Category: The Gift of the Magi

Introduction

The short stories The Gift of the Magi by O Henry and The Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence are both timeless classics that have touched readers all over the world due to their universal themes of love, luck, and poverty. In the Gift of the Magi, the story revolves around the unconditional love of a husband and wife, Jim and Della. They live in dire straits but desire to give each other something special for Christmas. The husband chooses to sell his expensive watch to get a lovely comb for his beautiful wife Della whereas Della sells her beautiful hair to get a watch chain for Jim. When it is time to exchange gifts, they find that the gifts are quite useless to them; but, at the same time, these gifts are priceless because of the selfless love they symbolized. The Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence revolves around Paul and his mother Hester who is an English woman haunted by a sense of failure and a fathomless passion for money. Her son Paul desires to get the luck that his mother desires. Paul soon realizes he has the gift of magically knowing in advance the winning horse in horse races if he rode on the rocking horse. This leads him to make some money that he gives to his mother. Instead of satisfying her, it merely sends her into a craving for more money. Paul rides the rocking horse to his death and in so doing makes eighty thousand pounds.

Similarities

Both the stories are based on the role of money in ordinary peoples lives. Jim and Della do not have the money to buy gifts for each other for Xmas. The story begins with the line: One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all (O Henry 1). In the case of Rocking Horse Winner, the poverty is of a different kind: There was never enough money. &for the social position which they had to keep up (Lawrence, p. 30). As a result of the lack of money, Jim and Della are moved to sell their precious belongings while Paul is forced to push himself on the rocking horse in search of luck. Thus, Jim, Della, and Paul are pushed to a state of self-sacrifice as a result of a shortage of money.

Another unifying element in the stories is that the main characters are motivated by the emotion of love and the desire to give a gift to their loved ones. The love of Della motivates Jim to sell his watch while the love of Jim motivates Della to sell her precious hair. They do it so that they may give each other Christmas gifts. Pauls love for his mom motivates him to go to the rocking horse in search of luck. His mother confides to him that she considers herself to be an unlucky woman married to an unlucky man. To allay her fears, Paul embarks on his quest for luck. He earns his first five thousand pounds and plans to gift it to his mother for her birthday. Loving and expressing love through a material gift are common elements in the two stories. Moreover, both the stories have a reference to Christmas.

Contrasts

The Gift of the Magi is a remarkably simple story with two main characters Jim and Della while the Rocking Horse Winner has many characters apart from Paul, his mother Hester, his two sisters, Pauls uncle Oscar Cresswell and Bassett, the gardener are all important characters in the story. The main protagonists are of similar soft honest loving nature in the Gift of the Magi. But in the story Rocking Horse Winner, the characters are of different types.

Pauls mother is a complicated woman who desires to have a high lifestyle that is always beyond what money she has. Paul is an isolated lonely young man who fiercely desires to get lucky to prove his self-worth and to bring money to his mother. Uncle Oscar is a gambling person who is into horse racing.

The stories convey different moods and different messages at the end. The Gift of the Magi ends on a very positive note and the author celebrates the love of Jim and Della through the words: let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. &..They are the magi (O Henry, p. 7). Contrastingly, The Rocking Horse Winner ends with the words of Oscar, mourning the loss of Paul in a deprecating manner: But, poor devil, poor devil, hes best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking horse to find a winner (Lawrence, p.32).

Conclusion

While the Gift of the Magi has all good and simple characters, Rocking Horse Winner has complex characters in Hester and Paul. Both the stories show that love has the power to overcome the lack of money, though in different ways, and both the stories involve the element of self-sacrifice. Overall one finds that the Gift of the Magi by O Henry and Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence are powerful stories that make the readers think about the value of money and love in the world.

Works Cited

1. Lawrence, D. H. The Rocking-Horse Winner. Dramatic Publishing, 1966.
2. O Henry. The Gift of the Magi. Best Stories of O Henry: Gift Of The Magi, The Ransom Of Red Chief, Mammon And The Archer And Others. Kessinger Publishing, 2004

In this paper I would like to analyze the novel The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros and the short story The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. In particular, it is necessary to discuss the themes, explored by two authors.

