THE GIFT OF THE MAGI ANALYSIS

TEXTUAL APPROACH
Della Dillingham Young is the main character of the story. She is a young housewife who
lives in New York City with her husband, Jim, in a little apartment. She's been described as
youthful, loving, altruistic, and a little hysterical. Her most valued possession is her hair, which
falls past her knee, but she sells it to buy a good watch chain for her husband, Jim, out of
selflessness. Della's twenty-two-year-old husband, Jim Dillingham Young, is known as "the lord
of the flat" and can barely afford their cheap apartment. He's described as peaceful, calm, and
good-natured, and he's referred to as a "poor fellow" because of the difficulties he has as a young
household head. Despite his social and financial difficulties, Jim is just like Della in terms of
generosity and altruism. He, like Della, gives up his most valued possession—his grandfather's
gold watch—to purchase Della the ultimate Christmas present. Madame Sofronie has a hair salon
that sells "Hair Goods of All Kinds." She has been characterized as large, white, and chilly. Her
demeanor is straightforward and to-the-point: she shows no evidence of being wowed by Della's
lovely hair and casually offers to buy it for $20. Her demeanor stands in stark contrast to Della
and Jim. Della considers her hair to be something special, but Madam Sofronie considers her hair
to be the financial worth she can extract from it, or more like a business transaction with Della.
The story is set in New York over the Christmas season. Della and Jim, the main characters in
the short story, reside in a small but well-kept apartment. Due to the couple's poor income, it is
simply furnished. The situation as it emphasizes Jim and Della's poverty. It also depicts their
fortunes shifting.
The story's exposition introduces Della and her financial circumstances, as well as the
setting: the day before Christmas in an unspecified city. Jim, Della's husband, is described,
showing that they are a loving, young couple suffering with poverty. Just a few days before
Christmas, Delia and Jim Young find themselves in difficult circumstances. The rising action
takes place when Jim earns less money than before, and Della is responsible for stretching their
budget, notably for food. The narrator makes it apparent that she has diligently saved yet only
has $1.87 to buy a gift for her spouse. Della's efforts to save enough money to purchase Jim a
Christmas present are the highlight of the story. She can't think of anything else than selling her
stunning hair. She receives $20 for selling her hair and spends the rest of the afternoon looking
for the ideal present. The climax is ironic, as the couple finds that each has sold their most
treasured item to buy a present for the other that they can no longer use: Della has sold her hair
for a watch chain, while Jim has sold his watch for a pricey brush and comb set for Della. The
falling action is the recognition that their presents have lost their meaning, yet they have given so
generously and from the heart that their actions are more valuable than their possessions. When
Jim and Della sit down for dinner together, the story comes to a close. That may not seem like
much, but it's significant because Jim and Della aren't furious with one other. The narrator
concludes by telling the reader that love is the best of all gifts, and that they have experienced it
in their relationship.
 The story's narrator is a non-participant. It employs a third-person limited omniscience
viewpoint. The narrator relates the story by mentioning all of the individuals and other objects
with the pronouns "she," "he," "it," and names. The narrator only knows everything about the
main characters, Della and Jim, hence it's called limited omniscience. Della and Jim's physical
appearance and sentiments are described by the narrator. The narrator's neutrality is likewise
discarded in the final paragraph.
O. Henry uses a variety of literary devices throughout his classic short story "The Gift of
the Magi," it includes allusions, alliteration, imagery, metaphors, similes, foreshadowing,
hyperbole, and the different types of irony that occur throughout the story. In "The Gift of the
Magi," allusions begin with the title, which alludes to the three magi, the three wise men or three
kings "who delivered presents to the Babe in the manger," as well as various allusions to King
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The phrases "sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles
predominating" and "sudden serious sweetness" are examples of alliteration, which is the
repeating of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words that come close together, such
as the "s" in both examples. Because the repeating sound is a consonant sound, this type of
alliteration is known as consonance. The imagery in the story also includes Della's hair hanging
out the window, the Queen of Sheba envying Della's hair from "the flat across the airshaft," and
King Solomon pulling his beard at the sight of Jim's watch. Other examples of imagery in the
story include the phrase "beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims.” When he says,
"and the next two hours tripped by on rose wings" while Della hunts for a gift for Jim, O. Henry
uses what he calls "the hashed metaphor," the indirect comparison of different objects. In his
comparison of Della and Jim to the magi, O. Henry also uses metaphor. In "The Gift of the
Magi," Henry describes Della's lovely hair as "rippling and shining like a cascade of brown
waters," and there's another simile, "like a Coney Island chorus girl," that uses "like" to compare
Della to the short-haired female singer-dancers who entertained there. Foreshadowing happened
when Della asks for Jim's watch and he does not respond, leading us to believe he has sold the
watch. "Jim was never late," which raises the question of why Jim was late, which is answered
later in the story, is also an example of foreshadowing. The most evident use of hyperbole in
“The Gift of the Magi” occurs when the narrator discusses Della’s and Jim’s appraisals of their
two treasures— her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. According to this text, Della's hair is
more valuable than all of the Queen of Sheba's jewels and extravagant gifts to King Solomon.
Situational irony is illustrated at the end of the story. Each character is faced with a situation that
is totally opposite to their expectations. This irony adds a signature to the sentence. O. Henry's
surprise draws the story to a close.

