The Gift of the Magi (Henry): Difference between revisions

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{{Summary
{{Summary
| Title = The Gift of the Magi
| Title = The Gift of the Magi
| Cycle = [[Four Million (Henry)| Four Million]]
| Cycle = [[The Four Million (Henry)|The Four Million]]
| Original title = The Gift of the Magi
| Original title = The Gift of the Magi
| Author = O. Henry
| Author = O. Henry
| Genre = short story
| Literary form = short story
| Year of publication = 1905
| Year of publication = 1905
| Microsummary = A poor young couple sell their most valued possessions to buy Christmas gifts for each other, only to realize that the gifts are now useless without the items they have sold.
| Microsummary = A young couple sold their most prized possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts, only to discover their sacrifices made the gifts unusable, highlighting their love and devotion.
| Wikidata = Q1168338
| Wikidata = Q1168338
| Wikisource = The Four Million/The Gift of the Magi
}}
}}


{{Start of text}}
{{Start of text}}


Jim and Della are a young couple who live in a small apartment and are very much in love.  
Della and Jim were a young married couple living in a modest flat. They were both very much in love and took great pride in two possessions: Jim's gold watch, which had been passed down through his family, and Della's beautiful long hair.


{{Character
{{Character
| Name = Jim (James Dillingham Young)
| Name = Della
| Description = a loving husband who values his family's gold watch, but is willing to sacrifice it to show his love for his wife
| Description = loving wife in her early 20s; slender, beautiful long brown hair (before cutting); caring, selfless, devoted to her husband
| Emoji = 🧑🏻‍💼
| Emoji = 💇🏻‍♀️
}}
}}


{{Character
{{Character
| Name = Della
| Name = Jim (Mr. James Dillingham Young)
| Description = a determined and resourceful young woman with long, beautiful hair that she values greatly, deeply in love with her husband
| Description = loving husband in his early 20s; thin, serious, needs a new overcoat and gloves; caring, selfless, devoted to his wife
| Emoji = 💇🏻‍♀️
| Emoji = 👨🏻‍🦱
}}
}}


They are poor and can't afford much, but they still want to buy each other meaningful gifts for Christmas. Della has long, beautiful hair that she treasures, but she decides to sell it to a hair dealer so she can buy a watch fob chain for Jim's watch, which he values greatly.
Despite their love for each other, they were quite poor, and as Christmas approached, they found themselves with very little money to buy each other gifts.


Meanwhile, Jim sells his watch, which he inherited from his grandfather, to buy combs for Della's hair. He uses the money to buy a set of tortoise-shell combs, which he thinks will look beautiful in Della's hair.
Della had been saving every penny she could for months, but she only managed to save one dollar and eighty-seven cents. Desperate to buy Jim a present, she decided to sell her hair. She found a buyer, Madame Sofronie, who paid her twenty dollars for her hair. With the money, Della searched the stores for the perfect gift for Jim and finally found a platinum fob chain for his watch. She knew it was the perfect gift and bought it for twenty-one dollars.


On Christmas morning, Jim and Della exchange gifts. Della is overjoyed when she sees the watch fob chain, and Jim is touched when he sees the combs. However, they both quickly realize that their gifts are now useless without the things they have sold. Della's combs have no use without her long hair, and Jim's watch fob chain has no use without a watch.
Meanwhile, Jim had also been trying to find a way to buy Della a special gift. He decided to sell his prized gold watch to buy a set of beautiful tortoiseshell combs with jeweled rims that Della had admired in a store window. He knew she would love them and that they would look stunning in her long hair.


Despite this, they are still happy and grateful to have each other.  
On Christmas Eve, Della returned home with the fob chain and tried to fix her hair, which she had cut short to sell. She was worried that Jim would not find her attractive anymore, but she hoped he would understand her sacrifice. When Jim arrived home, he was shocked to see Della's short hair but quickly reassured her that he still loved her just as much. Della then excitedly gave him the fob chain for his watch.


{{Quote|
{{Quote|But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.}}
Don't make any mistake, Dell, ... about me. 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.
}}


They sit down and laugh about their silly mistake, and they realize that the true value of a gift lies in the thought and love that went into it, rather than its monetary worth. They also recognize that love is more important than material possessions.
Jim, in turn, gave Della the combs he had bought for her hair. They both realized that they had sold their most prized possessions to buy gifts for each other, rendering the gifts themselves unusable. However, they also understood the depth of their love and the sacrifices they were willing to make for each other. In the end, they decided to put their gifts away for the time being and enjoyed a simple Christmas dinner together, cherishing the love they shared.


{{End of text}}
{{End of text}}

Latest revision as of 08:06, 14 May 2023

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.
The Gift of the Magi
1905  
Summary of the Short Story
from the Collection «The Four Million»
Microsummary: A young couple sold their most prized possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts, only to discover their sacrifices made the gifts unusable, highlighting their love and devotion.

Della and Jim were a young married couple living in a modest flat. They were both very much in love and took great pride in two possessions: Jim's gold watch, which had been passed down through his family, and Della's beautiful long hair.

💇🏻‍♀️
Della — loving wife in her early 20s; slender, beautiful long brown hair (before cutting); caring, selfless, devoted to her husband.
👨🏻‍🦱
Jim (Mr. James Dillingham Young) — loving husband in his early 20s; thin, serious, needs a new overcoat and gloves; caring, selfless, devoted to his wife.

Despite their love for each other, they were quite poor, and as Christmas approached, they found themselves with very little money to buy each other gifts.

Della had been saving every penny she could for months, but she only managed to save one dollar and eighty-seven cents. Desperate to buy Jim a present, she decided to sell her hair. She found a buyer, Madame Sofronie, who paid her twenty dollars for her hair. With the money, Della searched the stores for the perfect gift for Jim and finally found a platinum fob chain for his watch. She knew it was the perfect gift and bought it for twenty-one dollars.

Meanwhile, Jim had also been trying to find a way to buy Della a special gift. He decided to sell his prized gold watch to buy a set of beautiful tortoiseshell combs with jeweled rims that Della had admired in a store window. He knew she would love them and that they would look stunning in her long hair.

On Christmas Eve, Della returned home with the fob chain and tried to fix her hair, which she had cut short to sell. She was worried that Jim would not find her attractive anymore, but she hoped he would understand her sacrifice. When Jim arrived home, he was shocked to see Della's short hair but quickly reassured her that he still loved her just as much. Della then excitedly gave him the fob chain for his watch.

But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.

Jim, in turn, gave Della the combs he had bought for her hair. They both realized that they had sold their most prized possessions to buy gifts for each other, rendering the gifts themselves unusable. However, they also understood the depth of their love and the sacrifices they were willing to make for each other. In the end, they decided to put their gifts away for the time being and enjoyed a simple Christmas dinner together, cherishing the love they shared.