It seems that these literary works show how love of ones family can help a person overcome many of his/her difficulties, like poverty or inability to raise ones social status. The importance of family is one of the main issues, present in each of these works.

The characters of O. Henrys story live beyond poverty line: James and Della have one dollar and eighty-seven cents at their possession, and they have to save money on everything in effort to make ends meet (O. Henry, unpaged). The same thing can be said about Esperanza and her family, who have to sleep in a single room. However, one should not assume that such poor living conditions force them into despair or egoism.

In The Gift of the Magi both James and Della are ready to make sacrifices for one another. As a matter of fact, they lose something that is most precious to them: Della decides to cut her beautiful hair, while James decides to sell his watch.

One cannot say that Esperanza is similarly devoted to her family but she also feels that even if she becomes successful, she would return to the family that she left behind (Cisneros, 111).

When speaking about the family life of the characters, one should mention that both authors give a very detailed description of the places in which they live in. For instance, O. Henry accurately depicts the furnishing of the department, rented by Della and James. From this description, one could easily understand that this family is not very wealthy, to say the least. Nonetheless, Della never blames Jack for it.

On the contrary she does her best to make her husband happy even despite the fact that she has to humiliate herself by wrangle over ever purchase with grocer or butcher (O. Henry, unpaged). Similarly, in the The House on Mango Street women also do not criticize their husbands, even though their families have to huddle together in a single room (Cisneros, 3).

For example, Esperanzas mother gave up virtually all her ambitions in order to raise children: she turned to a traditional housewife. The thing is that neither Della nor Esperanzas see themselves as victims of their husbands.

Finally, we need to say that love of ones family gives characters hope for a better future, maybe not for them, but at least for their children. Esperanzas mother cherishes the belief that her daughter will grow into an educated and independent person.

In her turn, Della hopes that in the future they will be able to get out of poverty. This examples show that love of ones family really helps a person find better qualities within oneself. Probably, this is the main idea which the authors tried to convey to the reader.

Despite their overt differences in style, narrative mode, and structure, The House on Mango Street and The Gift of the Magi has a certain common feature, namely, the idea that the family unity is one of those things that can always support people especially at the time of need.

Works Cited

Cisneros. Sandra. The house on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1984. Print.

O. Henry. The Gift of the Magi. Available at: http://webhome.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html

The two stories The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry were examples of their authors writing talent. O. Henry and Poe were writers from separate eras; however, some similarities can be found in these stories, especially in terms of literary techniques employed. At the same time, the two stories differ in that they adopt distinct approaches to societal tensions and emphasize various parts of these and challenges.

The Gift of the Magi deals with a couple named James and Della, who eventually sold their most valuable belongings to buy each other presents for Christmas. Della discovers a set of pricey ornate hair combs, but they are worthless because she chopped off her hair to purchase Jim a chain for his watch, which he subsequently sold to give her a gift (O. Henry). In certain socioeconomic situation (the couple is impoverished), O. Henry employs irony to show the situation in which a person can give up the most precious thing to show love.

The major components of which The Gift of the Magi is being built up are irony and selfless love. While O. Henrys story explores the positive aspects of these concepts, Poe delves into more negative, darker dimensions through the narratives of mental disorder. The Gift of the Magi became one of the foremost literary examples of irony (Sushma). Jim and Della offer their most valued belongings in this case so that the others might completely appreciate their gift. Jim sells his watch to purchase Dellas combs, anticipating that she will utilize them, while Della sells her hair to buy a present for Jim. Neither of them expects the other to go to such lengths. The irony here is effective on both a practical and a deeper, emotive level (Zafarovna). Della and Jim both purchase each other a gift that turns out to be financially foolish. They cannot spend money on stuff they wont use since theyre impoverished. They do, however, receive something they did not expect: a present that reminds them of how much they love one other and are prepared to go to great lengths to make each other happy (Zafarovna). They offered each other the most powerful statement of their love they could muster.

