The Gift of the Magi

Plot Summary:

A couple lives in a flat with very little money. Their only treasures are the watch of the young man and the hair of the lady. The lady wants to get Jim, the young man, a present, but she only has a dollar and eighty seven cents. She decides to sacrifice her hair for him in order to get him a better present, so she sells her beautiful treasure and buys him a chain for his watch. She anxiously waits at home for Jim, hoping he will still love her without her beautiful hair. When he gets home, all he can do is stare at her. It turns out that he had bought her some beautiful combs for christmas, which she can no longer use since her hair is gone. Then, when Della, the lady, shows Jim the present she got for him, it turns out that he has no use for it either. Della had gotten him a chain for his watch, which he had sold to buy her combs for her hair. O. Henry concludes to say that though what the two foolish children did was unwise, they are wise because they are the magi. The magi, he says, are men whom invented the art of giving christmas presents.

Thoughts on the Crafting of the Story:

He narrates the story as if he is a sports commentator. One example of this is when he says "While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week." This "sports-commentator" style was also portrayed in "The Princess and the Puma." He also shows the situation by giving examples that show not tell. For example, when he says "In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button which no mortal finger could coax a ring." This clues that whoever lives in this place is not very social without him having to straight-out say "They are not social." Money is a constant them; it is mentioned in every other sentence throughout the first half of the story. The similes he uses are extremely original and paint a clear picture. One example of a unique simile he uses is "So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters." I really like this simile because I can clearly imagine Della's long, luscious hair falling in ripples like water. This story, like the last one, was cute, funny, light, and original. It also had a twist ending, similar to the last one.