(Cumming Study Guide :online)

The Gift of the Magi

By O. Henry (William Sydney Porter)

Author’s Information

William Sydney Porter, or O. Henry, wrote mostly about ordinary people going about the daily
adventure of living. Not infrequently, his stories involve coincidences or unexpected twists that
result in surprise endings like that in “The Gift of the Magi." Before becoming a full-time writer,
he worked in a drugstore, on ranch, in a bank, and on newspaper staff. When he was in his early
twenties, he published a weekly humor magazine (take note, humor is visible in The Gift of Magi
too), The Rolling Stone, which failed. He then took a job with the Houston Post newspaper.
However, a past misdeed, embezzlement of bank funds, caught up with him. To escape
punishment, he fled to Honduras. When his wife, Athol Estes Porter, became terminally ill, he
returned to the U.S. to be with her. After her death, he spent more than three years in prison in
Columbus, Ohio. There, he cultivated his writing skills. After his release from prison, he became
a professional writer (jail can be a blessing too!), settled in New York City, and became famous
as under his pseudonym, O. Henry.

O-Henry (September 11 1862- june 5, 1910) is a famous American writer whose real name is
William Sydney Porter . O-Henry’s short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm
characterization, and clever twist endings. “The Gift Of The Magi” is one of interesting short
story .

Plot Summary

The Gift of the Magi is a well-known short story by American short story writer O. Henry, the
pen name of William Sydney Porter. The story first appeared in The New York Sunday World
on December 10, 1905 and was later published in O. Henry's collection The Four Million on
April 10, 1906.

The story tells of a young married couple, James, known as Jim, and Della Dillingham. The
couple has very little money and lives in a modest apartment. Between them, they have only two
possessions that they consider their treasures: Jim's gold pocket watch that belonged to his
father and his grandfather, and Della's lustrous, long hair that falls almost to her knees.

On the day before Christmas, Della has only $1.87 in savings with which to buy a gift for her
husband, James Dillingham Young. Flopping down on the couch of their apartment, she cries—
howls, actually. She had squeezed every spare penny out of household expenses, and still there
was not enough for the wonderful present she dreamed of getting for Jim. Times are tough. Jim’s
salary, formerly $30 a week, is now only $20 a week. After paying all of the bills, all Della has
left is $1.87 to put toward Jim's Christmas present. Suddenly, Della gets an idea. Whirling about
the room, she lets down her hair. Della pulls down her beautiful hair and stands in front of the
mirror, admiring it and thinking. After a sudden inspiration, . It is one of two prized possessions
between her and Jim, the other being the gold pocket watch handed down to him from his
father, she rushes out again and has her hair cut to sell. A moment later, Della goes down the
street to Madame Sofronie’s shop, where the sign reads “Hair Goods of All Kinds." There, Della
sells her hair for $20. After shopping for two hours, she finds just the right gift, a platinum fob
chain to replace the old leather strap attached to his watch. It is simple and elegant, and it costs
$21, leaving Della 87 cents.

After returning home, she uses curling irons to give herself a new hairdo, puts coffee on, gets
pork chops ready for frying, then prays that Jim will like her new look. It is seven o’clock. When
he walks in, he stares at her. His gaze is long and unrelenting. Worried that he is displeased with
her appearance, Della tells him that she sold her hair “because I couldn't have lived through
Christmas without giving you a present." Jim seems bewildered.

“You’ve cut off your hair?"

"Cut it off and sold it," Della says.

“You say your hair is gone?"

