The
Gift of Magi by O. Henry
Basic
Bibliographic & Contextual Information
The
story was first published in 1905 in The New York Sunday World, and later
collected in the 1906 anthology The Four Million.
Author: O.
Henry (pen-name of William Sydney Porter).
Setting:
Early 20th-century (around 1900s) New York City (though not heavily detailed),
focusing on a modest apartment and the Christmas Eve context.
Central characters:
Jim and Della (Young).
Setting:
The Youngs’ small flat/apartment (rent of eight dollars a week mentioned) in
the city, Christmas Eve.
Mood:
Initially anxious (Della’s worry), then hopeful (gift buying), then
ironic/surprised (exchange), and finally warm & reflective (narrator’s
moral).
Time:
Around early 1900s; the era of modest wages, simpler households.
Plot Summary
The
story begins with Della Young counting her savings on the day before Christmas.
She has saved only one dollar and eighty-seven cents (after buying groceries)
and worries she cannot buy a worthy gift for her husband Jim.
Della’s
prized possession is her long, beautiful hair (reaching below her knees). Jim’s
prized possession is a gold watch, an heirloom passed down in his family.
Della
decides to sell her hair to a wig-maker/shop (Madame Sofronie) for twenty dollars,
taking the money plus what she had saved to buy a gift for Jim.
With
that money, she buys a platinum fob chain for Jim’s watch. She returns home,
nervous about her short hair and how Jim will react.
Jim
comes home and first sees Della’s changed hair; he is shocked, silent. Della
explains she sold her hair to buy his gift. Jim responds by saying he sold his
watch to buy her gift — a set of beautiful tortoiseshell combs for her hair
(the ones she had admired).
The
irony: Della has no long hair for the combs; Jim has no watch for the chain.
Their gifts cannot be used as intended — yet the narrator declares that their
sacrifice and love make them “wisest of gift-givers” (like the Magi).
Final
moral: The essence of their gift is not the material object but the love and
sacrifice behind it.
Summary
of "The Gift of the Magi"
The
story is set on Christmas Eve in a humble, shabby apartment in an unnamed city
(presumably New York City) in the early 20th century.
* The Dilemma: The protagonist, Della
Dillingham Young, is distraught because she has only $1.87 saved to buy her
husband, Jim, a Christmas gift. Despite their poverty, the young couple loves
each other deeply. They possess only two treasures: Della's beautiful, long,
knee-length hair, and Jim's prized gold pocket watch, an heirloom passed down
from his father and grandfather.
* Della's Sacrifice: Determined to buy Jim a
worthy gift, Della impulsively decides to sell her most prized possession. She
goes to Madame Sofronie, a wig maker, who buys Della's hair for $20.
* The Gift Search: With the money, Della
searches for a gift and finally finds a beautiful, simple platinum fob chain
for Jim's watch, which he currently has attached with a worn leather strap.
This chain costs all the money she has.
* Jim's Sacrifice: When Jim comes home from
work, he looks thin and serious. Della anxiously confesses that she sold her
hair to buy his gift. Jim gives her his gift, which is a set of beautiful
jeweled tortoiseshell combs that Della had long admired in a shop window.
* The Irony: Della's elation turns to tears as
she realizes she can't use the combs until her hair grows back. Jim then
reveals the bitter irony: he sold his own prized possession—his gold pocket
watch—to buy Della the combs.
* The Conclusion: The gifts they bought for
each other are now useless. However, the couple realizes the immense sacrifice
each made out of love. The narrator concludes by proclaiming that of all who
give gifts, these two "foolish children" are the wisest, comparing
their selfless love to that of the original Magi (the three wise men who
brought gifts to the baby Jesus).
Main
Characters
Della Dillingham |:The
protagonist, a young housewife characterized by her deep love, selflessness,
and impulsive nature. Her distress over not being able to buy a worthy gift
highlights her devotion. Her hair is a symbol of her beauty and pride. |
Sacrifice: Her long, beautiful hair. Gift: A platinum fob chain for Jim's
watch. |
James
"Jim" Dillingham :Della's devoted husband, only 22, hardworking,
and burdened by their meager income. He is quiet and serious but completely
devoted to Della. His watch is a symbol of his family heritage and masculinity.
| Sacrifice: His treasured gold pocket watch. Gift: A set of expensive jeweled
combs for Della's hair. |
Madame Sofronie:|
The "large, too white, chilly" proprietor of the hair goods shop who
buys Della's hair. She serves as a detached figure in the transaction,
emphasizing the commercial aspect of Della's sacrifice. | |
Plot
Structure and Conflict
* Setting: A poor, modest flat in a large
city, underscoring the couple's financial struggle. The time is Christmas Eve,
which heightens the emotional significance of gift-giving.
