The Luxury Of Giving In The Gift Of 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.

It was one week from Della's 30th birthday and Jim didn't have enough money to

The author attempts to show that without money, Old Bill, Billy and Caitlin can still enjoy each other’s company. The Simple Gift attempts to demonstrate that money and status doesn’t buy love or friends. From the relationship of Old Bill and Billy, The Simple Gift shows us that there is no money needed to have a great friendship. We find out through the connection of Billy and Caitlin that money doesn’t buy love and through the relationship of Old Bill and Caitlin, money is not needed for an enjoyable time.

This leads to her idea of selling her most prized possession: her hair, to get Jim his present. Meanwhile, Jim decides to sell his most prized possession which was a pocket-watch that was passed down from his grandfather to his father and then to him. He sells that watch and buys Della a set of beautiful tortoise shell combs for her hair. Thus leading to the use of situational irony in which they both receive gifts for something they gave up in order to give the other a gift.

Gift of the Magi exercises many literary and DIDLS elements as Della tries to salvage her last pennies to buy a meaningful gift for her husband, Jim. One of the most vital parts of the story is situational irony. “Della,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas gifts away and keep them a while. They’re too nice to use now. I sold the watch to get the money to buy the combs. And now I think we should have our dinner (O. Henry 1). Sadness is expressed as they come to realize that they both bought gifts that were unable to use the gifts they received. Della had sold her hair to have enough money to buy a watch for Jim, and she got a comb. Jim sold his watch to buy the combs for Della, and she bought him a watch.This is considered situational irony because the situation is reversed. Another important element of Gift of the Magi is foreshadowing. “The James Dillingham Youngs were very proud of two things which they owned. One thing was 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.” The two most important things to the James Dillingham Youngś were their hair and watches, which later they sell to make money to buy new gifts. They both bought each other gifts which they couldn't use, and it most likely took a toll on their self esteem. This is

Due to his strong love for her, the narrator wanted to make her happy and he believed buying her a gift would make her happy. He put a lot of pressure on him going to the Bazaar and buying her a gift. He associated him buying her a gift with him being with her. They both took encounters they had with the girls they loved and made them more than they actually were.

Conflict is opposing actions, ideas, and decisions that hold a plot together. Clugston (2014) states “Conflict is the struggle that shapes the plot in a story” (4.1 Plot, para. 4). Conflicts are also encountered in most of the literature we read for pleasure. It can create personal connections and instill deeper meanings to our experiences as we read, especially if we can relate what is read to our personal life.

The comparison O. Henry makes between the story of Jim and Della and that of the Magi is rather relevant as the Magi were the ones who are credited with being the origins of the “giving nature” of the Christmas season. In this story, we see a man and a woman so blinded by love that they are willing to make ultimate sacrifices for the happiness of the other. Similar to the Magi, Della and Tim put each other before themselves and through their generosity and considerable lengths they both went to achieve that generosity is something more admirable than any materialistic gift they could ever offer each other, thus making the uselessness of their gifts irrelevant.

While reading this part in the story, the reader simply cannot forget how Della payed for Jim’s present. A feeling of sorrow and sympathy is directed towards Della and in a way, greatly connects the reader with the story. But then, Della remembered in a heartbreaking moment, how she sold her hair in order to afford Jim’s a present. “They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone (...) ‘My hair grows fast, Jim’” (5)! Not only did Della treasure her hair, but she feels bad about cutting it off and not being able to use such a thoughtful present. She reassures Jim that she will use them eventually and at this point the reader may infer that Jim has sold his watch in order to afford the combs for Della. “They’re too nice to use just as a present, I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs’” (6). This is yet another example of dramatic irony because before, they both thought that each other would have the ability to utilize their

Near the end, the Jim says, “Let’s put our Christmas gifts away and keep them a while. They’re too nice to use now. I sold the watch to get the money to buy the combs. And now I think we should have our dinner” (Henry, pg. 6). When Jim finds out Della bought him a gold chain for his watch by selling her hair, he realizes they both care for each other so much they would give up their favorite things for the other person. The author used this to perfectly to show how two people will give up almost everything in order to show they love the other person. During the last paragraph the author discusses how foolish they were, but contradicted himself by saying, “But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise” (Henry, pg. 6). The author is saying Della and Jim’s presents to each other were not the combs or the chain, it was their sacrifices they made for each

This scene demonstrates situational irony when Della receives beautiful expensive combs for her hair which is now too short to be adorned with the combs. In the quote "They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession." she tells us they were really expensive. Since I know that Jim doesn't earn that much money, I can deduce that Jim sold something of his to pay for the combs. Jim had a strange look on his face because he just spent a lot of money to buy combs for his beautiful wife and her long hair, only to find out she cut it for him. So it must have taken a minute for Jim to register this

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

Della is willing to cut her gorgeous and flowy hair so that she can afford a Christmas present for her husband Jim. Della’s hair is admired by everyone, but she would have felt guilty if she did not get Jim a present. When Jim is standing before Della and her shortened hair, she gives him a fob chain. Also, Della explains to him that she, “couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving [him] a present” (Henry 264). Della has an altruistic disposition whereas Madame Loisel has a selfish and greedy personality.

“My purpose is to show that in every human heart there is an innate tendency towards a respectable life; that even those who have fallen to the lowest depths in the social scale would, if they could, get back to the higher life…”(Rollins 7-8 ). O`Henry came up with this philosophy when writing his many different, entertaining stories. “The Gift of the Magi” was initially published in 1906 in O`Henry`s second collection of stories. “The Gift of the Magi” is a perfect story to illustrate how people do anything for the ones they love. The main characters each sell their most valued possession in order to buy the other the perfect Christmas present. They each bought the other something to complement their prized possession. Ironically, they had both sold their prized possession to get the other a gift.However, they bought gifts that were now useless to one another. Themes have some aspect of life, general truth, or moral that is shown throughout the story by the author. The themes in this short story really stand out to the reader. The way in which the two main characters demonstrate their selflessness for each other helps to emphasize the three major themes: poverty, love, and sacrifice.

Situational irony is another element that is present throughout the short story. Della and her husband both buy each other gifts for Christmas at the end of the story. Ironically, Della and her husband bought each other gifts for what they gave up: Della bought her husband a wrist watch strap and Jim sold his watch to buy Della the combs she wanted for her hair. In the short story, Jim is seen grieving about the fact that she had cut her hair off, “I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on,” (O. Henry 121). The ending is situational irony because the reader was expecting that Della would buy her