One of Poes shortest stories, The Tell-Tale Heart, deals with paranoia and mental disintegration. While in The Gifts of Magi the aspect of mental illnesses is omitted, more focusing on the general assumptions of hardships of living being impoverished, Poe, as in most of his stories, delves into deeps of human mentality. In this story, Poe delves into a psychological mystery: why individuals damage those they love or need in their life (Bloom). Po, the narrator, adores the elderly gentleman. He is not envious of the elderly mans fortune (he, himself, is impoverished), nor is he vengeful about minor matters. In this approach, the narrator removes potential reasons for a crime (Alsahafi). The narrator, claiming his own sanity, is fixated on the old mans vulture look. In the end, the narrator further dehumanizes the elderly man by murdering him and dismembering his victim. The narrator validates his theory that the old mans eye is distinct from him by fully killing him and dividing him into several bits (Poe). The protagonist, on the other hand, ironically confesses to the crime when the police turn up. Poes stories are known for literally bringing the dead back to life by utilizing memory as a trigger to bring them back to life (Alsahafi). He identifies the bothering sound as the old mans heart beating beneath the floorboards, which completely ruins his mental health.

To make their stories more interesting for readers, O. Henry and Poe employed suspense, irony, or both. Irony has become a common thread running through both works, making them very similar in this aspect of their use of literary devices. Both O. Henry and Poe became well known for the twist endings, an unexpected outcome leading to a reassessment of the initial positions of their characters. However, the aspects of irony explored by authors are completely different. In The Gifts of the Magi, the irony brings the story to somewhat of a happy end. The ironic outcome of the gifts exchange serves as a bridge to the understanding of love, that is, sacrificing the most precious possessions (Sushma). Poes narrative is way darker in this regard, leading a reader not to expect the confession of a murderer, who is suddenly disturbed my a heart pounding.

Poe often employs dramatic irony, such as the narrators kindness to an elderly man a week before he murders him. The reader would not anticipate the narrator to be courteous to the elderly guy before killing him, therefore thus being a dramatic irony. Another ironic metaphor is situational, as the elderly gentleman keeps his windows securely shut due to his fear of intruders (Alsahafi). It is ironic since the narrator, who lives with him, is the only burglar near his house.

In both stories, the authors deal with impoverished protagonists who are going through a difficult time. This makes another point of comparison between stories. There are certain socioeconomic parallels between characters, and the environment is also nearly the same, namely, a modest flat. Moreover, both take place in the winter, one in January and the other at the turn of the century around Christmas time. The difference in socioeconomic conflicts, exaggerated by moral compasses, is still recognizable. Poe, in his usual manner, explores the insanity, leaving his protagonist with a moral imperative  he can not run away from your consciousness, no matter how finely did he cut it (and hid it) (Bloom). OHenry built his narrative of slightly different construction, although also psychological  the connection between foolishness and socioeconomic conditions (Zafarovna). His protagonists sacrificed all they had for things they did not need, which theoretically can tear their lives apart.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry is exemplary literature works that contributed to the development of modern literature. As it was discussed, both authors resorted to the use of irony and similar decorations while exploring ultimately different outcomes in their own fashion. O. Henry presented us the eternal story of unselfish love, not deprived of more complicated, behind-the-bars dilemmas. In his traditional suspenseful, gothic style, Poe drove his protagonist to the murder of the person he tacitly adored, though at the same time hated. The differences and similarities of both pieces signify the uniqueness of the authors writing style, points of view, and overall impression on the readers.

Works Cited

Alsahafi, Morad. A Narrative Discourse Analysis of Poes Short Story The Tell-Tale Heart: Implications for Language Teaching. English Language Teaching vol 13, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-17.

Bloom, Richard W. In Search of the Tell-Tale Heart.,2019, pp. 245-250.

Henry, O. The Gift of the Magi. Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., 1972.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The tell-tale heart. Penguin UK, 2015.