* Conflict (External): The primary conflict is
the couple's poverty and their desire to buy a meaningful Christmas gift for
one another despite having almost no money.
* Conflict (Internal): Both Jim and Della
struggle with the internal dilemma of whether to sacrifice their most valuable
personal possession to express their love.
* Climax: The moment when Della and Jim
exchange their gifts, and the double-twist of their mutual, self-canceling
sacrifices is revealed.
* Resolution: The couple realizes that while
the material gifts are useless, the sentiment and sacrifice behind them—their
love—is the greatest and wisest gift of all.
Major
Themes
The
story uses the ironic situation to explore profound ideas about love, value,
and true wisdom.
1.
Love and Generosity (The Central Theme)
* Unconditional Love: The core message is that
the greatest gift is unconditional love, which is more valuable than any
material possession. The acts of sacrifice prove their profound devotion.
* Selfless Giving: Both characters give
entirely for the happiness of the other, without any expectation of reciprocity
or practical use for their gifts. The narrator praises their selflessness,
comparing their giving spirit to the original Magi.
2.
Sacrifice
* The Price of Love: Both Jim and Della are
willing to sacrifice their most prized possessions—the two items of greatest
material value they own—to buy something beautiful for their spouse.
* Symbolic Value: Although the material value
of the gifts is canceled out by the sacrifices (Della has no hair for the
combs, Jim has no watch for the chain), the symbolic value of the
self-sacrifice remains priceless.
3.
The Definition of True Value
* Material vs. Emotional Wealth: The story
constantly contrasts the couple's material poverty (shabby apartment, low
income) with their emotional wealth (their deep, abiding love). The irony
highlights the idea that true worth is not found in possessions but in human
connection and kindness.
* The Wisdom of the Magi: The narrator's final
comparison calls Jim and Della the "wisest." This is because, while
their financial decisions were "foolish" (buying useless objects),
their demonstration of love was an act of true, profound wisdom.
4.
Irony
* Situational Irony: This is the key literary
device in the story. The outcome is the opposite of what is expected. Each
character sells their most valuable possession to buy a gift for the other's
most valuable possession, resulting in gifts that cannot be used. This twist
delivers the story's moral lesson.
If
you would like to explore a specific aspect further, such as the use of
symbolism or a detailed character analysis, please let me know!
5.
Symbols & Motifs
Della’s
hair: Symbolizes her beauty, identity, personal pride. Her decision to sell it
reflects supreme love and sacrifice.
Jim’s
gold watch: Symbolizes heritage, time, value passed down, and his sense of
worth. He sells it to buy the gift.
The
gifts (comb & chain): Symbolize the intention: to honour the loved one.
Their physical uselessness at the end highlights that the gesture matters more
than the object.
The
title “Magi”: Alludes to the Biblical Magi (wise men) who brought gifts to
Jesus — the narrator positions Jim & Della’s self-sacrificing gift-giving
as wise in that sense.
6.
Literary Devices & Style
Third-person
omniscient narrator: Gives insight into setting, characters, and moral comment.
Irony
(especially situational): Key to the story’s impact.
Hyperbole
& descriptive language: For instance, Della’s hair described as “a falling
stream of brown water” (symbolic exaggeration).
Direct
address to reader: The narrator sometimes speaks to the reader (“Let us … take
a look …”).
Symbolism
& metaphor: As above (hair, watch, gifts).
Economy
of narrative: Story is short, tightly constructed — characteristic of O.
Henry’s style.
Moral
overtone: While not heavy-handed, there is a clear moral message: love and
self-sacrifice matter more than possessions.
7.
Interpretation & Critical Comments
Many
critics emphasise how the story subverts the expected “happy gift exchange” by
making the material gifts useless — yet elevates the emotional gift (sacrifice,
love).
Some
discussions question: Are Jim & Della’s actions wise or foolish? The
narrator says they are wise — but one could argue the story also depicts the
folly of societies that equate worth with possessions.
From
a modern POV: The story continues to resonate because we still live in a
consumer-culture and the idea that “it’s the thought that counts” remains
powerful.
Questions
SECTION
A: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (2–3 marks each)
Q1.
Who are the main characters in “The Gift of the Magi”?
Ans:
The main characters are Jim Young and Della Young, a poor but loving married
couple who live in a small apartment in New York.
Q2.
How much money did Della have at the beginning of the story?
Ans:
Della had one dollar and eighty-seven cents saved after months of careful
saving.
Q3.
What were Jim and Della’s most prized possessions?