A moment later, he comes out of his “trance" and enfolds Della in his arms. She admits that she
sold her hair to buy his present. Before she can give it to him, however, Jim casually pulls a
package out of his overcoat pocket and hands it to her. He tells his wife nothing she could do
would make him love her any less. However, he adds, the package will explain why he reacted
strangely upon seeing her After opening the present, she cries out with joy, then bursts into tears.
Her gift is a set of expensive, turtoise-shell combs she had long eyed in a shop window. To
comfort him, she says, “My hair grows so fast, Jim!" Hiding her tears, she jumps up and holds
out her gift for Jim: the watch chain. After that, Della gave Jim the chain that she bought, and
asked him to try it on his watch. However, Jim did not obey that. He threw himself on a couch
and smiled. Jim finally told his wife to put the presents away for a while and stated that they
were too nice to be just a present. While sitting on the couch, he told Della that he had sold his
watch to buy the comb set for Della. Now, Jim asked his wife to prepare the dinner for them
both.

The story ends with a comparison of Jim and Della's gifts to the gifts that the Magi, or three wise
men, gave to Baby Jesus in the manger in the biblical story of Christmas. The narrator concludes
that Jim and Della are far wiser than the Magi because their gifts are gifts of love, and those who
give out of love and self-sacrifice are truly wise because they know the value of self-giving love.
The Three Magi

The Magi were the so-called three wise men from the east who traveled to Bethlehem, following
a bright star, to present gifts to the infant Jesus. The term magi (singular, magus) comes from the
Greek word magoi, a rendering of a Persian word for members of a priestly caste. The Gospel of
Matthew (Chapter 2, Verse 11) says: "And entering into the house, they found the child with
Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him: and opening their treasures, they offered
him gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

These offerings, though valuable, were not as important as the recognition, respect, and
love they gave the Christ child. (Frankincense was used as a treatment for illness and as a
fragrant additive to incense. Myrrh was also added to incense, as well as perfume, and found
additional use as an ointment. The three wise men have been identified in western tradition as
Balthasar, king of Arabia; Melchior, king of Persia; and Gaspar, king of India.)

Theme

The definition of theme, it is the central idea or ideas explored by a literary work. Usually
themes of the story have more than one theme. Themes of the story could be themes of death,
themes of revenge, themes of action and many more.

Love

Della and Jim give each other the best of all possible gifts, love. It does not matter that Jim no
longer has the gold watch to display on the elegant chain that Della gave him. Nor does it matter
that Della no longer has long, luxurious hair to comb with the gift Jim gave her. What matters is
that they have each other.

It can be said “The Gift of The Magi” has the theme “Sacrifice sometimes can be pointless.” I
could tell that since Della’s sacrifice to cut her hair off to buy the chain for Jim’s watch became
pointless because in the end, Jim told Della that he had sold his valuable watch to buy her a set
of comb. Unfortunately, Della’s hair was now very short. In conclusion, their sacrifice does not
make any result.

“The Gift of the Magi” has endured as one of O. Henry’s best-known stories. A tribute to the
transcendent power of sacrificial love, the story extols the foolish impulsiveness of the two
lovers as being rooted in a deeper wisdom, sacrificial giving.

Della and Jim are typical O. Henry characters; they are hard-working and poor, and their
existence is full of struggle. They manage to transcend it, however, and they experience joy
through the power of their love for one another. When the lovers, unbeknown to each other, sell
the possessions most dear to their hearts because they hope to make each other happy, they
unwittingly undercut the effectiveness of their gifts. Beyond the minor tragedy of the situation,
however, is the larger gift underlying it. The joy and sustaining power of self-sacrificial love is
the greatest gift of all, and that, ultimately, is the gift these two share.

The engaging nature of "The Gift of the Magi" has no doubt helped O. Henry's reputation
throughout the century. This story of a poor married couple who give up their most prized
possessions—his watch and her hair—to buy each other Christmas gifts—a watch fob for him
and decorative combs for her.

Self-Sacrifice

Jim and Della's selflessness is a major theme in the story. Both have given up much to live in
New York. Jim has taken a job with a low salary. Della is forced to make ends meet by haggling
with vendors. Both are wearing old clothes. They live in a barely furnished apartment. As a
couple, they are willing to sacrifice a more comfortable life to allow Jim to pursue his ambition
of working in New York.

