Theme Of Gift Of Magi

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What is the theme of the "Gift of the Magi"? — What is the theme of the "Souvenir of the Magi"?

"The Gift of the Magi" Assay and Themes

O. Henry'due south "The Souvenir of the Magi" might be the most famous brusque story of all fourth dimension. Information technology'southward certainly the virtually famous of O. Henry'southward, standing out amidst many stories with surprise endings, similar "The Last Leaf" and "After 20 Years."

Its surprising catastrophe has made it a favorite of many readers. If you haven't read the story yet or don't know the ending, please don't spoil information technology for yourself. At around 2,100 words, it offers a large payoff for a small time investment.

This article contains:

A summary
A look at themes
Biblical alllusions
The significant of the championship

"The Souvenir of the Magi" Summary

Della's scrimping has allowed her to salvage one dollar and eighty-seven cents. Tomorrow is Christmas. She flops onto her shabby couch and cries.

She lives in a furnished flat at a rent of eight dollars a week. The mailbox and doorbell are broken. Her hubby, Jim, makes $xx a calendar week.

Della powders her cheeks later her cry and so looks out the window. She had been planning on getting Jim a nice Christmas present, something worthy of him.

Suddenly, Della moves from the window to the mirror. She lets her long pilus down. It's i of the couple's two prized possessions, the other one existence Jim'southward heirloom watch. Her pilus falls below her knees. She rapidly puts it upwards once again and pauses equally a tear falls.

She puts on her erstwhile glaze and hat and hurries down to the street. She reaches a hair goods shop and enters. She asks the possessor if she will purchase her pilus. They attain an agreement for $20.

Subsequently two hours of careful searching through the stores, Della finds the perfect gift—a platinum fob chain. It suits Jim and his exquisite watch exactly. It has an unadorned simplicity and quality. She pays $21 for it.

When she gets home, Della takes out her curling irons and does her hair as nicely as she can. She looks at herself critically and wonders how Jim will react to the modify.

At 7 PM, Della has java ready and is prepared to make supper. She waits by the door with the fob chain in her hand. She hopes Jim will notwithstanding think she's pretty.

Jim enters looking serious. His gaze is stock-still on Della. He has a peculiar expression that she can't interpret. She'south afraid. She goes to him and explains herself. Jim struggles to empathise that she's cut her pilus and that it's gone.

Eventually, he snaps out of his stupor and hugs Della. He takes a package from his coat and puts it on the tabular array. He assures her that her haircut won't impact his feelings for her. He says if she unwraps her gift, she will understand why he was and then out of it before.

Della excitedly opens the package, screams with joy, and so cries hysterically. Information technology'southward a beautiful set of expensive combs that she had looked at longingly in a shop window. She holds them and tells Jim her hair grows fast.

Curlicue to Continue

Theme: Unselfish Love

The overwhelming feeling from the story, amplified by the surprise ending, is of the young couple'due south unselfish love for each other.

This is introduced immediately when we're told that Della had been saving for months for Jim's gift. Her desire was strong enough to push through the embarrassment of shaving a penny or ii off her vegetable and butcher's bills.

Knowing she doesn't have enough to get a dainty nowadays for Jim makes Della cry. She wants something "fine and rare and sterling—something just a piddling fleck nearly to being worthy of the honor of being owned past Jim." Clearly, she holds her husband in high esteem and wants to express her love to him.

Della lacks fine material things. Her hair is her prized possession, so it'southward a considerable sacrifice to give information technology upwards. We saw how difficult it was for her when, before leaving her apartment, she "faltered for a infinitesimal and stood nevertheless while a tear or two" brutal to the carpeting. Her business organization is twofold—she'll be losing her prized possession, and she doesn't know if Jim will like the change.

It'due south besides noteworthy that Della didn't think of selling her pilus until the day before Christmas. She would have known before this that she wouldn't have plenty money, merely selling her hair doesn't occur to her until the urgency is at its peak. This is obviously a terminal resort idea.

Up until Jim enters the story, we're left wondering if this tender feeling is ane-sided.

When he snapped out of his defoliation, he gave Della a long hug. He told her that no change to her pilus would change his feelings for her.

When his gift is revealed—expensive combs that his wife had admired—we know that he had a similar want to become his wife a worthy present. What's more, it tells us he noticed that she wanted them. He paid attending to her and wanted to please her.

Jim'south selflessness is heightened by the fact that he needs a new overcoat and gloves.

When it's revealed that he had to sell his prized possession to buy them, we know that his honey is as unselfish as his wife's.

When the twist of the catastrophe hits u.s., it's difficult not to be touched by the unselfish love that each showed. They each sacrificed their best for the other.

Theme: Poverty

A secondary theme that is necessary for the story to work is poverty.

Jim merely earns $20 a week. His rent is $eight a calendar week. 40% of the couple'south income goes to rent. This doesn't leave much for the basics, allow lone whatsoever extras.

Previously, he had been making $30 a calendar week. Information technology's possible the pay cut precipitated Della'south scrimping and saving. Nosotros're told she had been saving for months, not the whole yr. They might still exist learning to adjust to their reduced income.

Their poverty is established in the clarification of their apartment and neighborhood. The mailbox and the doorbell are broken. When Della looks out the window she sees "a grey cat walking a greyness fence in a grayness lawn." There's nothing to be cheerful about here.

Della'southward jacket and lid are both old. Jim needs a new overcoat and doesn't accept gloves.

This is despite the fact that Jim works long days. We're told he's never late getting home, and he doesn't go home until 7 PM.

Clearly, Della and Jim are barely getting by. Their circumstances arrive all the more moving that their focus is on each other rather than fabric things.

Biblical Allusions in the Story

The most obvious Biblical allusions are in the title and the title'southward explanation in the concluding paragraph. At that place are 2 other allusions that make this main ane seem less tacked on.

They occur when the narrator is describing the splendor of Della'south pilus and Jim's watch. We're told Della'southward hair would outshine the Queen of Sheba'south jewels and gifts. Likewise, Jim's watch would make King Solomon envious. When visiting Solomon, who'due south considered the richest of Israel's kings, Sheba brought him an array of expensive gifts. This comparing stresses the value of the immature couple's prized possessions.

Meaning of the Title

The pregnant of the title is explained at the cease. Despite this, information technology's still possible to miss the significant if information technology's not read carefully.

The giving of Della and Jim isn't being strictly compared to the giving of the magi, as if they're equivalent. Before the full gift reveal, the narrator says, "The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not amidst them." What wasn't among them?

The difference betwixt eight dollars a calendar week and a one thousand thousand a yr, every bit we're told earlier in that paragraph. So, what is the departure?

The departure is in the resource that were available to the givers. The gifts of the magi were wise, possibly considering they were generic, valuable things that could be exchanged for other things. The immature couple's gifts were unwise—materially they would have been better off if they hadn't gotten each other anything. Just, the narrator tells the states, "Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest." Rather than being equivalent to the magi'southward, Della and Jim's gifts are superior. The value is in the unselfish love displayed, non the material gain.

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