Thematic Essay On The Gift Of The Magi

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“The Gift of the Magi” Thematic Essay In the short story, “The Gift of the Magi”, the author O. Henry teaches us that love is more valuable than money. Della, the main character, is a very loving person. She really wants to get her husband Jim a Christmas gift. When she finds out that Jim cannot use his gift, she learns that her love for Jim is more valuable than getting him a gift. Della is a really loving person because of the way she lives. The living conditions that she and her husband Jim have to live in really affect their character. They are a very poor family. For example, the rooms are “Furnished rooms at a cost of $8 a week. There is little more to say about it.” This shows the type of house they live in - very small and not that well furnished. They also have to accept to the clothes that they wear. The author describes the type of clothes that she wears, “She put on her old brown coat. She put on her old brown hat.” Della really loves being Jim’s wife so she has to accepting for the things that she has even if they are had to live with. Being a loving wife really keeps Jim and Della’s love going. …show more content…

They don’t have many material goods to keep themselves happy so they have to be there for each other. For example, when the looking glass in the house was mentioned, it said that “It was very narrow.” Another example of not having good material goods is, “There was an electric bell, but it could not make a sound.” Despite their living conditions, they still really love each other and are proud to be a married couple. To show her love “Mrs. James Dillingham Young put her arms warmly about him and called him “Jim”.” The main problem in the story is that Della and Jim lack of material goods and money. Yet, the love the share really overpowers being a poor

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