Sacrifice Theme in The Gift of the Magi

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 not have much money to buy each other a present.

There are two main characters, which are the wife, Della, and the husband, Jim. They are a very happy family, that would do anything for each other. They both sold their prized possessions to buy each other a gift for the others prized possession. They both chose to love each other, so they had to accept sacrifice, too. They sacrificed their prized possessions for each other, and even though those items had a big meaning to them, they still couldn't go through Christmas without getting each other a good gift.

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Overall, they didn't really care that much about it though. They just wanted to have a nice Christmas.

An example of the theme is when Della and Jim care for each other so much, they sacrifice their prized possessions for each other. You wouldn’t sell your prized possession for just anyone. In the text, it states, “Twenty dollars.’’ Madame said, “lifting the mass with a practiced hand” “Give it to me quick,” Della said.

(4) This shows that they sacrificed their prized possessions for each other because Della’s prized possession was her hair, and she sold it for money to buy Jim a gift! Her hair means a lot to her and a lot to Jim. Jim means a lot to her because she sold her most prized, valuable item to buy his gift. Another piece of evidence that supports the theme is when Jim says, “I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs.” (7) This shows the theme, when you accept love, you accept sacrifice with it, because they chose to love each other and get married, and now they accepted sacrifice with it. You know you are in a good relationship if you are both willing to sacrifice your prized possession for each other.

For example, you can say that when Della and Jim accepted love, they accepted sacrifice with it when they sold their prized things, which had a big meaning to them, to buy each other a gift. In addition, the passage also states, “There were two possessions of James Dillingham young. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s.” (3) This shows the theme of the story because Jim gave his prized watch, which had been passed down to him from many generations ago, to buy Della’s combs. The watch was probably very valuable as it got older, also. He could have had so much money if he kept it for longer, which would make it more valuable, but he sold it for Della. He sacrificed what could have been hundreds of dollars, to get Della a thing she always wanted! Another example is when Della says, “Will you buy my hair?” Della also says, “Give it to me quick.” (4) This shows the theme because she accepted love, and so she had to sacrifice her hair to get enough money to buy Jim a gift. Even Though she probably didn’t want to do it, she did it so Jim can get a good gift for Christmas. After all, she didn't want to go through Christmas without getting him a good gift. She sacrificed her favorite thing, for her favorite person.
The last, and most important way that this story shows the theme is, they both didn't get mad when they found out they both sold their prized things to buy something for the others prized thing. Della sold her hair to buy Jim something for his watch, but Jim sold his watch to buy Della something for her hair! They were trying to be very thoughtful, but they ended up getting each other something they couldn't use. They still weren't mad at each other, so in the end, it was fine. This is stated in the text when Jim says, “Dell, let's put our Christmas gifts away and keep ‘em a while. They're too nice to use just at present.” (7) This shows that they didn't get mad because even though they sacrificed their prized possessions for each other, their love was too strong to make them mad. Another piece of evidence from the text is, “Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.” (7) This shows that they weren't mad because Jim didn't really care, he just laid back and wanted to have a good Christmas. Della just went along with Jim. Their love was so strong, I don't think anything can ruin their relationship.

When you choose to love someone, you need to sacrifice anything for them. You need to be willing to sacrifice even your prized items for them, and even if they have a big meaning, if you love someone a lot, you would sacrifice that item for them. For example, Della sold her hair to buy Jim a gift. Jim, on the other hand, sold something that means more than hair, to buy Della a gift. He sold his prized watch, that you might not think is that great, but it was very old and passed down to him many years ago. When someone sacrifices their favorite or very prized possessions for you, you know they would do anything to make you happy. You can feel that you are in a good relationship with someone when they sacrifice their prized possession for you, and you would do the same. Next time you need to get a gift for someone special, make sure to remember that they are a very important person in your life, that would do anything to get you your gift, aswell.

References

• Litcharts - The Gift of the Magi
• Shmoop - The Gift of the Magi
• SparkNotes - The Gift of the Magi
• Wikipedia - The Gift of the Magi