Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to egypt

Since the price had given away the two sapphires of his eyes, he had become blind. Therefore, the swallow decided to stay with the prince always. It can be inferred that the swallow was so touched by prince’s kindness that he decided to stay back rather than flying to Egypt and be with his friends. What this suggests is that kind hearted people always attract friends who will stay with them forever Categories • • (31.9k) • (8.8k) • (764k) • (248k) • (2.9k) • (5.2k) • (664) • (121k) • (72.1k) • (3.8k) • (19.6k) • (1.4k) • (14.2k) • (12.5k) • (9.3k) • (7.7k) • (3.9k) • (6.7k) • (63.8k) • (16.2k) • (26.6k) • (23.7k) • (14.6k) • (25.7k) • (530) • (84) • (765) • (49.1k) • (63.8k) • (1.8k) • (59.3k) • (24.5k)

When the Happy Prince had given both his sapphire eyes to the needy, the swallow decided to stay with him as he was blind. It did not leave for Egypt even though the Prince urged him to. When the snow came, followed by frost, the little swallow grew colder and colder. However, it did not leave the Prince as it loved him very much. It fed itself on the crumbs outside the bakery and kept itself warm by flapping its wings. However, at last, it knew it was going to die. It flew to the Prince, said goodbye, and asked if it could kiss his hand. It kissed the Prince’s lips and fell down dead at its feet.

The Swallow has stayed behind all summer when his fellow swallows have flown to Egypt because he is in love with a beautiful Reed. Her slender waist attracts him. He stays with her for six weeks. Finally, he misses his friends, decides the Reed is just flirting with rather than serious about a relationship, and makes plans to join his friends in Egypt. As he is flying, he lands at the city, and decides to spend the night there. As it happens, he ends up sleeping between the feet of the statue of the Happy Prince. However, although there is not a cloud in the sky, he feels drops of water hit him. They are tears from the Happy Prince who is sorry he can't do more to help the needy in the city. The Swallow delays his journey over and over again to fly all around to help the Prince help the poor. First love, then compassion, keep the Swallow away from his friends. See eNotes Ad-Free

The other protagonist of “The Happy Prince,” the Swallow, is a bird en route to Egypt for the winter. His trip is initially delayed due to his temporary passion for a Reed, foreshadowing to the thematic importance of love in this story. Although he wants to join his companions in the sunny land of Egypt, he begins to love the Happy Prince and remains in the town to help him deliver jewels and gold to townspeople in need. Although not as selfless as the Happy Prince—he repeatedly emphasizes his desire to leave and enjoy all of the beautiful things abroad—the Swallow comes to love the Prince and understand the value of doing good. In the mentor/mentee relationship developed between the pair, the Swallow plays the role of a younger mentee who needs to be set on the right track—at the start, he expresses trepidation at delaying his own pleasure for others, speaking in the context of the typical Victorian ideals Wilde criticizes throughout the story. However, his love for the Prince helps him grow and proves that moral behavior can be learned. In the end, the Swallow makes the ultimate sacrifice out of love—because the Prince goes blind after giving away his sapphire eyes, the Swallow decides to stay by his side forever, even though he knows that remaining through the winter will mean certain death. This sacrifice ultimately lands him a place in Paradise for eternity, reinforcing the story’s moral that anyone can change and choose to do good instead of acting selfishly. The eye...