The lack of imagery and metaphor in O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of Magi” make the few Bible allusions stand out. In the last paragraph O. Henry compares Jim and Della to the three wise men that came to give gifts to Jesus on the first Christmas. Also in the exposition of the story there are another two Biblical allusions. Della’s hair is written to be so beautiful that her hair would depreciate The Queen of Sheba’s jewels and gifts. And Jim’s golden watch would have made King Solomon pluck his
Premium Jesus Biblical Magi Christmas
Lashonda Brown E. Bloom English 102 4 November 2013 The gift that keeps giving The gift of the Magi by O. Henry opens with $1.87. That’s all Della Dillingham has to buy a present for her beloved husband‚ Jim. And the next day is Christmas. Faced with such a situation‚ Della promptly bursts into tears on the couch‚ which gives
Premium Sacrifice Korban Marriage
“The Gift of the Magi” Expository Essay The author O.Henry portrayed the message of how the giving of gifts requires a lot of hard work‚ and also incessant searching to find the perfect gift for either your friend‚ or family. And the gifts will usually require you to sacrifice something special to you‚ either it be money or a valued possession. A gift doesn’t always have to be physical‚ maybe if you just cut a little time off work and spent it with your friends‚ it could be the best gift they might
Premium Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The Gift of the Magi” by O.Henry is a short story about James and Della Dillingham Young‚ and the events that occur one Christmas eve. The story begins with Della Dillingham Young frantically gathering her money to purchase a gift for her husband Jim Dillingham. Della loves her husband Jim so much‚ that she sacrifices her beloved hair in order to purchase a wrist band for Jims watch. Unbeknownst to her‚ Jim sacrificed his watch to purchase a set of combs that she always desired. Love‚ sacrifice
Premium Jesus Santa Claus Christmas
The Gift of the Magi and its Background Mindy Phillips Introduction to Literature ENG125 Instructor Julie Alfaro January 21st‚ 2013 In my paper I am going to be describing the short story The Gift of the Magi. Throughout my paper I am going to describe what I feel is the theme of the story itself. I will also be explaining and identifying symbolism used and described in the story‚ as well as talking about the point of view that the narrator used in the story. Finally‚ I will be describing
Premium Management Project management Psychology
behind a story. Literary symbols and point of view help us to understand what the theme of a story actually is. The theme of “The gift of Magi” is selflessness. Symbolism and Plot are two literary elements in this story that contribute to the theme. The theme in a story is associated with an idea that lies behind the story (R.W. Clugston‚ 2010) To understand what the theme of the story is we have to figure out what the literary symbols are and what they stand for. “The Gift of Magi” tells a
Premium Fiction Short story Literature
Irony in “The Gift of the Magi” In The Gift of the Magi‚ O Henry uses irony to place special emphasis on love and sacrifice. O Henry is known for his use of irony in his short stories. Irony is defined as: “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning” (dictionary.com). In The Gift of the Magi‚ O Henry uses verbal‚ situational and dramatic irony to tell his story. The most obvious and prominent type of irony used in The Gift of the Magi was situational irony
Premium Santa Claus Biblical Magi Irony
In the gift of the magi by O. Henry‚ he shows two people who love each other so much that they will sacrifice their favorite things for the other. The gift of the magi is about two people; Della and Jim. It is Christmas Eve and Della wants to give her husband Jim a nice gift but all she has is $1.87. She ends up giving up her prized possession (her hair) to get a chain for his watch‚ and her husband sold his watch (his prized possession) to get combs for her hair. They end up with a gift that they
Premium Marriage Short story Love
There are lots of components in a good story‚ plot‚ theme‚ characters‚ structure and so many more. A lot of stories are better than others because of the components of good irony‚ relate-able characters‚ and a good structure. Irony makes a really good story because it lets you discover a lot about a character and if he is good or bad‚ gonna do something to someone or help someone‚ and the personality of the character. For example writer Van Tomphson on his website says “This approach to irony can
Premium Short story Fiction Henrik Ibsen
of the short story “The Gift of the Magi” puts in a very important theme into this story. The theme is centered around the main characters Della and Jim. In this story both of the characters are faced with an important choice to make. Henry tells a theme through irony and the characters’ actions‚ that shows that it’s important to make sacrifices for love and happiness and there are many ways to prove this theme throughout the story. Firstly‚ In the story “The Gift of The Magi” both of the
Premium Fiction English-language films Short story