POST: Short Story: "The Gift of the Magi" (151)

I think I read this story in 6th or 7th grade. I liked how this story is such a great example of irony. This is a sweet story because it showed how the couple loved each other very much that they would sacrafice their treasures to buy gifts for one another.

I had read this story in a previous grade, so the plot seemed really obvious.

I found this story very touching. Not as ironic as the necklace because it is exspected of someone to give up something to give to someone else in the Christmas spirit but yet, ironic all the same. I found it a perfect example of what we call "Love". One person is willing to give up their most prized possesions for the one that they wish to spend their life with.

JustAustria wrote:

I really liked the story and the ending was pretty ironic, but why would someone want to buy hair?

They buy hair to make wigs. Then they sell the wigs to make money.

Personally, I have over the years heard many stories like this one so I was not suprised at all when the ironical ending occurred. In fact, I almost expected the story to end that way after I had read the intro. Besides that, I could say that this was a respectable, harder to read classical short story. Consequently, I found that I actually enjoyed the story more because it was challenging rather than being a pice of cake to read.

I've heard of this story so many times and have always enjoyed the ending. I like how the ending has a timeless lesson to be learned. I think this is a really good short story that a lot of people enjoy and remember because of the lesson it teaches everyone. It shows that a gift doesn't have to be expensive, as long as you put your heart into it. It also shows that love can't always be measured by materialistic items, but in people's sacrifices. I've seen on the little kiddy shows where they retell the story in many different versions. I feel bad for Della and Jim for giving up their most prized materialistic item ( I say materialistic because their love for each other is their most prized possession). I feel even bad for Jim because Jim's watch can't just grow back in time like Della's hair.

Jim could always save enough to buy a new watch, which could take just as long for Della to regrow her hair back to normal. I remeber reading this in eighth grade and its good to remeber this story again.

I liked this ending, altough it turned out bad for both characters. I think it showed the true love they had for eachother, and that they would do anything to just make their spouse happy.

It was ironic that both Della and Jim gave up their most prized possessions to purchase gifts for each other. Neither ended up with a gift that they could use at that time and they both realized that their love was more than gifts could express. At first, each of them wanted to show how much they loved each other by purchasing an expensive gift to please one another and their most prized possession. Della did not have enough money and sold her hair as a result to buy Jim a gift by Christmas. Jim sold his watch. The gifts had no meaning however the thought of giving the gift was what pleased the couple. They went through all their troubles to make one another happy. The truth of the matter is that (true) love does not have a price. The foreshadowing was subtle and implied through their actions, so it was clear how the story would end.

I thought that this story was incredible. I think O. Henry is an amazing author and I loved the ending to this tale of two loving, sacrificing, young people who have given their most valuable possesions in order to make the other's valuable possesion of greater worth.

JoNaThAn_D2 wrote:

Jim could always save enough to buy a new watch, which could take just as long for Della to regrow her hair back to normal. I remeber reading this in eighth grade and its good to remeber this story again.

That is true, they could save up and buy/grow their possesions back. I remeber this type of situation somewhere else but I can't really remember.