Gift Of The Magi Theme
Gift Of The Magi Theme - The Gift of the Magi' is a short story written by American short story writer O. Henry, real name William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). His stories are known for their humor, storytelling, occasional narration, and abrupt endings. All of these things have become signature items, and 'Gift of the Magi' includes them all to some degree.
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Gift Of The Magi Theme
But what does this Christmas story mean? You can read 'The Gift of the Magi' here before we continue with a summary and analysis of O. Henry's story below. We discuss some of the main themes of 'The Gift of the Magi' in a separate article.
It's Christmas Day. Jim and Della are a couple, living in a small house in New York. They have little money. The story begins with Della upset because she only got one dollar and eighty-seven for her husband's Christmas. The narrator tells us that every couple has something they are very happy about.
For Jim, it was a gold watch that belonged to his father and grandfather. Della's asset is her beautiful hair. Della goes to a woman who sells hair accessories. The woman agreed to buy Della's hair for twenty dollars. With the new money, Della went to buy a platinum chain for Jim's gold watch.
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Twenty-one dollars were spent on it, leaving only eighty-seven dollars in the world. When she got home, she combed what was left of her hair to make it look better. When Jim gets home, he is surprised by his wife's reaction, but Jim explains why he cut her hair, hugs her, and gives her the gift he bought her: two bejeweled necklaces she's always admired.
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Long time in store. the window. . The fame is worthless until her hair grows back, but at least she can give Jim a present... But in the final episode, Jim tells Della that he sold his gold watch to pay for the expensive fame.
The cost to him. So now, she has two breasts but no usable hair, and she has a platinum chain for a gold watch that she no longer has. Many of O. Henry's short stories - most of them five or six pages long - are characterized by their twists and turns, and 'The Gift of the Magi' is a good example of this.
this is a common thing in his work. In their quest to buy the Christmas present of their dreams, young Jim and Della end up giving up the items that were meant to complement their gifts: Della's hairpin (sold), and Jim's watch chain (sold).
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As the narrator says in the last paragraph: The Magi, as you know, were wise - very wise - who brought the gift of the Baby in the Manger. They invented the art of Christmas gift giving. As clever as he was, there is no doubt that their gift was clever, and he probably had the opportunity to exchange it in case of a copycat.
And this is where I told you the story of two crazy kids in an asylum who unwittingly gave away a great treasure in their home. O. Henry does not invite us to laugh at their stupidity, but to appreciate their sacrifice. It was not folly that motivated them, but wisdom, as the narrator says in the closing words of the story: But in the last words to the wise today, let us say that now they all give gifts, these two and wisdom.
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To all who give and receive gifts, as wise. Everywhere is very smart. They are magicians. So, on the one hand, there are two unexpected things at the end of 'The Gift of the Magi': a symbolic twist that characterizes O. Henry's short stories, and a story 'twist' that changes the original answer.
that would be a good laugh at the sad things that were said - and make the point that Jim and Della were smart, even though it ended up being a 'useless' gift to each of them. This is all well and good, but it's worth noting that the narrator doesn't explain why he believes Jim and Della are the 'smartest' of all gift givers.
Something Went Wrong
Of course, the 'wise man' here refers to the Magi, Zoroastrian astrologers, who, in the Gospel of Matthew, visited the baby Jesus and brought him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, which is the title of the story. But what makes Jim and Della so smart?
And why doesn't O. Henry tell us? Was it because he wanted us to make up our own minds, or did he think the answer was obvious? The latter seems more likely. Because really the 'moral' of 'Gifts of the Magi', as far as Christmas is concerned, is that Jim and Della love each other and stick together even though they don't have the money to buy nice things even in life, that love.
more important than possessions. As for Christmas and buying gifts for our loved ones, these are the thoughts that matter. But there is little more to 'The Gift of the Magi' than this old cliché, which would cut the story down to emotion, two parts about 'giving is better than receiving' and 'love is something.
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More important than money'. Both of these words are important to the story, but more important is the sacrifice these two characters make, and their behavior to learn the consequences. So Jim is happy to part with a gold watch that has been passed down through the male line for three generations, while Della is happy to lose her hair (although, despite her disapproval, it takes months to grow out).
The Interconnectedness Of Poverty And Shame
All) purchases. the gift one desires. But with a twist in the story, they realize that their sacrifices have been in vain - for the love they have for one another. But they were happy about this, not because of the act of buying gifts, but because of the high price it caused others.
Love, O. Henry, seems to mean giving up something precious to you to show the one you love—the one you should love the most—your commitment. In other words, the strange thing about 'Gift of the Magi' is that its attitude seems to be that 'giving is better than receiving' but 'giving and losing is important', because what it sees is impossible.
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A major theme in "The Gift of the Magi" is love. Jim and Della are willing to part with their valuables to please their friends, showing that love can replace physical poverty. Some additional themes are generosity, selflessness, and poverty. "What is the meaning of the book "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?"
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