Class: 7D

Members name:

1. Rita Pebriyani (1900)

2. Maria Alvita (1969)
3. Rosita Cahyani (1970)
4. Ngurah Adi (1973)
5. Putra Wirasana (2001)

A short story is a fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel. A short story
consists of two elements, those elements are extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic elements consist
of value, author background, social background, and elements related to the psychology of
the author. While Intrinsic elements consist of theme, plot, background, characters and
characterization, point of view, and mandate. Character and characterization are one of the
important elements in analyzing a novel or short story. Character is a person, animal, being,
creature, or thing in a story. Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue,
moving the story along a plotline.

Most stories have multiple characters interacting, with one of them as the antagonist, causing
a conflict for the protagonist. There are two types of characters: major character (protagonist
& antagonist), and minor characters (foil, static, dynamic, flat, round, stock). While the
characterization is the representation of the main character and other characters’ personalities in the
story by the writer or some characters. There are two ways of revealing the characterization of the
characters. The first one is a direct way, the narrator showing the characterization of the characters by
tells the readers. While the second one, is an indirect way, the author showing the readers the
characterization of the characters through the action or some scene that shows the characteristic of the
character. In this paper, the writers will analyze the characterization of the character in the short story
entitled The Gift of the Magi.

The Gift of the Magi is a story about a couple who live a simple life, even without a child, they are
still happy to be part of each other everyday life. Della the wife is the main character of the story, she
is married to a man named James Dillingham Young. The characterization of Della the wife in this
story is revealing by the narrator in the description way as quoted “That was all. She had put it aside,
one cent and then another and then another, in her careful buying of meat and other food. Della
counted it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents”. From that narration, it can be said that
Della is a thrifty person, it is also shown in the sentence “Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and
she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a gift. She had put aside as much as she could for months,
with this result. Twenty dollars a week is not much”. Another characterization of Della is a
melancholy person, it shows in the sentence “There was nothing to do but fall on the bed and cry. So
Della did it”. Also as in quoted “Jim stopped inside the door. He was as quiet as a hunting dog when
it is near a bird. His eyes looked strangely at Della, and there was an expression in them that she
could not understand. It filled her with fear. Della went to him. ‘Jim, dear,’ she cried”.

Moreover, she’s an overthinking person it's directly shown in her utterances “If Jim doesn’t kill me,”
she said to herself, “before he looks at me a second time, he’ll say I look like a girl who sings and
dances for money. But what could I do—oh! What could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?” .
Besides her melancholy and overthinking traits, Della also someone who planned ahead of time. This
trait is shown through “She had had many happy hours planning something nice for him. Something
nearly good enough. Something almost worth the honor of belonging to Jim”. Furthermore, this
sentence also indirectly describing Della as a kind and loving person who loved her beloved husband.
She is also a person that never gives up, it shown in the sentence “the next two hours seemed to fly.
She was going from one shop to another, to find a gift for Jim”.

Another character in this story is her husband, James Dillingham Young, or Jim. Jim’s in the story is
characterized as a hardworking, quiet, and calm person. It shows directly from the sentence as quoted
“The door opened and Jim stepped in. He looked very thin and he was not smiling”, and “Jim
stopped inside the door. He was as quiet as a hunting dog when it is near a bird”. Besides, Jim also a
kind and loving person, it’s shown when he is willing to sell his legacy, the gold watch from his
father, which is also belonged to his father’s father, to buy a beautiful comb with jewels for Della.

Mrs. Sofronie is a minor character in this story. She has a characterization as a to the point and greedy
person, because she’s bought Della's hair for a cheap price. Even though it has been said that Della
has the most beautiful hair that compared with any queen's jewels and gift. It is also shown in the
conversation of Mrs. Sofronie and Della when talked about the price of her hair

“Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.

“I buy hair,” said Mrs. Sofronie.
“Take your hat off and let me look at it.” Down fell the brown waterfall.
“Twenty dollars,” said Mrs. Sofronie, lifting the hair to feel its weight.
“Give it to me quick,” said Della.

In conclusion, the characterization that is rendered by the writer in the story descriptively, indirectly,
and directly. Directly, when the writer describing Della's character in the narration. She is someone
who planned a head time, overthinking, melancholy, kind, loving, and thrifty person. While in an
indirect way, it shows in the conversation of the characters, some scenes, also how one character
interacts with other characters. The example is in the characterization of Mrs. Sofronie, in the scene of
her conversation with Della, the main character, the conversation shows that Mrs. Sofronie is to the
point and greedy. Also, Mr. James D. Young, and Mrs. Sofronie in the character are as minor or a flat
character in the story. Della as a character has her own epiphanies. Her epiphany started when she
doesn't have enough money to buy her husband a Christmas gift. This then lead to make a decision to
cut and sell her hair to Mrs. Sofronie for $20. After that she decided to buy her husband a gift, a
lovely gift that Jim would never have. Della as a main character does make some judgement about her
husband respond trough her. It shows on these statements;

“If Jim doesn’t kill me,”

“before he looks at me a second time, he’ll say I look like a girl who sings and dances for money. But
what could I do—oh! What could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?”

“Jim, dear,” she cried, “don’t look at me like that. I had my hair cut off and sold it. I couldn’t live
through Christmas without giving you a gift. My hair will grow again. You won’t care, will you?”

“Don’t you like me now? I’m, me, Jim. I’m the same without my hair.”