Sushma, B. Interpretation of O. Henrys Short Story The Gift of the Magi Using Linguistic Approach. International Journal on Multicultural Literature vol 9, no. 2, 2019.

Zafarovna, Zilola. The Usage of Irony in O. Henrys Story The Gift of the Magi.  Chief Editor vol 84, 2021.

The two stories The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry were examples of their authors writing talent. O. Henry and Poe were writers from separate eras; however, some similarities can be found in these stories, especially in terms of literary techniques employed. At the same time, the two stories differ in that they adopt distinct approaches to societal tensions and emphasize various parts of these and challenges.

The Gift of the Magi deals with a couple named James and Della, who eventually sold their most valuable belongings to buy each other presents for Christmas. Della discovers a set of pricey ornate hair combs, but they are worthless because she chopped off her hair to purchase Jim a chain for his watch, which he subsequently sold to give her a gift (O. Henry). In certain socioeconomic situation (the couple is impoverished), O. Henry employs irony to show the situation in which a person can give up the most precious thing to show love.

The major components of which The Gift of the Magi is being built up are irony and selfless love. While O. Henrys story explores the positive aspects of these concepts, Poe delves into more negative, darker dimensions through the narratives of mental disorder. The Gift of the Magi became one of the foremost literary examples of irony (Sushma). Jim and Della offer their most valued belongings in this case so that the others might completely appreciate their gift. Jim sells his watch to purchase Dellas combs, anticipating that she will utilize them, while Della sells her hair to buy a present for Jim. Neither of them expects the other to go to such lengths. The irony here is effective on both a practical and a deeper, emotive level (Zafarovna). Della and Jim both purchase each other a gift that turns out to be financially foolish. They cannot spend money on stuff they wont use since theyre impoverished. They do, however, receive something they did not expect: a present that reminds them of how much they love one other and are prepared to go to great lengths to make each other happy (Zafarovna). They offered each other the most powerful statement of their love they could muster.

One of Poes shortest stories, The Tell-Tale Heart, deals with paranoia and mental disintegration. While in The Gifts of Magi the aspect of mental illnesses is omitted, more focusing on the general assumptions of hardships of living being impoverished, Poe, as in most of his stories, delves into deeps of human mentality. In this story, Poe delves into a psychological mystery: why individuals damage those they love or need in their life (Bloom). Po, the narrator, adores the elderly gentleman. He is not envious of the elderly mans fortune (he, himself, is impoverished), nor is he vengeful about minor matters. In this approach, the narrator removes potential reasons for a crime (Alsahafi). The narrator, claiming his own sanity, is fixated on the old mans vulture look. In the end, the narrator further dehumanizes the elderly man by murdering him and dismembering his victim. The narrator validates his theory that the old mans eye is distinct from him by fully killing him and dividing him into several bits (Poe). The protagonist, on the other hand, ironically confesses to the crime when the police turn up. Poes stories are known for literally bringing the dead back to life by utilizing memory as a trigger to bring them back to life (Alsahafi). He identifies the bothering sound as the old mans heart beating beneath the floorboards, which completely ruins his mental health.

To make their stories more interesting for readers, O. Henry and Poe employed suspense, irony, or both. Irony has become a common thread running through both works, making them very similar in this aspect of their use of literary devices. Both O. Henry and Poe became well known for the twist endings, an unexpected outcome leading to a reassessment of the initial positions of their characters. However, the aspects of irony explored by authors are completely different. In The Gifts of the Magi, the irony brings the story to somewhat of a happy end. The ironic outcome of the gifts exchange serves as a bridge to the understanding of love, that is, sacrificing the most precious possessions (Sushma). Poes narrative is way darker in this regard, leading a reader not to expect the confession of a murderer, who is suddenly disturbed my a heart pounding.

Poe often employs dramatic irony, such as the narrators kindness to an elderly man a week before he murders him. The reader would not anticipate the narrator to be courteous to the elderly guy before killing him, therefore thus being a dramatic irony. Another ironic metaphor is situational, as the elderly gentleman keeps his windows securely shut due to his fear of intruders (Alsahafi). It is ironic since the narrator, who lives with him, is the only burglar near his house.

