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The Gift of the Magi
Original title The Gift of the Magi
Author O. Henry
Genre Short Story
Language English
Characters Della Dillingham Young, her husband Jim, Madame Sofronie
Published 1905
ISBN 978-0-06-242457-7
Book Summary
Essay Examples

Table of Contents

The Gift of the Magi is a short story written by O. Henry about a young married couple and their selfless love for each other. Jim and Della Young are a poor couple who can barely afford their rent, let alone buy each other Christmas presents. However, they are content with what they have and are deeply in love.On Christmas Eve, Della sells her beautiful long hair to a wig maker in order to buy Jim a chain for his prized pocket watch. Jim then sells his watch to a pawnbroker in order to buy Della a set of combs for her hair. When they exchange gifts, they realize that the value of their gifts lies not in the monetary value, but in the love and thoughtfulness that went into them.This story is a classic example of O. Henry’s use of irony and is a touching tale of love and sacrifice.

  • 1The Necklace And The Gift Of The Magi Comparative Analysis
    Words • 1260
    Pages • 6

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    The two stories, “The Gift of The Magi” written by O. Henry and “The Necklace” written by Guy de Maupassant are separate pieces of writing, but when one takes the time to read them side by side, they notice several connections between the plot, theme, and the characters of the two stories. However, there are not only similarities one can infer, but also differences that make each story it's own. These two stories compare and contrast as they both have…
    Paper Type:1200 word essay ExamplesCompare And Contrast essays
  • 2“Moana” and “The Gift Of The Magi” Comparison
    Words • 850
    Pages • 4

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    “Moana” is a very popular kids movie, while “The Gift Of The Magi” is a less popular short story written by O’Henry. “Moana” and “The Gift Of The Magi” seem very different, but you have to dig deep into the story to find out how they are the same, don’t just skim the top. For example, if you just skim the top you can only see the differences. The differences are that “Moana” has selfish characters, and “The Gift Of…
    ComparisonGifts
    Paper Type:800 word essay ExamplesCompare And Contrast essays
  • 3Literary Analysis of O. Henry ‘The Gift of the Magi
    Words • 1350
    Pages • 6

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    The Gift of the Magi (Dec.10,1905) I heard is one of the most popular short stories by O. Henry. In O. Henry’s second collection of short stories, The Gift of the Magi which displays all the major traits O. Henry has given him credit for his great talent. It has been retold in many different forms since then, mostly at Christmas time. The story is about a young poor couple, Jim and Della Dillingham Young, who each sells their most…
    ChristmasGifts
    Paper Type:1300 word essay Examples
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  • 4Sacrifice Theme in The Gift of the Magi
    Words • 1025
    Pages • 5

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    Do you ever love someone so much, to the point where you would do anything to make them happy? Then there is that feeling of happiness for you, also, because you know you just made someone's day. In the story, “The Gift of The Magi'' By O. Henry, there are two people that love each other so much, they would do anything for each other. Not only that, but also the next day would be Christmas, and they both did…
    Gifts
    Paper Type:1000 word essay Examples
  • 5Theme In The Gift Of The Magi English Literature
    Words • 747
    Pages • 3

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    The story “The Gift of the Magi” which is written by O. Henry follows a young married couple who sacrifice their most prized possessions to buy a Christmas gift for one another. Though the story tells the tale of two people, a large portion of the story involves following Della on her quest to find a gift for Jim. The worry and unease that Della shows toward buying a gift is not caused by wanting to show love to her…
    Theme In Literature
    Paper Type:700 word essay Examples
  • 6Deconstructing Dickens: Analyzing Fictional Techniques in The Child’s Story
    Words • 2100
    Pages • 9

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    Analysis of Fictional Techniques Paper Team C’s Paper is an Analysis of Fictional Techniques on The Child’s Story by Charles Dickens, The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry, and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. The team focused the following three techniques: 1) Nature of Narration; 2) Nature and level of description included in the story; and 3) Use of Setting. Several questions have been answered concerning the different effects produced by each of the authors’ use of…
    Child
    Paper Type:2000 word essay Examples
  • 7The Gift of the Magi
    Words • 689
    Pages • 3

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    In the short story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry I feel that there is more than one theme that can be seen through the story, that of love, giving and sacrifice. The theme in a story is a representation of the idea behind the story. (Clugston, 2010) The main idea is that the best gift is that which is most sincere and comes from the bottom of the heart instead of an extravagant, lavish possession that would…
    Gifts
    Paper Type:650 word essay Examples
  • 8Comparing and Contrasting “The Necklace” and “The Gift of the Magi”
    Words • 574
    Pages • 3

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    The main character in The Necklace’s, and the main character in The Gift of the Magi’s, personalities differ from one another vastly. In The Necklace, the main character Mathilde Loisel is an ungrateful middle class woman who seeks riches and admiration. Alternatively, the main character in The Gift of the Magi, Della Young, is compassionate and works very hard to buy her husband a present, and ultimately, selling the one thing that was more precious to her than anything else,…
    Paper Type:Compare And Contrast essays
  • 9Gift of Magi Analysis
    Words • 285
    Pages • 2

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    The short story “The Gift of the Magi” uses elements from “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” in chapter 7 called “…Or the Bible.” The short story includes biblical references concerning the main theme of sacrifice and the gifts from the heart. The story also includes references to people from the Christian Bible. Starting off with the title they even use a biblical reference to the “Magi.” “The Bible is full of possible titles,” from how to read literature…
    GiftsReligion
    Paper Type:300 word essay Examples
  • 10‘The Necklace’ and ‘The Gift of the Magi’
    Words • 462
    Pages • 2

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    'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry and 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant are two short stories that share some similarities. Namely, they are both ironic. The two main characters in both also happen to be husband and wife and make sacrifices for their spouse. The husband in 'The Necklace' is a 'thrifty clerk' who doesn't like to spend too much money. After implored by his wife, he gives her the money that he saved up for a…
    Paper Type:450 word essay Examples
  • 11“Gift Of The Magi” And “The Necklace”
    Words • 1265
    Pages • 6

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    The two short stories, "The gift of the Magi" written by O. Henry and "The necklace written by Guy de Maupassant are both composed of two young, beautiful women Mathilde and Della. Even though they are in different composed stories that have similar characteristics that convey throughout the story such as, they are both emotionally and financially depressed, have loving husbands, and both want to achieve something in an extreme manner. Throughout much the stories there similarities interact with each…
    Paper Type:1200 word essay Examples
  • 12‘The Gift of the Magi’ by O. Henry
    Words • 410
    Pages • 2

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    The theme for 'The Gift of the Magi' is that love is more important than any material item. Della and Jim, the two main characters, demonstrated the theme. This theme also occurs in the 'real world.' The theme in this short story has a deep meaning. One way to interpret the theme is that love will last a lifetime, and material gifts will not. Another interpretation is that people will always remember how much they love someone or how much…
    Gifts
    Paper Type:400 word essay Examples
  • 13Short Story “Crossing” by Mark Slouka
    Words • 1230
    Pages • 5

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    Trust and family relationships are the two main themes in the short story “Crossing” by Mark Slouka. The story tells us about a father, who is going through a tough period, and his relationship to his son. He wants to obtain trust from his son trough a trip in the nature but runs into some challenges on his way. The father in the short story takes his son on a trip to a place at a river, because he wants…
    Paper Type:1200 word essay Examples
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