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- The writer's careful rendering of setting—and mood—help the reader understand just how big are the sacrifices Della and Jim are making when they sell their most prized possessions. The details of place also help make the story seem realistic on one level, although on another level it becomes an allegory.
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‘The Gift of the Magi’ is a short story by the US short-story writer O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). His stories are characterised by their irony, their chatty narrative style, their occasional sentimentality, and by their surprise twist endings.
The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time.
- United States
- McClure, Phillips, and Company
- December 10, 1905 (newspaper); April 10, 1906 (book)
- The Four Million
The narrator’s paragraph on the magi suggests that the true spirit of giving involves sacrifice and generosity and that the intent counts more than the external value of the gift—which is why, he says, Della and Jim are the wisest gift givers.
This perspective on the world around him is highly visible in “The Gift of the Magi,” where, to enforce his quasi-religious message, he counterpoints the elements of love and...
The best study guide to The Gift of the Magi on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need.
Study Guide. Overview. Published in 1906 as part of the short story collection The Four Million, “The Gift of the Magi” is O. Henry ’s most well-known short story. Set contemporaneously to its publication date, the story depicts a poor young couple’s struggle to give each other a valuable gift on Christmas Eve.
95,562 ratings2,700 reviews. O. Henry's classic tale of the wisest gifts of Christmas is itself a gift to share and treasure. In a shabby New York flat, Della sobs as she counts the few coins she has saved to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim. One dollar and eighty-seven cents is all the money she has in the world.