Ans:
Della’s prized possession was her long, beautiful hair, and Jim’s prized
possession was his gold watch, a family heirloom.
Q4.
Why did Della sell her hair?
Ans:
Della sold her hair to buy a Christmas gift for her husband, Jim.
Q5.
What did Della buy for Jim?
Ans:
Della bought a platinum watch chain for Jim’s gold watch.
Q6.
What did Jim buy for Della?
Ans:
Jim sold his gold watch and bought a set of tortoiseshell combs for Della’s
hair.
Q7.
What is the irony in the story?
Ans:
The irony is that Della sold her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch, and Jim
sold his watch to buy combs for Della’s hair—so neither could use the gift they
received.
Q8.
What lesson does the story teach?
Ans:
The story teaches that love, sacrifice, and selflessness are the greatest
gifts, far more valuable than material possessions.
Q9.
Who are the “Magi” referred to in the title?
Ans:
The “Magi” refers to the three wise men from the Bible who brought gifts to
baby Jesus. The author compares Jim and Della to them because their gifts,
though simple, were given with pure love and wisdom.
Q10.
How does the story end?
Ans:
The story ends with the narrator saying that Jim and Della, through their love
and sacrifice, are the wisest gift-givers of all, like the Magi.
🟢
SECTION B: LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (5–8 marks each)
Q1.
Describe the theme of love and sacrifice in “The Gift of the Magi.”
Ans:
The story highlights that real love involves sacrifice. Della sacrifices her
beautiful hair to buy Jim a chain, while Jim sacrifices his watch to buy Della
combs. Their gifts become useless, yet their acts of selflessness reveal their
deep affection. O. Henry shows that love is not measured by wealth or
possessions, but by the willingness to give up one’s most precious things for
the happiness of another.
Q2.
Explain the use of irony in the story.
Ans:
Irony is the main literary device in the story. Della and Jim each sacrifice
their most valued possessions to buy a gift for the other — yet both gifts
become useless. This is situational irony, as the result is opposite to what
they intended. However, the irony deepens the story’s meaning, showing that the
true gift lies in their love and sacrifice, not the material objects.
Q3.
What is the significance of the title “The Gift of the Magi”?
Ans:
The title alludes to the Biblical Magi who brought valuable gifts to Jesus. Jim
and Della’s gifts, though materially small, are given out of love and
sacrifice, making them wise like the Magi. The title emphasizes that the true spirit
of giving lies in selfless love and wisdom, not in the cost of the gift.
Q4.
How does O. Henry portray poverty in the story?
Ans:
O. Henry portrays Jim and Della’s poverty realistically but sympathetically.
They live in a modest apartment, struggle to save money, and cannot afford
luxury. Yet, despite their financial hardship, their emotional richness and
mutual devotion make their lives meaningful. The story contrasts material
poverty with spiritual wealth.
Q5.
How does the ending reflect O. Henry’s writing style?
Ans:
The ending is marked by O. Henry’s signature twist — unexpected yet deeply
emotional. The revelation that both sold their treasures is surprising and
ironic, but it leaves the reader with a heartwarming realization: love and
sacrifice are the truest forms of wisdom.
🟠
SECTION C: EXAM PARAGRAPH / REFERENCE QUESTIONS
Q1.
“Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest.” – Explain.
Ans:
The line refers to Jim and Della, who sacrificed their dearest possessions for
each other. Though their gifts are practically useless, their actions show true
wisdom — giving out of love, not wealth. The narrator calls them the wisest,
comparing them to the Magi, because they understood the real meaning of giving.
Q2.
Describe Della’s feelings before and after she cuts her hair.
Ans:
Before cutting her hair, Della feels anxious and sad about her poverty but
determined to buy Jim a gift. After cutting it, she feels both relieved and
nervous—relieved because she has money for the gift, nervous because she fears
Jim might not like her short hair. Her emotions reflect her deep love and care
for her husband.
Q3.
Why can we call Jim and Della “the Magi”?
Ans:
Like the wise men from the Bible who gave meaningful gifts to Christ, Jim and
Della’s gifts show love, devotion, and self-sacrifice. They give from the
heart, not for show, making them truly wise in spirit.
🔵 SECTION D:
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQs)
1.
Who is the author of The Gift of the Magi?
A.
Guy de Maupassant
B.
Leo Tolstoy
C.
O. Henry ✅
D.
Charles Dickens
2.
What is the setting of the story?
A.
London
B.
Paris
C.
New York City ✅
D.
Washington
3.
How much money did Della have saved?
A.
$10
B.
$1.87 ✅
C.
$20
D.
$5
4.
