and “she will become a holy thing, her office no longer to lead thee astray, but to follow thy footsteps in the path of duty, and remain thy companion for ever.”
Giant Untruth’s castle, though beautiful from afar, was just a facade with dingy mildew walls, no air and “the trail of the serpent was upon the floor.” Giant Untruth was repulsive and hideous to look at, but he had the ability to change his appearance and he vanished before Fides’s eyes. Fides sword has the power to reveal hidden things by reflecting light on them and Fides must search through the castle and finds him hiding behind a mirror that distorts everything it reflects.
Giant Hate captures Fides by poisoning him from the spring called Anger. Conscience cannot free him but she brings him drink from the tree of Forgiveness which strengthens him until he is able to pull his sword from its sheath and slowly cut the cords. Giant Hate returns wielding a heavy mace but his blows cannot break Fides’ helmet or amour and Fides defeats him.
As Fides continues on to find his last giant, he hears the cry of lady Gratitude who has become lost in the mire of Forgetfulness. She was driven there by Giant Pride who relentlessly pursues her to destroy her.
“Where Pride and Selfishness hold their sway, alas! Too often it is found that Gratitude—a virtue despised or unknown—is lost in the swamp of Forgetfulness!”
Fides is able to rescue Gratitude and she gives him advice on how defeat Giant Pride, prince among the giants. She tells him that Pride often tries to pass himself off as one of the King’s citizens. She also tells him of a precious weapon of the King that had been stolen by Giant Pride that must be recovered.
When Fides meets Pride, he looks like one of the King’s knights but instead of a sword, he carries a massive crooked staff of dark metal. He tells Fides that he has defeated many giants: Meanness (sometimes defined as average, humble, or worthy of little regard), Gluttony, Avarice (extreme greed) and Cowardice. Pride goes on to declare that his strength is his own and he uses it when and against whom he pleases, which reveals his true nature. The crooked staff that Pride uses against Fides is the dark crooked Will. In the fight, Fides’s sword is struck from his hand and Giant Pride tries to grab it, but just touching it burns Pride. Fides quickly grabs it back and after a desperate battle, kills the Giant Pride.
Fides looks up to see an old man named Experience who invites him to his dwelling for rest and to have his wounds bound. Experience tells him to bring the crooked staff that is called Will, that “it once belonged to the King; it is precious when devoted to him, it is the noblest fruit of thy triumph to be able to lay it at his feet.” But Fides cannot see how such a dark and crooked weapon could ever be a worthy gift for the King.
In his forge, Experience, uses oil called “Submission” and rough cloth called “Discipline” and immediately shows that there is glittering gold underneath the blackness. But Fides despairs because the staff is crooked and bent. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot not straighten it.
“The Will is crooked indeed, but it may be straightened,” said Experience; “we have other ways of working. My furnace of Affliction is near.” And he puts the staff into the fiery coals of his furnace. The staff brightened and softened and Experience laid it on his anvil of Trial. “No more—thou wilt destroy it; no more—it is enough!” cried Fides. “Be patient,” said Experience and when he was finished, the staff was straight, pure and beautiful, so changed from when Giant Pride held it.
While he stood looking at the beautiful staff, Conscience came one last time to tell him to rejoice, that he had fought well, had finished his fighting and it was time to go to the King bearing the offering of the conquered Will.
There are so many beautiful allegories in this story that I didn’t even include here, and I love the medieval style of text. I love that all the people has unique names, like the weapons and places. It reminds me of Pilgrims Progress. I love the depth in the names, and the allegories there.
Some of the themes that I just love are:
Fides has everything he needs to make it through the land and defeat the giants. Just like we do as Christians, but it is not an easy journey and he feels alone.
The giants are used to winning and make every effort to defeat him even though they are terrified of his sword.
Pride even makes an attempt to take his sword. Since he had successfully taken the staff Will, he thought may be he could use this sword to his advantage too. If the sword is the Word of God like in Ephesians, we can see how Pride had ideas of twisting and darkening the sword like he did the staff.
Some of the other themes that I noticed were:
—Sloth can be defeated by not waiting too long.
—Following Pleasure leads to being trapped by Selfishness, but Pleasure can be changed to follow us in our duty.
—Untruth can change its appearance and even seem to disappear but can by found out by reflecting the image of “truth” on it.
—Hate poisons us with anger but we must turn to forgiveness to be healed.
—Pride disguises itself to look noble but it fights for its own glory.
—The Will ought to belong to the King and is precious and beautiful when it undergoes Submission, Discipline, Affliction and Trial.
This is one of my favorite books and I hope you enjoy it!