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

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Haggling with the greengrocer, grocer, and butcher left Della's ears burning, but she only managed to collect one dollar and eighty-seven cents.


{{Character
Jim and Della are a young couple who live in a small apartment and are very much in love.
| Name = Della
| Description = a determined and resourceful young woman with long, beautiful hair that she values greatly, deeply in love with her husband
| Emoji = 💇🏻‍♀️
}}


She needed to use these pennies to buy a Christmas present for Jim.


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Jim and Della were renting a furnished apartment that was not necessarily indicative of poverty, but rather elegantly decorated with what little they had. Jim's income had recently decreased significantly, and the young couple had been struggling. The family had two valuable possessions: Della's luxurious hair, which would make the jewels of the Queen of Sheba pale in comparison, and Jim's gold watch, which King Solomon himself would have envied.
{{Character
| Name = Della
| Description = a determined and resourceful young woman with long, beautiful hair that she values greatly, deeply in love with her husband
| 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. The watch fob chain costs $20, and Della is able to get $20 for her hair.


After shedding a few tears of disappointment, Della stared off into the distance and had a brilliant idea. She quickly got dressed and went outside, eventually stopping near a sign for "Hair Goods of All Kinds". She sold her luxurious braids for twenty dollars and used the proceeds to buy Jim a platinum chain for his watch.
Meanwhile, Jim sells his watch, which he inherited from his grandfather, to buy combs for Della's hair. The watch was worth $25, and Jim is able to get $15 for it. He uses the money to buy a set of tortoise-shell combs, which he thinks will look beautiful in Della's hair.


When Della returned home, she was suddenly afraid that Jim would dislike her new short haircut, and she "set about repairing the damage done by generosity combined with love." She heated up a pair of tongs and curled her hair into fine curls, resembling a boy who had escaped from school.
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.


When Jim came home, frozen and without gloves, he looked at his wife with surprise, horror, or anger. Neither the new haircut nor any other reason could have made Jim dislike his wife, but he couldn't understand how Della no longer had her braids. At last, Jim pulled out a bundle containing a set of tortoiseshell combs with shiny stones, which were the object of Della's secret desires. In return, she presented her husband with the chain. However, both gifts had to be hidden for now, as Jim had pawned the watch to buy his wife the combs.
Despite this, they are still happy and grateful to have each other. 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.


{{Quote|
{{Quote|
...of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.
...of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.
}}
{{questions|
* Why is the story called "The Gifts of the Magi"?
* Where and at what time is the action unfolding?
* How are the sad and the funny intertwined in the story? Find the fragments in the text where both intonations appear, where the mood changes.
* Can the ending of the story be considered unhappy? Why does the narrator call the characters the wisest?
* How has the sad and touching story of O. Henry's own life (William Porter) been transformed in "The Gifts of the Magi"? What changed in it, and what matched the real story exactly?
* What kind of ending did you expect? Could the story have had a different ending?
}}
}}


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Revision as of 13:14, 23 December 2022

Disclaimer: Sorry if this summary has any silly mistakes – it was translated by AI.
O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi
1905 
Summary of the book
from the Collection « Four Million»

Jim and Della are a young couple who live in a small apartment and are very much in love.


🧑🏻‍💼
Jim (James Dillingham Young) — a loving husband who values his family's gold watch, but is willing to sacrifice it to show his love for his wife.
💇🏻‍♀️
Della — a determined and resourceful young woman with long, beautiful hair that she values greatly, deeply in love with her husband.

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. The watch fob chain costs $20, and Della is able to get $20 for her hair.

Meanwhile, Jim sells his watch, which he inherited from his grandfather, to buy combs for Della's hair. The watch was worth $25, and Jim is able to get $15 for it. He uses the money to buy a set of tortoise-shell combs, which he thinks will look beautiful in Della's hair.

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.

Despite this, they are still happy and grateful to have each other. 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.

...of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

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