Theme Of The Gift Of Magi

1056 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theme analysis the gift of the magi

The Gift of the Magi is a short story by O. Henry (the pen name of William Porter), published in the New York Sunday World in December 1905. Its primary theme is love and giving. The gift of magi is centered on the theme of love for a wonderful couple comprising Della and Jim young. As a young couple, they are still great lovers. Della is a young wife and despite their economic hard times where they do not have sufficient money to cater for their needs, Della still loves Jim and is ready to sacrifice by saving in order to buy him a good Christmas present (Henry). This is a great show of appreciation to her fiancée especially at a special festive season.
William Sidney Porter was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on September 11, 1862. He was a short-story writer who often used the common and mundane as backdrops to romanticism; for example, the life of everyday people in New York City (Britannica par. 1). He was most known for his surprise endings, and The Gift of the Magi is an excellent example of his concluding twists. The Gift of the Magi is about a young married couple, James and Della Dillingham Young.
The story started off with an amount: one dollar and eighty-seven cents—sixty cents of which were in pennies. Those pennies were the product of Della's haggling, wheedling, and begging with the merchants they dealt with regularly. A penny off here for too-ripe tomatoes, perhaps, or two pennies off the meat there that had been on the shelf too long. It was the day before Christmas, and Della was worried about what present to give her husband. After months of scrimping and saving, she only had one dollar and eighty-seven cents to spend on a gift, and this was clearly not enough.
Della was still for a moment when she realize...

... middle of paper ...

... gift of love overrides any material gift that one can wish to posses (Eggert). Thus is why he goes further to compare them to the wise men who took their gifts to Jesus in order to be counted as having also taken gifts to the new born baby. The whole affair is full of love, sacrifice and generosity from both partners.
Wealth is important in any happy society. This is however a relationship that is developed in trust and perseverance. It is a tough time for the Young family to cope with the tough economic hardships but the rock of their love is tested yet they remain strongly committed to making one another happy. Just like the Magi, in their wisdom, chose the best gifts to give the King of Kings, Della & James chose to give the best of themselves. What they sacrificed so they could give each other something beautiful became more precious than the gifts themselves.

Show More
Related

  • Themes In The Simple Gift

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steven Herrick’s verse novel ‘The Simple Gift’ and Tame Impala’s ‘Yes I’m changing’ incorporate a variety of effective language techniques and textual forms to centralise the notion of transitions. In these texts transitions are portrayed through the transformation of the characters. This transformation is displayed through themes of acceptance, realisation and embracing change.

    Read More

  • Three Symbols In O. Henry's Poem

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    O. Henry is a very inspirational person, in “The Gift of the Magi,” he makes the story go a lot deeper than the words on the page, with a little something called symbolism. One thing he really specializes in is symbolism, certainly with adolescence, worriness, and timelessness in this story. Symbolism plays a huge role in the narrative, a role so big that without it, the story would be quite dull. Without symbolism, this story would not have half the meaning it does now, when you dig into the story, you discover how much Della and Jim really love one

    Read More

  • A Raisin in the Sun and Modern American Families

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    Money is a problem for many modern families. Just as in the end of Act I Scene II, money can...

    Read More

  • Jeannette Walls & Quote Analysis

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jeannette knew that she was her father’s favorite child, but they kept it a secret. As children, we should always remain faithful in what our parents do for us. No matter what the circumstances are, you should never be ashamed of your parents. The Walls family had a different, but special bond despite being a dysfunctional family, but what family is perfect? This quote enhances the relationship between Jeannette and her father. It is a true symbol of a father and his daughter’s love for one

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Gift Of The Magi

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “Gift of the Magi”, by O. Henry, is a short story that unfolds in an unanticipated and remarkable way that gently tugs the reader in which makes them want to continue reading. The story is about two characters named Della and Jim. For Christmas, Della cuts her hair to sell for money to buy Jim a chain for his watch while Jim sells his watch to buy Della some fancy combs. They both couldn’t use each other's gifts properly by reason of them sacrificing what they loved likewise finding delight in giving - what is foolish in the head, may be wise for the heart.

    Read More

  • The Power of Humility: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the man first approached the dinner the waitress though he was like anybody else suffering from the great depression just trying to get things for free from people. At the beginning the man just walked to the dinner with a humble self being, asking to buy a loaf of bread. Immediately the waitress Mae being a stereotype and thinking he was trying to trick her said that the bread was for making sandwiches only. In response the man says that he needs the bread to feed his children because it’s a long road ahead of them to California. The waitress then tells him that if they sell bread their going run out to make sandwiches. The man then tells her that he’s hungry but needs to make a dime do all of his family. This gets Mae to change her reaction and change her mind because she’s starting to feel more and more sympathy fo...