In both stories, the authors deal with impoverished protagonists who are going through a difficult time. This makes another point of comparison between stories. There are certain socioeconomic parallels between characters, and the environment is also nearly the same, namely, a modest flat. Moreover, both take place in the winter, one in January and the other at the turn of the century around Christmas time. The difference in socioeconomic conflicts, exaggerated by moral compasses, is still recognizable. Poe, in his usual manner, explores the insanity, leaving his protagonist with a moral imperative  he can not run away from your consciousness, no matter how finely did he cut it (and hid it) (Bloom). OHenry built his narrative of slightly different construction, although also psychological  the connection between foolishness and socioeconomic conditions (Zafarovna). His protagonists sacrificed all they had for things they did not need, which theoretically can tear their lives apart.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry is exemplary literature works that contributed to the development of modern literature. As it was discussed, both authors resorted to the use of irony and similar decorations while exploring ultimately different outcomes in their own fashion. O. Henry presented us the eternal story of unselfish love, not deprived of more complicated, behind-the-bars dilemmas. In his traditional suspenseful, gothic style, Poe drove his protagonist to the murder of the person he tacitly adored, though at the same time hated. The differences and similarities of both pieces signify the uniqueness of the authors writing style, points of view, and overall impression on the readers.

Works Cited

Alsahafi, Morad. A Narrative Discourse Analysis of Poes Short Story The Tell-Tale Heart: Implications for Language Teaching. English Language Teaching vol 13, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-17.

Bloom, Richard W. In Search of the Tell-Tale Heart.,2019, pp. 245-250.

Henry, O. The Gift of the Magi. Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., 1972.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The tell-tale heart. Penguin UK, 2015.

Sushma, B. Interpretation of O. Henrys Short Story The Gift of the Magi Using Linguistic Approach. International Journal on Multicultural Literature vol 9, no. 2, 2019.

Zafarovna, Zilola. The Usage of Irony in O. Henrys Story The Gift of the Magi.  Chief Editor vol 84, 2021.

Out of many, “The Gift Of Magi” is without a doubt, one of the most prominent short stories written by O. Henry. The center of consideration is focused on the thought of gift giving between financially devastated couples. Furthermore comparing the after-effects of giving and receiving. O. Henry’ use of symbolism and literary devices inside the story allows the audience to view their relationship, furthermore the genuine idea of what giving is for the couple who are poor. It goes to bring up that the real meaning of gift giving is to give it thought and heart, not worrying about what you may or may not get..

An interesting topic in the story is the love and care shared by the couple. Being the established idea that it had been the season for giving, both Jim and Della expected to share an exceptional gift. Similarly, as gift giving is to please, care is appeared with their unwavering commitment to please one another, each one to supply one thing to their partner, because they feel it’s some method to fortify their bonds and alliances. No matter the fact that the couples are not limited as far as financial capacities, they keep on being well off inferable from the affection and a center given to each unique. It’s through this reality that Henry’s piece is prepared to rise above to the different perusers inferable from its direct anyway profound message concerning adoration and heart.

One of the prominent ideas formulated by O. Henry inside the story is sacrifice, both partners are willing and wanting to give up a valued treasure to make their partner happy. In particular, it underlines the demeanor of each person to let alone of their most prized assets to frame someone glad. For Della, it’d be her long stunning hair and Jim, his prized watch that has been passed somewhere near his dad (Henry 1). It shows what extent the couple esteems each other that they’re willing to permit up the things that are important to them. However, inside the ending, the couple couldn’t quite use the gift they purchased, although they remain content, and happy with what their partner has done for them.

Henry furthermore uses imagery inside the story that grants the audience to understand essential bits of knowledge and lessons. One among the preeminent symbols that is obvious is the ‘gift’ to each partner. Without a doubt, this is a very significant symbol, it sets the characters qualities inside the story. especially, progresses the idea that fact that any gift doesn’t reflect the esteem or worth of what is given. From the perspective of Henry, this can be what ‘gift giving’ very implies that. In spite of the fact that Jim and Della are poor, regardless of whether they had the implies that to supply one thing unprecedented to at any rate each other that is worth more than money.

