Are We The Magi

In "The Gift of Magi," Della and Jim sacrifice their prized possessions for each other and for love. Irony is represented in this story when Della and Jim both get each other gifts that mean a lot to each other. However, what they did not realize is that when Della cut her hair to to buy Jim a chain for his watch, she was unaware that Jim was going to sell his watch to buy her combs for her hair. The irony of their gift exchange is monumental as their unconditional love for one another took over for their own personal possession. Jim exclaims, “I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first." The magi which are described as wise men also signifies irony because Della and Jim's presents were more than wise. They represented that a gift does not need to be expensive to have value. A gift can be more meaningful just by the thought.

Clara took her most prized item, her precious necklace that had been passed down to her by her mother, to a pawn shop to sell it. Her father had bought it for her mother in Vietnam, and gave it to her when he got back from the war. The necklace had given her $200, even though the chain on it was broken, and by the end of November, she had saved enough money that when she added it to the money from the necklace, she had enough for the quilt.

In “The Gift of the Magi”, Della’s highest priority is her love for Jim. She couldn’t bear to let Christmas pass without giving her husband, Jim, a present. She has “only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim” (Henry). Because he is so special, she spends many hours thinking of “something just a little bit near to being worth of the honor of being owned by Jim” (Henry). Della decides that she would

In The House of Spirits by Billie August, Clara decides to pass down her personal journal to Blanca in hopes of helping her daughter realize that what’s important in life is to be with her loved ones and to make the best out of every day instead of being fixated on her negative memories. After reading her mother’s writings, Blanca came to the conclusion that she would not let her traumatizing experience as a prisoner define the result of her life. Instead of seeking revenge, she decides to focus on what matters most to her. Alba on the other hand, in “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, Jim and Della sacrifice their most valuable possessions in order surprise each other with thoughtful gifts. Despite being living in impecunious conditions, the couple were proud of “Jim’s gold watch. It had once belonged to his father. And, long ago, it had belonged to his father’s father. The other thing was Della’s hair,” yet unknowingly to each other, they sell both the watch and the hair in order to afford the perfect gift for their spouse (Henry, 2). However, the gifts exchanged are useless because Della gets rid of her hair to buy Jim a chain for his watch and “[Jim] sold the watch to get money to buy the combs” for Della (Henry, 6). Instead of focusing on the actual gifts, both Jim and Della continue on with their day appreciating the gesture and not the material. In the end, the precious items of each character from the different stories allowed them to look beyond the shallow things in life and enjoy every moment with their loved

Love is a defining force for Della and Jim too, overshadowing the poor condition of their finances. Jim and Della do not have much. They would most certainly be considered to be in the lower class, living in a little $8 a week flat in the city and going from a sufficient income of $30 a week to a less than adequate $20 a week with Jim in need of a new overcoat and pair of gloves (Henry). Henry articulates how their love for each other transforms their drab house and surroundings and gray circumstances into a warm and inviting refuge called home. “One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all Della had,” not nearly enough to get a gift worthy of her beloved Jim (Henry). She desires nothing but to please him and considers him worthy of something

So that she could get Jim a Christmas gift. And what about Mathidle’s husband, he gave up the money that he was saving to buy himself a new gun. There is pride found in both stories. Della and Jim in The Gift of Magi, could have simply talked to each other and admit that they just did not have the money to get each other a gift and just made dinner and enjoyed each other. As for

Della Dillingham is the devoted wife of James Dillingham Young. She loves her husband so much that she literally saved pennies for months to buy him the perfect Christmas gift. Despite her efforts Della is only able to save a measly $1.87. Desperate, Della decides to sell her most prized possession, her long brown locks.

I think Della is prioritized. One reason why I think Della is prioritized because she was able to give up her hair and buy something for him. For example, she could have bought more stuff for herself and forget about buying her husband a gift. I also think she is prioritized because she knew when to be home. According to the text it states that “At seven , Jims dinner is ready for him. Jim was never late.” This evidence suggests she knew when her husband would be home so she knew if she wanted to surprise him with the gift. That is why I think Della is

He alludes to the Magi, or wisemen who bring the best gifts, but the narrator stated that Jim and Della gave the best gift of all, and they are wiser than the Magi. Besides the fact that Jim and Della were wise to sacrifice their own prized possessions for each other, the way that they handled the situation and still loved each other after shows true wisdom. After all, Christmas is about loving your loved

For instance, Della and her husband had a mutual love and respect for each other; where Mathilde was only in love with the person she wanted to be. During the gift exchange between Della and her husband, they found selling their most prized possession, the purchase of their Christmas gifts was rendered useless since Della no longer had her hair and Jim his watch. However, when Mathilde lost the necklace, both her and her husband spent ten years to pay off the debt. Additionally, Mathilde lost her beauty, “Madame Loisel looked old now. She had become like all other strong, hard, coarse women of poor households. He hair was badly done, her skirts were awry, her hands were red.” The authors in the stories demonstrated the negative effects for seeking items which one could not afford through an ironic twist. However, the irony was predictable in both

The Magi's are the wise men that created the art of giving Christmas presents. Just like Jim and Della in The Gift Of The Magi. In The Gift of The Magi, Jim and Della expressed their inordinate amount of love through their gifts, and through Literary elements , expressing the theme of the story. Three literary elements that enhanced the theme "Love is more valuable than possessions", in The Gift of The Magi are, the characterization, the plot, and the setting. The characterization in the story expresses she's the theme in many ways.

One of the biggest reasons she is thoughtful is because she is caring. Della cried on the bed just because there was not enough money for Jim’s present. Many people wouldn’t care much because they can’t get a present but she cares so much she cries because of it. She most likely would not care as much if it was someone else but for Jim it means the world for her.

In the story, “The Gift of the Magi”, Jim and Della both sacrificed the things they valued for the other person’s wants. Jim sacrificed his watch and Della sacrificed her hair. These items, his watch and her hair, were their most prized possessions. Some people might argue that it was not very wise of them to sell their items and use the money on unnecessary things. Some think that instead of buying each other something, they should have saved that money or used it on something more important than silly gifts. Nevertheless, this was not a frivolous act of spending money, rather an act of love.

The author’s use of allusion demonstrates the brilliance of love within sacrifice and how truly valuable sacrifices turn out to be. First and foremost, the narrator describes throughout this piece exactly how Della and Jim were foolish enough to give up their prized possessions. However, that statement is repealed when Henry compares the main characters to the magi. He endorses that “...of all who give gifts, these two were the wisest.” (Henry p 368). This comparison clarifies that they were the “wise men” because they give to each other out of sentimental value, from the heart. In the traditional Christmas story, it states that the actual wise men brought Jesus the

And now suppose you put the chops on.’” However, Della no longer had her long hair and therefore had no use for hair combs. This proves how Jim and Della both love eachother so much that they would give up their prized possessions to get the other a present for Christmas day.  Since love had taken control of their money problems, they both see how strong they both feel for eachother.