At Christmastime, Jim and Della want to do something special for the other, however. Unable to
squeeze enough money out of Jim's paycheck to buy a gift, they each sell their most prized
possession. Their desire to make their partner happy is more important to them than any wish to
please themselves. Considering neither of them owns much, this is indeed remarkable. Despite
their dreary environment, lack of possessions, and financial straits, both put the interests of the
other person above their own.

Material versus Spiritual

Della and Jim's spiritual or emotional connection is portrayed as more important to them than
any material or physical possession. When they discover their actions have canceled out each
other's gifts, they reveal what matters most to them. Rather than regretting what they have lost,
they recognize they have something of far greater value—their love and concern for each other.
Jim tells Della he will continue to like her no matter what she does to her hair. Della confirms
her love for her husband is greater than the length of the hairs on her head.

The narrator emphasizes the theme of spiritual over material qualities through a biblical allusion
that mentions the magi, wise men from the East who brought gifts to Christ when he was born
and who "invented the art of giving Christmas presents." The narrator considers Della's and Jim's
gifts to each other equal to or as wise as those given by the magi. This is a reference not to the
combs and watch chain they gave each other, but to their giving of themselves.

Major Themes

Critics have noted the irony of the young couple sacrificing their most treasured possessions—
Della's hair and Jim's watch—in order to buy each other gifts related to those same possessions.
Poverty is also a prominent theme, as Della saved her money for months to buy the platinum
watch chain, but she still had to cut and sell her beautiful hair. The descriptions of the environs
and the couple's clothing also underscore the indigence of the characters in the story. As O.
Henry was categorized as a realist, “The Gift of the Magi” has been perceived as an authentic,
anecdotal look at lower-class American life near the turn of the century. The story is also thought
to exemplify the author's interest in the elements of surprise and trick endings, as the impact of
the mutual sacrifice is not revealed until the conclusion of the tale.

Climax

The climax occurs when Della and Jim open their gifts.

AnalysiS

In “The Gift of The Magi”, the expostion happens when the main character is introduced. There
was a woman named Della. She was counting her money and realized that it was not enough to
buy a present for Jim, her husband. She felt really sad that the next day would be Christmas and
she still did not know what to do. She really wanted to buy Jim a present.

After exposition, the story goes on to rising action. It happens when Della was totally in deep
confussion about what she could do. She only got $1.87 as the result after she had saved every
pennies for months. She knew that $1.87 would never be enough for such a great present. She
cried for a while but then she found out that she had to take a risk. It is told that Della had an
extremely long brown hair. She immediately went out of her house and searched for any store
that would buy her hair. While she was walking through the street, she suddenly stopped since
she read a sign said “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” She rushed into the store, met a
woman named Madame Sofronie, and asked her if she wanted to buy her hair. Madame Sofronie
then examined her hair and quickly told Della that her hair was worth $20. After Della got the
money, she went to a store where she finally found the right present for Jim. It was a simple
platinum fob chain, and she thought it would be perfect for Jim’s watch. The chain reflects the
simplicity and quietness of Jim. Della bought it for $21 and got back home with her 87 cents.

The rising action always leads the story to the climax. The climax in this story happens when Jim
finally went home from work. Seeing his wife’s hair cut off, he suddenly just stands still at his
place without being angry, surprised, or disapproval. He asked his wife to make sure that her hair
had been really gone. Della cried and told him that she cut it off and sold it.

The climax goes down to the falling action. The falling action in this story is when Jim took out a
package from his coat and spoke to Della. He seemed to feel alright. He did not mind about
Della’s short hair. He asked Della to unwrap the package to make Della understand why Jim was
like that at the first time he saw Della. She opened the package and cried hysterically. It was a set
of comb made of pure tortoise shell with jewelled rims. It was all that she had dreamed for a long
time. After that, Della gave Jim the chain that she bought, and asked him to try it on his watch.
However, Jim did not obey that. He threw himself on a couch and smiled.
The ending of the story can be considered as resolution since Jim and Della were happy in the
end. Jim finally told his wife to put the presents away for a while and stated that they were too
nice to be just a present. While sitting on the couch, he told Della that he had sold his watch to
buy the comb set for Della. Now, Jim asked his wife to prepare the dinner for them both.

