Republic of the Philippines

Philippine Normal University

The National Center for Teacher Education
Mindanao
The Multicultural Education Hub
Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur

Name: MONTIBON ANGIELYN Date: June 29, 2021

Asynchronous Activity on Contemporary Short Story

“ GIFT OF MAGI by O. Henry : AN ANALYSIS”

“It's the thought that counts,” meaning that it's not what you give that matters but the
thought behind it.

The story titled “Gift of Magi” by O. Henry depicts the story of two young couple named
Jim and Della who expresses their love towards each other every Christmas through exchanging
gifts behind the poverty they have experienced. They are willing to sacrifice even the most
treasured thing they own just to give the presents they wanted to give to one another. The story
possess that on a daily level, their poverty does not appear to have an impact on their
comfortable home life, and the emotional worth of having each other surpasses their lack of
financial prosperity.

In "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry utilizes numerous methods, or literary techniques , that
are common in most of his short stories. The narrator at first has the personality and presence.
Despite the fact that the story is delivered from Della's perspective—the reader sees largely what
Della sees—the story is written in a different narrative voice that addresses the reader as "you."
It's almost as if the narrator is a hidden figure who engages the reader as a friend and shares his
views on the Youngs' dilemma. The narrative is told in a light hearted, neighbourly tone, with
numerous amusing asides addressed at the reader. He utilizes colloquial terms like "took a great
pride" and humorous phrases like "forget the hashed metaphor."

The Gift of the Magi" is also a wonderful illustration of O. Henry's famed tale structure, or
organization. There are lots of figurative language being used in the story and these are: first is
allusion, or allusions to well-known persons, locations, events, or creative works, is another
aspect of "The Gift of the Magi." The narrator of this narrative references to the Bible when
describing Della's hair and Jim's watch can be found in the story with these phrase: ''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. 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." By comparing Della's
hair and Jim's watch to royal treasures, O. Henry lets his readers know how special these items
are. In fact, O. Henry lets his readers know how special these items are. Finally, this light
hearted allusion to the Bible prepares the way for the more serious allusion which appears at the
end of the story, when Della and Jim are compared to the Magi.

Another is the use of simile. Della's hair is described as "rippling and gleaming like a cascade
of brown rivers" by O. Henry, who continues to emphasize this point. This is a simile, which is
heightened by Della's description of her hair as if it were "a garment." Della's hair appears to be
not only gorgeous, but also cherished because it is a part of her everyday clothing. And of
course, the big one, lots of irony in this story. Della sells her hair for the watch chain, and Jim
sells his watch for the set of combs.

The story also let the readers realized that magi's gifts were sensible, maybe because they were
generic, valuable items that might be traded for something else. The young couple's presents
were unwise; they would have been better off financially if they hadn't given each other anything
at all. However, as the narrator points out, "They are the smartest of all those who give and
receive presents. They are the wisest people anywhere."