“The Necklace”. The gift of the Magi captured my interest because of the profound themes…
In the analyses of comparing and contrasting “The Necklace” and “Ambush,” they are very different, but also similar. The setting in each story could not be any more polar than they already are. The similarity of the two stories is that the plots both contain lies.…
In each story, the setting, including the mood created by the setting, plays an important role in the actions and the development of the characters. In “The Gift of the Magi,” because of their extreme poverty, Della and Jim must sacrifice their most prized possessions in order to buy a present for each other. In “The Necklace” M. Loisel and Mme. Loisel are forced to live in extreme debt for ten years because of a lost necklace. Both stories involve women who are faced with poverty, but the women confront their poverty in a different manner. Your task is to analyze this difference.…
You can read “The Necklace” as a story about greed, but this is also about pride. Mathilde Loisel is a very proud woman. She feels far above the humble circumstances and she is forced to live with her husband by her common birth. Her current situation disgusts her. She is also vain too, completely caught up in her own beauty. It is pride that prevents Mathilde from admitting they've lost an expensive necklace. After the loss of the necklace makes Mathilde poor, and her beauty fades, she may learn a pride of a different sort: pride in her own work and…
“The Gift of the Magi” is centered on two main characters Jim and Della. It is a Christmas themed story in which a poor couple find themselves in a difficult situation when looking to buy presents for each other, when they find out them both have no money. Jim’s pride and joy is a golden watch and Della’s most prized possession is her hair. But when they both go to buy presents for each other they both sell their most prized possessions to buy gifts. When they show each other there presents they are shocked to find Della bought a chain for Jims watch, and Jim bought combs for Della’s hair!…
Identity is both necessary and important and to all, promoting individuality and characteristics that make each person their own. The countless books telling stories of dystopian societies, where one person is no different from the other, represent the way a society would become in the absence of individual identity. It is the defining quality that makes one human, molding morality into its distinct and unique forms. One such example of identity that is impactfully associated with all Americans, is that of the American Dream. This dream encompases the idea that all Americans have the opportunity to achieve the lifestyle that they want to live. It is highly associated with a drive for success. People from all walks of…
In these plays, they both found happiness in money. In the Necklace, Mathilde “had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but appearance of its possession, led Mathilde to borrow an expensive necklace from a wealthy friend to show it off at the ball she was invited to by the Minister of Public Instruction. She ended up losing the necklace and worked half of her life to get it back. Not knowing that the necklace was fake. She didn’t want anyone to know that she had lost it, and would do anything to earn money.…
defined in the moment after the ball, when she looks in the mirror and discovers the loss…
By contrasting the gift of the Magi to the Sesame Street version, its clear that in the Gift of the Magi the two partner Della and Jim, sell a valuable possession in order to make their partner happy during Christmas night. As where Bert and Ernie trade their prized possessions at Mr. Hooper store. While Bert and Ernie got their items back at the end of the video, Della couldn't get her hair back, and Jim couldn't get his watch back. The most obvious difference between the gift of the Magi and the Sesame Street screenplay is that in the Sesame Street version the characters are puppets, while in the Gift of the Magi the characters are given characteristics that make them seem like real people the text states "Her eye were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its colour within twenty seconds" (Henry pg 2). The story later also goes on to state "Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious" (Henry pg 3). By contrasting The Gift of the Magi to the Sesame Street version, we can learn that Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street found their inspiration for what to get the other person in their house. Apart from Della and Jim founding their inspiration by walking down the streets of Broadway. The differences between the Gift of the…
In “The Necklace”, Mathilde is seen as a poor woman who had low self-esteem and was married to a clerk. In this story, she was invited to a ball and borrowed a friend’s necklace. After the ball, Mathilde discovers that the necklace was lost. As a result, she had to search for a similar necklace and had to take out loans to make a purchase. She was forced to work for ten years to pay off the debt until one day when she saw her friend. Little did Mathilde know that the necklace she lost was worth much less than the new necklace she paid for.…
Compare and Contrast how the Main Characters and their Relationships are Portrayed in "Veronica" and "The Necklace". There are many similarities and differences between "Veronica" and "The Necklace" for instance they share some of their key themes. In "Veronica" a key theme is the extreme contrast between city life and village life this is displayed when Okeke says "Either I had forgotten about the squalor of a village life, or it had worsened in my absence", this shows the difference between the village and the city he even calls it a "squalor" which informs the reader on the filth and poverty in which the villagers have to live in. In "The Necklace" one of the key themes is difference between appearance and reality as there is a discrepancy…
In “The Gift of the Magi” there are elements of theme throughout the entire story. One example of theme in the story is that poverty affected both the main characters Jim and Della. Jim and Della both lived in a poor neighborhood with very little money. They both wanted to get each other a very meaningful Christmas present. Another element of theme in this story is that Jim and Della realize how much they love each other. Eugene Garcia fines that “In this trite little tale of mutual self-sacrifice between husband and wife, O. Henry crystallized dramatically what the world in all it’s stored up wisdom knows to be of fundamental value in ordinary family life”(short story criticisms 192). The theme of this story should always be kept in mine that love is more important then money.…
In both of the stories “The gift of the Magi” and “The Diamond Necklace” the characters are similar, but also have differences. Della and Mathilde Loisel were vain. They are different because Della is honest, while Mathilde is dishonest. In the stories I learned, as a reader, to be honest with people.…
The meaning of the gift is emphasized in the story. It is the gift from the heartthat is more valuable than anything. O. Henry illustrates the meaning of the giftthrough the love of Della and Jim. With love, they can give their lover anything theyhave. Della is willing to sell her precious hair to buy Jim a platinum chain. Jim iswilling to sell his precious watch to buy Della a tortoiseshell comb. Living in a very poor condition can not prevent Jim and Della from giving their sweetheart aChristmas gift-a gift that they hope it can make their lover happy. A gift is importantand valuable only when it derives from the compassion, from the heart. The gifts inthe story turn out to be useless in the purpose of using, but it is priceless in the purpose of bringing happiness. With this meaning, Jim and Della are not only theMagi for each other, but also the Magi for all the readers. That is one of the reasonswhy the title “The gift of the Magi” is matched.…
The value of the gift is emphasized in the story. Both Jim and Della sell their personal treasure in order to enhance the treasure of the other. Della sells her hair in order to buy a watch chain for Jim’s only valuable inheritance. Jim sells his watch in order to enhance Della’s stunning hair. It is not about the material value of the gift even though both Jim and Della have sold their most precious belongings in order to achieve it. It is the sentimental value that does matter. Della and jim give each other the best of all possible gifts, love. It is the love they dedicate for each other, which turns into their motivation for being willing to give something which can bring happiness to their sweetheart. The gifts are selfless and beautiful. O. Henry compares Jim and Della to the most famous gift givers of all, the Magi. With thoes priceless presents, they are the Magi for each other.…