CHARACTERS

There are major and minor characters in the story based on their roles. Della and Jim are the
major characters. Della is considered to be the major character since she is the one who appears
from the beginning until the end of the story. It seems that the beginning of the story is telling
about Della’s confusion to buy a present for Jim, her husband, until she finally did a sacrifice in
order to be able to buy a nice present. Meanwhile, Jim can be also said that he is major character
as he is another person who has a relationship with Della, the first major character. Jim also has
interactions with Della that creates a good flow of the story. Besides, there is actually one minor
character. She is Madame Sofronie who the woman was buying Della’s hair for $20. The reason
why she is the minor character is that she only appeared in the middle of the story for a moment.

The next explanation is based the characters’ personality. There are only three kinds of
characters, which are flat, dynamic, static, and stock characters. Della is dynamic character in the
story since her physical appearance changed in the end of the story. In the beginning, it is
described that she has a beautiful long brown hair. It looked like a brown waterfall. However,
she cut off her hair in order to buy a present for her husband, so her hair became very short.
Besides, Della is a flat character since her way to interact with other characters throughout the
story tends to be the same from the beginning until the end.

Next, Jim can be considered as a flat and static character. Jim’s way of talking remains the same
since he only appeared almost in the end of the story. He is static character because his physical
appearance did not change at all. The last kind is stock character, which is Madame Sofronie.
She is considered as stock character since she tends to be the only complement character.

Setting

The definition of a setting in a story is where the story takes place and when the story happens.
Every story has a setting. Moreover, setting it is not only about place. Year, day, month, in the
morning, or even the story shows a time such as 00.00 these are include setting and the name of
those are time setting. There are largeky two settings – time and place.

In “The Gift of The Magi”, the story takes place at Della and Jim’s house, Madame Sofronie’s
store, and the store where Della got the chain for the present. It took place at Della and Jim’s
house when Della was counting her money to buy a perfect present for Jim, and when Della and
Jim were finally meeting and talking about their presents in the end of the story. Next, it took
place at Madame Sofronie’s store when Della finally decided to cut her hair off and sold it to
Madame Sofronie for $20. Lastly, there was one store when Della finally found the platinum fob
chain to be the right present for Jim.

The time setting of the story is considered to be in a Christmas Eve since it was explained that
Della was confused about what she was going to buy as Jim’s Christmas present on the following
day. Specifically, it was in the afternoon when Della was counting money, going to Madame
Sofronie’s store, and buying the fob chain for Jim’s watch. In the end, it seemed to be in the
evening when Della and Jim finally met and talked about their presents.

Point of view

Definition of point of view is the position of the narrator which is relation to the story, as
indicated by the narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted and from the attitude
towards the character. There are two types of narrator, which are participant and non-participant
narrator. Participant narrator takes a role in the story. It tells the story from the first person point
of view and uses the pronoun “I” while non-participant narrator does not take any role in the
story. It only tells the story from the third person point of view and uses the pronoun “she”, “he”,
“it”, and names as well. Non-participant narrator is also divided into three branch, which are
omniscient or all-knowing, limited omniscience, and objective.

The narrator of “The Gift of The Magi” is non-participant. It uses the limited omniscience third
person point of view. The narrator tells the story by using the pronoun “she”, “he”, “it”, and
names to mention all the characters and other things. It is considered to be limited omniscience
as the narrator only knows all about the major characters, which are Della and Jim. The narrator
explains the physical appearance and all the feelings of Della and Jim.