What did Della sell to buy Jim’s gift?
A.
Her ring
B.
Her hair ✅
C.
Her necklace
D.
Her dress
5.
What did Jim sell to buy Della’s gift?
A.
His shoes
B.
His watch ✅
C.
His ring
D.
His coat
6.
What is the main theme of the story?
A.
Poverty
B.
Jealousy
C.
Love and sacrifice ✅
D.
Anger
7.
Who is Madame Sofronie?
A.
A shopkeeper
B.
A wig-maker ✅
C.
Della’s friend
D.
Jim’s boss
8.
What day does the story take place?
A.
Christmas Eve ✅
B.
New Year’s Eve
C.
Easter
D.
Thanksgiving
9.
What kind of irony is used in the story?
A.
Verbal irony
B.
Dramatic irony
C.
Situational irony ✅
D.
Historical irony
10.
What message does O. Henry want to convey?
A.
Money brings happiness
B.
True love means self-sacrifice ✅
C.
Gifts must be expensive
D.
People should not exchange gifts
Text
One
dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in
pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the
vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent
imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della
counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be
Christmas.
There
was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So
Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of
sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.
While
the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the
second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not
exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for
the mendicancy squad.
In
the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an
electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also
appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham
Young.”
The
“Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity
when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk
to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and
unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his
flat above, he was called “Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham
Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.
Della
finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by
the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray
backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to
buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with
this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater
than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim.
Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.
Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being
worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.
There
was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass
in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his
reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate
conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.
Suddenly
she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining
brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she
pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.
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
his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in
the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window
some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King
Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim
would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at
his beard from envy.
So
now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade
of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for
her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for
a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
On
went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts
and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out of the door
and down the stairs to the street.
Where
she stopped the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight
up Della ran and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly,
hardly looked the “Sofronie.”
“Will
you buy my hair?” asked Della.
“I
buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks
of it.”
Down
rippled the brown cascade.
“Twenty
dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand.
“Give
it to me quick,” said Della.
Oh,
and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor.
She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.
She
found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no
other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It
was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its
value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation—as all good
things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch.
As
soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim’s. It was like him. Quietness
and value—the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from
her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents.
When
Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason.
She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing
the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous
task, dear friends—a mammoth task.
Within
forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her
look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the
mirror long, carefully, and critically.
“If
Jim doesn’t kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at
me, he’ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh!
what could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?”
At
seven o’clock the coffee was made and the frying pan was on the back of the
stove hot and ready to cook the chops.
Jim
was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner
of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on
the stair way down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment.
She had a habit of saying silent little prayers about the simplest everyday
things, and now she whispered: “Please, God, make him think I am still pretty.”
The
door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious.
Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two—and to be burdened with a family! He needed
a new overcoat and he was without gloves.
Jim
stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His
eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could
not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor
disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared
for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.
Della
wriggled off the table and went for him.
“Jim,
darling,” she cried, “don’t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold
because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present.
It’ll grow out again—you won’t mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair
grows awfully fast. Say ‘Merry Christmas!’ and let’s be happy. You don’t know
what a nice—what a beautiful, nice gift I’ve got for you.”
“You’ve
cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that
patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.
“Cut
it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like me just as well, anyhow? I’m
me without my hair, ain’t I?”
Jim
looked about the room curiously.
“You
say your hair is gone?” he said, with an air almost of idiocy.
“You
needn’t look for it,” said Della. “It’s sold, I tell you—sold and gone, too.
It’s Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of
my head were numbered,” she went on, with sudden serious sweetness, “but nobody
could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?”
Out
of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten
seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the
other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year—what is the
difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer.
The
magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion
will be illuminated later on.
Jim
drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.
“Don’t
make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. I don’t think there’s anything in
the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl
any less. But if you’ll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a
while at first.”
White
fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of
joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails,
necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord
of the flat.
For
there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped
long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoiseshell, with jeweled
rims—just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive
combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without
the least hope of possession. And now they were hers—but the tresses that
should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.
But
she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she looked up with dim eyes and a
smile and said:
“My
hair grows so fast, Jim!”
And
then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, “Oh, oh!”
Jim
had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her
open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her
bright and ardent spirit.
“Isn’t
it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You’ll have to look at the
time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks
on it.”
Instead
of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of
his head and smiled.
“Dell,”
said he, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ’em awhile. They’re
too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your
combs. And now suppose you put the chops on.”
The
magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men—who brought gifts to the
Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being
wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange
in case of duplication.
And
here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish
children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest
treasures of their house.
But
in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give
gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as
they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi.
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