In general, Henry’s ‘The Gift of the Magi’ might be a story that is not exclusively meant for one time or one holiday, but to take those lessons and use them daily, that the thought is was counts, not the value. It shows that for the most part it’s not the texture things that label worth and essentialness. Or maybe it’s the tendency of people to bring up significance to an alternate and look at to supply one thing that is commendable and important to the inverse. O. Henry’ use of their financial positions allows the audience to truly consider what matters in gift giving.

“The gift of magi” is written by William Sydney porter. He is a famous American writer whose short name is O Henry. His main genre is short stories. The gift of magi is his most famous short story. It is simple and memorable short story.

The gift of magi is a story about a couple Jim and Della. The story tells us that how this young couple deals with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gift for each other with very little money. So the main conflict in the story is poverty.

“The gift of magi” is a very thematic story. It has out to out positivity in it. O Henry covers up mainly American middle to convey his message due to which his famous short stories seems to be part of our life and his character seems like real human being.

O Henry through this story delivers us his message of love, affection, sacrifice, devotion in an effective way O Henry develops his character in front of us in an organized way which not only sparks them but also gives a perfect spark to the story. He tells us that how one can fight from poverty when one has strong feelings for each other. Della and Jim both work out of the normal way to arrange Christmas gift for each other. Della sacrifices her long beautiful and most precious possession her hair where Jim sacrifice his most precious watch for purchasing a worthy gift. Both of them with their sacrifice become able to purchase valuable gifts. But writer tells us that neither Della’s gift of gold chain nor Jim’s gift of jewel combs have that value which value actually lies in their feelings for each other. O Henry impresses us with passion of his character. He narrates the real worthy gift is not the gift which is expensive rather than that real worth is of sentiments. We observe here that how this couple sacrificed their most prized possession in order to purchase gift that other would be thrilled about receiving but each of them sacrificed the thing for which the other bought the gift. O Henry through his tittle “the gift of magi “tells us that these gift may seem us absurd but in reality they are the most wisest gift like “gift of magi” which is given by magi to Christ. As there gifts are embodiment of emotions. O Henry gives a complete twist to the story in an ironical way and by using the techniques of symbolism and suspense he grows our attention and interest in his story as a reader.

In nutshells writer has told us that in this materialistic world for some people material things does not count and the real worth is of feelings. Feelings which are priceless and pure. This is message that real and pure feelings give much more pleasure as compare to materialistic and expensive gifts.

Love and desire are themes that are discussed by many writers because of the variety of these feelings’ sides and aspects that can be expressed by the literary characters. The dominant vision of the meaning of love in life presented in the story is usually associated with the speaker’s specific point of view.

In spite of the fact that Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” and O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” are similar because these short stories discuss the theme of love and desire, the speakers’ points of view presented in the stories are absolutely different. The reader receives the opportunity to focus on different representations of love and passion as characters’ strong feelings.

Thus, Chopin’s point of view can be described as realistic and even cynical because the adultery leads to happiness in her story; in contrast, O. Henry’s point of view and tone can be discussed as romantic and hopeful because it is an altruistic desire to give and share that leads to happiness in the described family.

Although Chopin uses the metaphor of storm in order to describe the adultery and the female character’s desire and passion, the speaker’s presentation of the love affair is extremely realistic and focused on details. Calixta and Alcee are the former lovers who lack the real passion in their marriages, and they choose to express their desire that is destructive like the storm. Thus, the speaker describes the adultery at the background of the storm quite realistically.

However, the tone and point of view become cynical when the speaker describes the intentions of Calixta’s husband to buy something to please the wife (Chopin 97). In contrast, Calixta seems to forget about her role of the wife and mother, and she becomes concentrated on her passion and desire.

