| Name | The Gift Of The Magi |
| Type | Summary |
| Class | 10 |
| Board | Karnataka Board |
| Author | O. Henry |
Short Summary – The Gift Of The Magi
The Gift of the Magi Summary by American writer O. Henry is the focus of this essay. Here is a quick summary of the Gift of the Magi, complete with analysis. Della is a passionate young married woman. On Christmas Eve, she realises that the only money she has saved to buy a present for her husband, Jim, is $1.87. She is able to reduce the family’s spending on this occasion. They rent their flat for $8 per week. Even by the furthest extent of the imagination, their surroundings do not match the criteria for poverty because they only have the barest necessities. Della nevertheless comes to the conclusion that she cannot survive Christmas without giving Jim the present.
Della is having difficulty coming up with a solution to her issue. She then has a thought about it. She quickly dresses in her brown coat and hat before approaching Madame Sofronie, a hairstylist. Sofronie cuts her hair to the shoulder and pays her $20 for the service.
Immediately after, Della begins looking for Jim’s perfect gift. Despite her best efforts, she was unhappy that she was unable to find the perfect gift. Then she thinks about Jim’s most prized possession, a gold watch that belonged to his grandpa. But because the watch’s original chain broke, Jim needs to attach a leather strap to it. She makes the decision to purchase the comic because it will be the perfect present for him. She browses numerous stores in search of the ideal watch chain. She eventually comes across a stunning platinum chain. It costs twenty one dollars. Della uses the money she has left over to purchase it before going back home.
Della worries that Jim might not find her as attractive in the apartment without her hair as he did before. She spends the remainder of the evening trying to make her hair look as presentable as she can. She then gets to work on dinner. Every day, Jim returns to his house. He suddenly stops when he notices Della without her long, attractive hair. Della had no idea how to interpret his response. He only appears surprised and puzzled; he is neither angry nor disappointed. When Della confronts him on the matter, Jim hands her the gift and explains that it is his Christmas present to her. He adds that she will only be able to understand his response once she has seen the gift. When she opens it, she sees a set of combs inside. He had purchased this gift for her lovely hair, but she currently had none to put it in.
Della then gives him her gift to cheer him up. But now it’s Della’s turn to get a surprise. Jim can no longer use the gift he received. Jim reveals to her that he had to sell his gold watch in order to raise enough cash to purchase the combs. Jim then smiled and advised her to keep the gifts close by so they would constantly be reminded of their affection for one another.
About The Author
O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi,” initially published in the New York Sunday World in 1905, was later included in “The Four Million” (1906). In spite of their poverty, James + Della Dillingham Young, a young couple, each decide to give the other a classy gift on Christmas Eve in the narrative.
Conclusion
The wise men who present gifts to Jesus at his birth are known as the Magi in the Bible. O. Henry links the Christmas gifts that Jim and Della buy to the wise gifts of the wise Magi in his short story to highlight the depth of Jim and Della’s love via their sacrifices. The author aims to show us the wisdom behind love and sacrifice, despite how foolish these thoughts may seem at first.