READER’S-RESPONSE APPROACH
The story “The Gift of the Magi” talks about the unconditional love for the couple and as
a reader and a student this type of genre is an eye-catcher. The author showed how the struggles
of the couple in being financially unstable. Different reactions on different scenarios creates a
roller coaster ride of emotion and it build up a tension as a reader. O. Henry displayed a lot of
real-life situations in the story that I, as a reader, felt every character’s feeling.
 I consider this as one the best short stories I have read. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
is a chef’s kiss. This wonderful story taught me a lot of wisdom and realizations in that I have a
lot more to learn in life. This story changed the way I thought about the value of money. I always
believed that money can’t buy happiness but looking back from the struggles I’ve been through
and the characters struggles in everyday life, money can buy happiness to the extent that you can
buy anything you need and anything you want. This type of happiness is temporary but it doesn’t
change the fact you can be happy with having money to spend. I can relate to the story since it
reminds me of my own personal experience, such as sacrificing and showing efforts to my loved
ones. I barely have enough money to buy gifts for others but I always find ways to make them
happy. Despite the fact that it is not material things like in the story, it is the effort that counts.
The characters’ action prove that they are willing to go to any length to bring happiness to one
another, regardless of the cost to themselves. They’re trying to make each other happy, and that’s
what love is all about; the willingness to do anything for each other. The expensive objects Della
and Jim buy each other are symbolic of their love. The items themselves have very little meaning
- in fact, the couple puts them away for the time being. The selfless sacrifice that they represent,
however, makes them precious.
I value money dearly, but if I were in the same situation as Della, I would likewise give
up my prized possession, just as Jim did with his watch. We all respond differently to this, but
you will be the happiest person alive when you see your loved ones pleased because of the
efforts and sacrifice you made. My sacrifice for the love of my life proves how much I adore and
care for them, to the point where I would do anything for them, regardless of the cost just like
how the story. Personally, I think the story is intended for all of us because the author did not
only focus on the couple but rather focuses also in the financial state which we can all relate. It
tackles not only love but also the struggles of being poor and not being able to buy the things we
need and want.
Della Dillingham Young is the character in the story that standout when it comes in
everything. She is one of a kind, she is devoted to her husband, and she is willing to do anything
to make her husband happy despite the circumstances. She doesn’t even think it’s much of a
choice. She barely seems to worry about herself, about how she will look after cutting her hair.
She’s not worried about herself, she’s worried about Jim’s impression of her beauty. Throughout
the story she shows us that her life revolves around how to please her husband and that clearly
shows how devoted she is. People may not think it is appropriate to devote your entire life to
your husband, but we all have different perspectives. Perhaps Della expresses her love for her
husband by devoting her precious hair to him. Some may consider it obsessive, but I see it as a
pure love. Even if you disagree, we all need someone in our lives who is willing to go beyond to
make us happy. We need someone who will do anything for us, who will show affection to us,
who will make efforts to make us happy, and who will always be on our side. We all want Della
in our lives who will go to any extent for her family.
 PERFORMAN
CE TASK IN
ST
21 CENTURY
LITERATURE
FM L. GALVEZ
11-PLATO

MR. JOE MARI VALDEZ

SUBJECT TEACHER
PERFORMANCE
TASK IN
UNDERSTANDIN
G CULTURE,
SOCIETY, AND
POLITICS
FM L. GALVEZ
11-PLATO

MR. RYAN EVANGELISTA

SUBJECT TEACHER
PERFORMANCE
TASK IN
PAGSULAT SA
FILIPINO SA
PILING
LARANGAN
FM L. GALVEZ
11-PLATO

MR. NOEL ANGALA JR.

 SUBJECT TEACHER

PERFORMAN
CE TASK IN
EARTH AND
LIFE
SCIENCES
FM L. GALVEZ
11-PLATO
MR. RANDELL TOQUERO
SUBJECT TEACHER