The author ends the story saying, “So the storm passed and everyone was happy” (Chopin 99). It seems that both Calixta and Alcee do not feel any guilt because of their adultery. Furthermore, the characters’ calmness and Chopin’s references to the Virgin Mary and Assumption make the reader doubt regarding the realness of the characters’ love (Chopin 98). The speaker accentuates the cynical reality of life while demonstrating the ambiguity of the characters’ feelings.

On the contrary, Della and Jim, the main characters of O. Henry’s short story are the embodiments of the real lovers who are devoted to each other. In spite of the fact that the speaker’s tone is rather ironical, the point of view can be discussed as romantic and hopeful. Della and Jim are ready to present their treasures to each other because of the great feeling of love and because giving is happiness for these young people.

Thus, O. Henry describes Della’s desire to find the best gift for Jim stating, “Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him” (Henry 165). Even understanding that their gifts are useless, Della and Jim realise the real strength of their love. Thus, the writer intended to demonstrate the romantic love of the young couple while accentuating the value of their feelings and their hope for the future.

From this perspective, it is possible to state that the speaker’s point of view in “The Storm” is more realistic and cynical because Calixta and Alcee’s passion and desire lead to happiness instead of guilt, in contrast to the romantic discussion of love. On the contrary, Della and Jim’s useless actions lead to the fulfilment and happiness because they tenderly love each other. Thus, O. Henry’s vision of love is rather hopeful and romantic in this story.

Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. “Dead Men’s Path”. Backpack Literature. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 269-272. Print.

Chopin, Kate. “The Storm”. Backpack Literature. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 95-100. Print.

Henry, O. “The Gift of the Magi”. Backpack Literature. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 164-168. Print.

Updike, John. “A&P”. Backpack Literature. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 18-23. Print.

Jim’s gold watch is a symbol observed in the short story The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Jim’s watch, which has managed to pass down through generations, has special meaning for him (Henry, 1906). Jim’s gold watch is Jim’s and Della’s most prized possessions, and their ultimate devotion to this item signifies permanence. The watch symbolizes Jim’s links to the family he was born and raised in, the family he abandons to begin a fresh home with Della his companion. The watch represents time more conventionally, offered by Jim to Della in the period he works to sustain the family and the hours he consumes at household afterward.

The gold watch represents numerous things, including love, transparency, money, as well as eternity since gold does not rust or tarnish. The gold in this story signifies divine nature, such as Jesus, since it is a Christmas story. A watch is an essential tool that changes how the owner experiences and interprets time. It can also serve as a bleak reminder of upcoming appointments throughout the day. The watch in the narrative can represent time, the couple’s future around each other, the completion of the year, or eternity. It could symbolize maturation from dreamy youths to grown-up and generous adults.

If someone had to write about me, a simple pigeon could serve as a symbol. This symbolism is because pigeons represent fertility and success, prosperity, good fortune, and transformation. These birds signify endurance, peace and well-being, compassion, forgiveness, and liberty. Like a pigeon, I prefer harmony to arguments, and I cannot fight troublemakers; instead, I prefer to leave the area of distress. I am terrified of prominent, influential people, especially those who use words to bully. I like simplicity over perfection in my work, and I am afraid of violence. I always pay attention to my work without trying to compete with anyone.

Reference

Henry, O. (1906). The Gift of the Magi. American literature.com. Web.

“The Gift of the Magi” is O. Henry’s short story that was initially published in 1905 and tells of a young newly-married couple struggling with having to buy each other Christmas gifts while having very little money to spend. Close to Christmas, Della discovers that she has less than $2 to spend on a present for her husband, Jim, and opts for selling her gorgeous hair for $20, and uses the money to purchase a platinum pocket watch chain for her husband. It eventually turns out that her husband was also struggling and sold his pocket watch to buy Della a set of ornate hair combs, which she won’t use for a long time because she cut her hair. Similarly, Jim would have no use for the watch chain. Situational irony is a well-known technique that the author uses to underline the unexpected outcome of the story. Also, symbolism is another tool used to comment on the value of gifts that the young couple gives one another.

