The Nightingale and the Rose

The thorn represents the pain of love and sacrificing oneself for love. As the Nightingale pierces herself on the thorn, Wilde writes, “bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song, for she sang of the Love that is perfected by Death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb” (65). The thorn also recalls the story of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for humanity, as he was nailed to the cross and pierced by a crown of thorns. Finally, the image of the thorn impaling the Nightingale is sexually suggestive, depicting her song and death as a form of consummation and further associating The Value of Beauty and Art with love and desire.

At the end of the story, the Student criticizes love and decides to resume his studies of philosophy and metaphysics, “return[ing] to his room and pull[ing] out a great dusty book, and beg[inning] to read” (67). The fact that the book is “dusty” suggests that it is outdated and has not been read or touched by another person for a long time, which calls the Student’s assertions of the practicality of his studies into question. The Nightingale whom the Student criticizes is far more in touch with the world than the Student, as she is always appreciating the beauty and life around her. This dusty book that the Student considers more important than love or beauty is thus a symbol of The Limits of Materialism and Pragmatism.