Name: DANIELA SADE

Teacher: SIR JUDY BALDEMOR

Subject: English
Activity: Home reading report

“THE GIFT OF THE MAGI”

O. Henry

SUMMARY
The story "The Gift of the Magi" was written by American author O. Henry (1862–
1910), who’s true name was William Sydney Porter. Irony, a conversational narrative
style, sporadic sentimentality, and unexpected twist endings are characteristics of his
stories.

Christmas Eve is today. A married couple named Jim and Della reside in a modestly
equipped apartment in New York. They don't have much money. Della is angry at the
beginning of the story because she only has one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy
her husband a Christmas present. The married couple, according to the narrator, takes
great pride in their own possessions. For Jim, it's a gold watch that belonged to his
grandpa and then his father. Della's gorgeous hair is her most valuable asset.

Della visits a lady who sells hair products. For twenty bucks, this woman offers to
purchase Della's hair. Della uses her newfound wealth to purchase a platinum fob chain
for Jim's gold watch. She spends twenty-one dollars on this, leaving her with only
eighty-seven cents worldwide. She starts curling her remaining hair as soon as she
comes home to make it appear respectable. Jim is shocked by his wife's behaviour
when he arrives home, but after hearing her explanation of why she had her hair
chopped off, he hugs her and gives her the gift he purchased her—two jewelled
tortoiseshell combs that she had long liked in a store window. Even though she won't
be able to use the combs until her hair grows back, she can still give Jim his gift. In a
final surprise, though, Jim admits to Della that he had to sell his gold watch to make
the pricey combs he had purchased for her. He now has a platinum fob chain for a gold
watch he no longer owns, and she has two combs but no hair to use them on.

A large number of O. The sardonic turns that characterize Henry's short stories, most of
which are no longer than five or six pages, are evident in "The Gift of the Magi," one of
his best-known works. Young Jim and Della sacrifice the very items that their presents
are meant to complement—the combs for Della's (sold) hair and the chain for Jim's
(sold) watch—in their quest to provide each other the Christmas present of their
dreams. In the last paragraph, the narrator notes:

The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to
the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being
wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in
case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of
two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest
treasures of their house.

However, O. Henry invites us to honor their sacrifice rather than scoff at their
foolishness. As the narrator points out in the last lines of the story, wisdom, not
stupidity, drove them.

But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these
two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest.
Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

Thus, "The Gift of the Magi" ends with, in a way, two unexpected turns: the signature plot twist
that runs the majority of O. Henry's short stories and the narratorial "twist" in which he
moralizes that Jim and Della acted wisely, despite receiving "useless" presents from each other,
in contrast to our natural reaction, which might have been to laugh amiably at the unfortunate
turn of events that have just been narrated. All of this is well and wonderful, but it's
important to note that the narrator gives a clear explanation for why he thinks Jim and
Della were the "wisest" gift-givers. The Magi, who are Zoroastrian astrologers who
visited the infant Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and gave him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh—thus the story's title—of course suggest the word "wise" in
this context.

However, what makes Della and Jim wise? And why is O unable to? Henry tells us? Is it
because he thought the solution was rather obvious, or did he just want us to come to
our own conclusions? I think the latter is more plausible. Given the Christmas
atmosphere and the fact that Jim and Della treat each other well despite not having
enough money to acquire the nicer things in life, "The Gift of the Magi" undoubtedly
has a "moral" that love is more important than material belongings. Additionally, it truly
is the thought that counts when it comes to Christmas and purchasing gifts for our
loved ones. However, "The Gift of the Magi" is a little more complex than this cliched
proverb, which would minimize the narrative to a sentimental and twee parable about
"love being more important than money" and "giving being better than receiving." Both
of these claims are crucial to the plot, but so is the sacrifice that the two characters
make and how they respond when they realize what this means.

Thus, although Della is willing to lose her hair (which would, in spite of her complaints,
take many months to grow back fully), Jim is happy to part with a gold watch that has
been passed down the male line for three generations in order to buy the gift that the
other one most wants. They discover, however, that their personal sacrifices—made out
of love for the other person—were in vain when the plot twist occurs. However, they
are pleased about this due to the significant expense invested by the other party rather
than the act of purchasing the gift. According to O. Henry, love is about sacrificing what
you value most in order to demonstrate your commitment to your partner, whom you
should love even more. Stated differently, the striking thing about "The Gift of the
Magi" is that, given that what they receive is useless to them, the moral of the story
seems to be not simply "giving is better than receiving," but "giving and losing is all that
matters."
Characters

1. Young, Della Dillingham

A young housewife who finds it difficult to buy her husband Jim a Christmas gift.
Della, the protagonist of the narrative, is a good-hearted yet impetuous person.
She takes great pride in her long, gorgeous hair and her intense affection for her
spouse.
2. Jim, or James Dillingham Young
A youthful spouse who finds it difficult to provide for Della. Jim is a kind, kind
man who genuinely adores his spouse. He proudly has a priceless pocket watch
that has been inherited by his family.
3. Madame Sofronie
A retailer who deals in hair sales and purchases. When it comes to her financial
transactions, Madame Sofronie is icy and distant.

Plot

The author of "The Gift of the Magi" is an American named O. Henry, whose real name
was William Sydney Porter, lived from 1862 to 1910. His stories are characterized by
irony, a conversational narrative style, intermittent emotion, and surprising twist
endings.

It's Christmas Eve. Jim and Della, a married couple, live in a simply furnished apartment
in New York. Their wealth is quite limited. At the start of the novel, Della is upset
because she can't afford to give her husband a Christmas present with her meager one
dollar and eighty-seven cents. The narrator claims that the married pair is quite proud
of their belongings. Jim's gold watch was his grandfather's before it was his father's.
Della's best feature is her lovely hair.
Della goes to see a woman who sells hair care items. This woman offers to buy Della's
hair for twenty dollars. Della buys a platinum fob chain for Jim's gold watch with her
newly acquired fortune. She only has eighty-seven cents worldwide after spending
twenty-one dollars on this. As soon as she gets home, she begins curling her remaining
hair to make it look decent. When Jim gets home, he is shocked by his wife's behavior,
but he gives her a hug and presents her with the gift he bought her—two jeweled
tortoiseshell combs that she had long admired in a store window. She tells Jim why she
had her hair chopped off. She can give Jim his gift even though she won't be able to
use the combs until her hair comes back. But as a last surprise, Jim tells Della that in
order to pay for the expensive combs he had bought her, he had to sell his gold watch.
She has two combs but no hair to use them on, and he now has a platinum fob chain
for a gold watch he no longer owns.

Climax
The Gift of the Magi, written by O. Jim and Della first display one other the gifts they
had purchased for one another at Henry. This is the most significant part in the
narrative because it shows Jim and Della how much they care for one another despite
the sacrifices they had to make to give each other these presents that ultimately
couldn't be used.