MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY OF VIETNAM

International Relations Faculty

ACADEMIC WRITING ESSAY

DRAFT 2
Similarities and differences between the two versions of
“The Gift of the Magi”
Course: Academic writing
Lecturer: M.A Le Van Khanh
Student’s full name: Ho Thu Thuy
Student’s ID: CT45C-084-1822
Word count: 1126

Hanoi, 2021
Gift giving is an act dating back to pre-civilisation days, where people express
their affection, desires to bond with others through material means (Curious
history, 2019). However, the psychology of gift-exchange is much more
complicated than just simply to please the recipient (Sherry, 1983) but also to
create a connection between the two people, as it is made abundantly clear in
O. Henry’s work The Gift of the Magi, retold by Ann Dandron - Duke. In this
essay, I would like to provide an in-depth analysis on the similarities and
differences of the two versions of the aforementioned story, along with a
personal commentary on the moral lessons concluded.

To begin with, The Gift of the Magi features a plotline surrounding a tricky
situation of a destitute couple, evidenced by their meager savings and
desperate attempts to buy a present. As Christmas was approaching, both
parties decided to part with their most valuable possessions in exchange for
their spouse’s happiness, only to realize eventually that it was the love they
shared the most treasured of all. This theme runs parallel in both versions of
the story, and arguably, it is the most striking similarity.

Moreover, when the stories unravel their endings, there is another that catches
the eyes of the readers – the coda. Ann Dandron – Duke, while wording
slightly differently, kept almost all of the original afterword of O. Henry.
They both drew an analogy between the Biblical Magi who gave baby Jesus
the most wonderful gifts (Britannica, 2020), and how the married couple,
despite the twisted and ironic circumstances they found themselves in, were
still the wisest.

Apart from these similarities, the two versions of The Gift of the Magi differ
in certain aspects. First of all, it is the names of the main characters. Della and
Jim (short for James) were converted to Kimberly and Charles respectively,
an indication of how society perceived different names to be popular in
different eras (Nameberry, 2021). The objects undergoing the gift-exchange
were also shifted from hair, a gold watch, a fob chain and combs to Barbie
fashions, a record player, a Vogue collection and a doll. Assuming that the
retold story took place roughly around the 1980s, as the Barbie belonged to
Kimberly was not introduced to the market until the 1960s (Holland, 2019), I
argue that such adjustments were made to make the story fit better within the
social context, thus becoming more relatable to its target audience (Fuhren,
2021)

Another variation is the stages of emotions the two female protagonists had to
go through. In the original story, much was devoted to describe the internal
conflicts of Della, before and after she cut her hair. When having to choose
between her biggest pride – hair (noted that Della’s hair represents her beauty
inside and out) and a chance to buy her husband a worthy present – Della did
hesitate. She stared at the windows wistfully, pulled down her hair and lifted
it up several times, and cried. It contrasts significantly with how Kimberly
“quickly picked herself up” and went to sell her Barbie fashions without
second thoughts. Furthermore, once the decision was made, Della again found
herself pondering over whether Jim would love her any less now that her hair
was gone. Her reprint counterpart Kimberly did not experience such worries.

The third difference of the two versions is how the main characters managed
to get the gifts their spouses desired. O. Henry penned it to be quite
straightforward, as Della and Jim only need to sell their hair and watch to get
the expenses needed for the gifts. Nonetheless, Kimberly and Charles had to
make deals with certain people they necessarily did not respect or care about
(miserable Old Tom, a disliked Duchess, and a heartless Deco Bob). The
presence of these supporting characters can be regarded as obstacles standing
in the way, making the gift-pursuit more challenging for Kimberly and
Charles.

And it is not only the plotlines that vary from the original to the retold
version, but also the narrative style. O. Henry made use primarily of formal
English (Nordquist, 2019), with detailed description of everything brought to
readers’ attention and an emphasis on rather advanced thesaurus (parsimony,
mendicancy, longitudinal, meretricious,…) In the modern adaptation, the
majority of sentences and vocabulary were more casual, making the story
shorter and more accessible. 

Still, these differences do not undermine how I feel towards the story. While
the protagonists were referred to as “foolish children” concerning their
seemingly futile adventures, I believe what they did was indeed “the wisest”.
How could they be if they give up what is held dear to them for the sake of
the other person, and their efforts turned out to be useless, one may ponder.
From my perspective, it is because sometimes the journey, not the destination
that matters. Through the excruciating process of finding a worthy Christmas
present, both couples realized how much their spouses meant to them, and
how their sentiments were reciprocated in the end. The story, therefore, is
enjoyable to me because it reaffirms my belief, that only in dire situations do
we have a chance to see how true love really holds through.

Such a conclusion does not divert me from a rather down-to-earth moral

lesson drawn from The Gift of the Magi. It is the ironic nature of life that we
might not always get what we want, despite how much invested we are. Were
the characters deeply in love with one another? Yes. Did they understand their
significant other enough to see what they coveted the most? Yes. Were their
intentions genuine and filled with appreciation for their loved one? Yes. But
did they truly have a fulfilled tribute to their previous attempts? We can
hardly say so. If only it featured a typical trope where everyone was rewarded
with their happy ending (TV tropes, 2021), but The Gift of the Magi presents
us with the brutal truth. There are unforeseeable ups and downs beyond our
control, and one cannot expect life to bend down to our wills. Even love, the
almighty force regarded as the ultimate weapon, cannot do otherwise.
In summary, it is no wonder that The Gift of the Magi has been a classic
Christmas story (Christmas gifts, 2021). While it depicts the oh-so-popular
notion of unconditional love, the tale also delivers a fresh take on more
realistic aspects, such as the role of economy in a marriage or how life is full
of unpleasant surprises. The Gift of the Magi, with its brilliant story-telling
techniques and unorthodox plot, provokes a sense of bitter-sweetness that
promises to move our hearts and bring tears to our eyes, despite years having
passed since it was first jotted down.

REFERENCES

Britannica. (2021). Magi. https://www.britannica.com/

Christmas gifts. (2021). Top 10 classic Christmas stories.

https://www.christmasgifts.com/

Curious history. (2019). The origins and history of gift giving.

https://www.curioushistory.com/

Dandron-Duke A. (2021). The Gift of the Magi – the “moderne” version.

http://www.daads.org/

Fuhren, F. (2021). Make your protagonist more relatable by picking the right
name. https://florianfuehren.com/

Henry O. (2021). The Gift of the Magi. https://americanliterature.com/

Holland, B. (2019). Barbie through the ages. https://www.history.com/

Nameberry. (2021). Babyname. https://nameberry.com/

Nordquist, R. (2019). Characteristics of a formal prose style.

https://www.thoughtco.com/

TV tropes. (2021). Happy ending. https://tvtropes.org/

Sherry, J. F. Jr. (1983). Gift giving in anthropological perspective, Journal of

Consumer Research, 10(2), 157-168, https://doi.org/