The Gift of the Magi (Henry)

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The Gift of the Magi

1905

Summary of the book
from the Collection « Four Million»

Microsummary: A poor young couple sell their most valued possessions to buy Christmas gifts for each other, but they realize that the gifts are now useless without the items they have sold.

Della and Jim were a young couple living in a small flat.

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Della — young woman in her 20s; Jim's wife; slender, brown hair down to her knees, brown eyes; passionate, determined.

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Jim (James Dillingham Young) — young man in his 20s; Della's husband; thin, serious expression, brown eyes; burdened with a family, kind, loving.

They had very little money, but they were deeply in love. Della wanted to buy Jim a special Christmas present, but she only had one dollar and eighty-seven cents to spend. She decided to sell her long, beautiful hair to buy him a gift.

Della went to a shop and sold her hair for twenty dollars. She then went shopping for Jim's present and found a platinum fob chain for twenty-one dollars. She was very happy with her purchase and hurried home to prepare dinner.

When Jim arrived home, he was shocked to see that Della had cut off her hair. She explained that she had done it so she could buy him a present. Jim then revealed that he had sold his watch to buy her a gift - a set of combs for her hair. They were both very touched by each other's gesture and hugged each other.

The couple realized that they had both sacrificed something very special to each other. They decided to put away their presents and enjoy a simple dinner together. They were the wisest of all who give and receive gifts, and their love for each other was greater than any material thing.