“The Gift of the Magi”, written by O. Henry, is a short story that follows the lives of a young married couple, Della and Jim, who are very poor but are desperately in love with each other. The poverty and the circumstances they live in will affect them throughout the whole story.
We can say sacrifice, values and love play huge roles considering they will have to sacrifice everything they have of value to give each other the best Christmas present. In Della’s case, she cuts and sells her hair to buy Jim a chain for his watch, which was a family heirloom passed down from his grandfather.
The story takes an unexpected twist when Jim reveals he sold his watch to buy Della combs for her hair at the end of the story. This plot twist leaves us with a bittersweet feeling because on the one hand they lost their most, or what they thought it was, valuable possessions but on the other hand they still have each other and their love, which is what really matters.
Mariano Alberto.