Situational irony is a powerful literary tool that shapes O. Henry’s short story and its moral underpinnings. The irony of the story is that both husband and wife, Jim and Della, decide to part with their most valuable possessions. Jim’s pocket watch had sentimental value as it was passed in his family from one generation to another. Della’s hair is a symbol of her beauty, and both she and her husband were very proud of their beautiful hair. The contradiction between what the reader expects to occur at the end of the story is juxtaposed to what really happens, thus creating situational irony. The main assumption of the story is that Della’s sacrifice to sell her hair and purchase a beautiful watch chain would bring her great joy by witnessing her husband’s pleasure with a very expensive gift that would also hold sentimental value. The irony of the story is that there is no longer a watch that could be used with the chain, and there is no longer beautiful hair to brush with a set of luxurious combs.

The symbolism of O. Henry’s story should be considered from the perspective of the tangible things involved in the plot. For example, the watch that had been in Jim’s family for centuries is a symbolic representation of the family in which he grew up. The author writes, “Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and grandfather’s […] Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled his pocket watch every time he passes, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy” (O. Henry, 2009, p. 5). The description of the man’s prized watch signifies that he placed immense value on it and felt better himself from being the owner of such a luxurious item. As Jim leaves his family to make a new one with the woman he loves, and the symbolic tie to the family weakens, and so is the attachment to the watch that allows him to make the decision of selling it. Jim’s family is now Della, and no matter how valuable and sentimental the family watch is to him, its sacrifice is made to make the young wife happy.

The second prized possession of the Youngs was Della’s hair, which is described to be of great beauty: “Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out of the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts” (O. Henry, 2009, p. 5). Della’s hair is a symbol of youth and beauty and is the most valuable thing of which she is proud because she and her husband are penniless. The young woman’s beautiful hair reaches down below her knees, which means that she must have begun growing it very young. Besides, the sentimental value that the young woman had toward her hair went in contrast with the hairdresser’s brusque evaluation of the locks’ dollar value. The decision to sell the hair is a symbolic representation of her acknowledging the fact that she is a woman and a wife and that some sacrifices will be inevitably made to make her husband happy.

“The Gift of the Magi” is a story of sacrifice and love, and the irony of which lies in giving up the most prized possessions to make the loved one happy, although the outcome turns out to be not as anticipated. The fact that Jim got Della tortoiseshell combs means that he did not expect his wife to sell her hair, which symbolizes her youth and beauty. The fact that Della purchased a platinum watch chain implies that she did not expect her husband to sell the watch, thus signifying his attachment and loyalty to his family.

Reference

O. Henry. (2009). The gift of the magi. The Floating Press.

Literature is a form of art that has immense potential in terms of changing a person’s life. The power of reading lies in its ability to sew positive ideas and provide valuable lessons for every individual who can understand the ideas and images behind words. At the same time, the piece of writing does not have to be long or detailed to have a positive impact on a person’s life. On the contrary, some short stories are particularly powerful in this regard. O. Henry is one of such authors who can send strong and compelling messages with only a few pages of writing. I’ve read many short stories written by him, and each carries a special significance for literature as a form of art. However, in my opinion, “The Gift of the Magi” is one of the most powerful pieces of writing I have encountered.

This short story by O. Henry follows a couple, Della and Jim, during the Christmas time in the early 20^th century. The characters are not rich, but they still do everything in their power to please each other for Christmas. Furthermore, in an attempt to provide a high-quality gift for the other, each of them ultimately sells their own cherished possessions. In the end, Della and Jim understand that they are their own gifts, the most valuable ones in the Universe (O. Henry, 2014). From my perspective, this short story is insightful in that it shows that material goods are not necessarily the most important aspects of life. Instead, spiritual connection, sincerity, and willingness to please the closest people in one’s life are the key to happiness. The story of Della and Jim opened my eyes to this idea and prompted me to re-evaluate my entire paradigm of relationships. Because of this piece of writing, I saw what was truly important in life. Such bonds are eternal, and they are what makes a person truly rich.

Reference

O. Henry. (2014). The gift of the Magi. Simon & Schuster.