The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of the Magi The Gift of the Magi

Introduction

William Sydney Porter , who went by the pseudonym O . Henry throughout his writing career , originally wrote The Gift of the Magi for a New York City news in 1905 . In 1910 , the story came out as part of the collection book The Four Million . The story became an instant favorite among city dwellers of different classes as other O Henry stories ever published because of the author 's remarkable talent as a story-teller putting in the elements of surprise , humor

, and realistic details . His aim was entertainment , and to hold the reader his characters perform (Hansen xi . Rather than make them think , O Henry mainly wants his readers to feel and laugh at the same time

Like many of O . Henry 's writings , The Gift of the Magi is a comical masterpiece and a witty romance that portrays true love in the most significant time of the year . This is an ordinary tale of sacrifice and a day in the life of two lovers , made vivid with unexpected twist . O Henry was an expert in this kind of style , reason why the author gained massive readers even after his death

Body

The young Dillingham couple 's encounter with simple irony and funny revelation of genuine love starts off on a Christmas Eve in a lower-class American community . Della has only 1 .87 cents a few more dollars short to buy the nicest Christmas gift for her dear husband Jim whom she loves so much to endure poverty . The young lady hopes to her man with something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim (Henry , pp . 2 ) but her very little savings cannot guarantee it . At this moment , Della is caught between sadness and naivety weeping and anxious that she may not be able to get Jim a special present for a joyous day when all her husband does everyday is love her and provide for the household

Her tender grief drove her wandering outdoors until she came upon Mme Sofronie Hair Goods of All Kinds , to which for twenty dollars she sold her long brown hair , her most precious property that waited years to reach her knee . It was all she got to trade

Now , there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both

took a mighty pride . One was Jim 's gold watch that had been his father 's and his grandfather 's

The other was Della 's hair . Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft , Della

would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate her Majesty 's

jewels and gifts . Had King Solomon been the janitor , with all his treasures piled up in the

basement , Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed , just to see him pluck

at his beard from...