    Read More

  • Snow Flower Relationships

    2204 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even though the brother and sister value money differently in “Love”, at the end of the day, the relationship the two have with each other is more important that the money. The theme of love is portrayed through the brother in the story. It is apparent that he loves and cares for his sister very much. In the opening of the piece, it states, “The wanting to give is only learned through the learning to love” (243) and this statement is personified though the brother. He dreamed of finally getting the gold ring at the Flying Horses but when he finally gets it, he gives it up. He loves his sister and valued her happiness so much he gave up his own happiness. Early on, the nephew seems selfish because he spends all of his money so quickly. The nephew’s display of love and kindness at the end proves how mature this boy actually is. The boy was able to understand love in a very mature way and values love over money. In the end, the two realize that money doesn’t buy or prove happiness or love. It is our actions that prove

    Read More

  • 'A Plate Of Peas' By Rick Beyer

    228 Words  | 1 Pages

    Then a grin appeared on the grandmother’s face, she said: “I’ll pay you five dollars if you eat those peas.” For the boy, five dollars was an “ENORMOUS nearly UNIMAGINABLE amount of money, and as awful as peas were,

    Read More

  • Depiction Of Society In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author does a great job showing that the family needs to impress the people that around them. Leonce asked Edna if she would not meet him in town in order to look at some new fixtures for the library. Edna responds, “I hardly think we need new fixtures, Leonce. Don’t let us get anything new; you are too extravagant. I don’t believe you ever think of saving or putting by” (53). Leonce then states, “The way to become rich is to make money, my dear Edna, not to save it” (53). This shows the audience that they are held to a high standard by the people around them. It also shows that Leonce is very materialistic and he cares about being able to show people that he has money. He likes to meet the standards he is held to by the business people that come on Tuesdays and the people from his town that surround him.

    Read More

  • Comparing Sesame Street Video And The Gift Of The Magi

    323 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although the Sesame Street video and the story versions of "The Gift of the Magi" were both different, there were some similarities between them. One difference was the relationships between the characters in both versions. In, the video Bert and Ernie are best friends living together. But, in the story Della and Jim are husband and wife. Another difference is the gifts the characters got and what they traded for it. On the video Bert trades his paperclip collection for a soap dish intended for Ernie's rubber duck. Also, Ernie traded his rubber ducky for a empty cigar box intended for Bert's paperclip collection. However, in the story Della trades her hair for a Fob that was intended for Jim pocket watch, which was nicknamed "The Watch." While,

    Read More

  • John Updike's A&P

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Around they come, Queenie still leading the way, and holding a little gray jar in her hand. Slots Three through Seven are unmanned and I could see her wondering between Stokes and me, but Stokesie with his usual luck draws an old party in baggy gray pants who stumbles up with four giant cans of pineapple juice (what do these bums do with all that pineapple juice' I've often asked myself) so the girls come to me. Queenie puts down the jar and I take it into my fingers icy cold. Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks in Pure Sour Cream: 49¢. Now her hands are empty, not a ring or a bracelet, bare as God made them, and I wonder where the money's coming from. Still with that prim look she lifts a folded dollar bill out of the hollow at the center of her nubbled pink top. The jar went heavy in my hand. Really, I thought that was so cute."

    Read More

  • True Meaning of Christmas in The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

    378 Words  | 1 Pages

    The “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is a short story that has an interesting theme.

    Read More

  • The Gift of the Magi

    4443 Words  | 9 Pages

    Many critics agree, “The Gift of the Magi” is, in all respects, an amazing and one of a kind story. One critic says, “Ironically, Fagin arrives at something utterly crucial to the success of 'The Gift of the Magi': that it has everything—an absorbing (if short) narrative drive and a twist ending that makes it wholly original” (Korb). Even renowned critic, Rena Korb, agrees; O.Henry did an excellent job with this story. Though O. Henry wrote many great stories, one of his most famous, and favorite, stories of all time is “The Gift of the Magi.” “The gift of the Magi” is a classic about a couple who sacrifices their happiness for the other. It is one of Henry’s most popular stories by far; even being remade many times. Such a popular story must have a powerful base with which to explain its message. That message is incorporated quite well into a few major themes; though, many different themes were used in this story. These themes ranged from materialism, generosity and love to more subtle undertones like selflessness and poverty. Of course, the most prominent is materialism; though, Henry goes to great lengths to show such a complex theme to his audience. He uses excellent literary devices like setting, conflict, creative syntax, and even figurative language all to his advantage. O. Henry uses many different, complex, literary elements to portray these different themes in “The Gift of the Magi.”

    Read More

  • The Eight Stages of Human Development

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mr. Day’s family’s life was full of hard work. They strived to stay ahead and give to the children. The times were rough for the family but Mr. Day did not have to suffer. Mr. Day came from a low-income family but they appeared to be proud and instill that sense of pride in Mr. Da...

    Read More

  • Journey Of The Magi

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    To conclude, the poem Journey of the Magi, touches on the journey of human spirit and their endeavour for perfection. It delivers a message: that we are all involved in the process of perfection of self, and sombrely, one can only reach this place of utter satisfaction through death.

    Read More

More about Theme Of The Gift Of Magi

Open Document